Quality Assurance Engineer

Alternate Titles

Test engineer.

Brief Job Description

Quality assurance engineers run tests on marine energy electrical, mechanical, or software components to make sure the components work as designed, meet safety regulations, and satisfy client expectations.

Education and Training Level Description

Quality assurance engineers typically have a bachelor's degree in engineering or computer science relevant to the products they test. Relevant fields of study and manufacturing include mechanical, industrial, or systems engineering, as well as computer science or software development. Employers also value experience, so experience through internships or cooperative-education engineering programs during a university program is a plus. Some employers look for applicants with prior experience as an engineer in relevant manufacturing or software development processes.

Job Profile

Quality assurance engineers provide quality control for mechanical and electrical marine energy component manufacturing companies. They make sure the marine energy components a company produces and sells function as they are designed to function. Because the marine energy industry is still in the technology development stage, there are few large-scale marine energy component manufacturing facilities hiring quality assurance engineers. As the marine energy industry develops, there will be more manufacturing facilities that need quality assurance engineers to test the quality of their electrical and mechanical components before sending those components to customers.

Quality assurance engineers may work with quality assurance teams, manufacturers, developers, and project managers to better understand end-user needs, management needs, and manufacturing processes. Quality assurance engineers use this information to develop or adjust their quality testing and systems appropriately. They also develop test procedures and implement systems that ensure the products and processes fulfill quality standards, meet safety regulations, and satisfy client expectations. 

They often work with component design engineers and technicians to determine what functions of the marine energy component need to be tested. After determining the functions that need to be tested, a quality assurance engineer will design a process that can assess the functionality of a component. These designs could be written plans and blueprints for physical testing, computer programs to analyze product performance, or a combination of both. These tests assess the mechanical, electrical, or software performance of marine energy components, such as turbines, circuit boards, or remotely controlled operation software. Quality assurance engineers work to make tests streamlined and repeatable so components can undergo efficient testing and be sent to customers without a long delay.

Outside of manufacturing processes, quality assurance engineers may help with marine energy array installation to ensure all parts are installed and function correctly. As in the manufacturing field, quality assurance engineers in construction also develop installation processes, procedures, and tests for marine energy equipment.

Quality assurance engineers also train different types of technicians to carry out the testing procedures and processes they have designed. They often work closely with technicians to improve and streamline testing processes as well as collect, analyze, and report the data to product development engineers.

Quality engineers typically: 

• Work closely with manufacturers, design teams, and customers to develop standards for design and production as well as meet national and international industry standards
• Develop, implement, test, analyze, revise, and improve marine energy component manufacturing processes
• Perform process and product audits, both internal to their organization or company as well as at their supply chain
• Provide training to establish an understanding of product requirements and provide workers and suppliers the tools necessary to meet schedules, specifications, and organizational goals
• Work closely with suppliers to ensure marine energy parts and components are produced according to product specifications
• Document and report defects or problems with the components
• Develop and implement a plan, when a problem or nonconformance is reported, to improve performance and then monitor, record, evaluate, and report on improvements 
• Use their knowledge of construction and component requirements to allow project engineers and developers to determine whether a proposed site is acceptable or recommend alternate locations
• Estimate how different aspects of site storage or inspection schedules will affect the project deployment timeline and cost
• Ensure the prerequisites and specifications to install each component are met during marine energy site construction and find alternate solutions that align with the existing timeline and budget when issues arise
• During the operations and maintenance phase of marine facilities, the quality engineer may work with marine energy array technicians to identify the cause of malfunctions, component failures or other issues that prohibit marine energy technologies from functioning properly.

Job Skills

Quality assurance engineer typically needs:

• Attention to detail. Quality assurance engineers must pay attention to detail to ensure that products are being manufactured, installed, and operated to the required specifications.
• Analytical/critical-thinking/problem-solving skills. Quality assurance engineers review established processes in order to find manufacturing and cost optimizations. When problems arise, they conduct root cause investigations and develop and implement corrective or preventative action plans.
• Communication skills. Quality assurance engineers must be able to communicate current and new processes clearly. They are also required to document many aspects of their job, including inspections, root cause analyses, and process improvements in a clear and understandable manner.
• Ethics. Quality assurance engineers must be able to operate while under pressure to take shortcuts yet ensure that standards are maintained.
• Interpersonal skills. This skill is critical for quality assurance engineers as they work in teams across organizations and should be able to provide leadership to collaborate with many different types of people at varying levels of seniority.
• Math skills. Quality engineers use the principles of statistics, calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.

More Information, Job Opportunities, etc.

For more information on industrial engineering jobs, see: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: Health and Safety Engineers

Resources

• U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office Career Map: Quality Engineer
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: Health and Safety Engineers