Customer Quality Specialist

Technique is looking for a Customer Quality Specialist (Caterpillar) to join our team at our Jackson, Michigan facility. This position reports to the Director of Quality, with a dotted-line relationship to Sales and Commercial. The Customer Quality Specialist owns all Caterpillar portal communication, quality liaison activities, quality documents, supplier performance evaluations, corrective actions, PPM management, PPAP execution in ETQ Reliance, and the SQEP scorecard and roadmap for the Caterpillar account. The role also partners closely with Technique’s Caterpillar sales representative and Estimating team to connect the right internal expertise to Caterpillar conversations and help win and retain CAT business.

The ideal candidate brings 5+ years of hands-on quality lab experience, including dimensional inspection, GD&T application, CMM and metrology, capability studies (Cpk/Ppk), and gage R&R. Direct experience with PPAP execution – preferably to Caterpillar, Cummins, John Deere, or an IATF 16949 automotive OEM – and working knowledge of ETQ Reliance or a comparable enterprise QMS are strongly preferred. Experience leading 8D/RCCA/CAR responses and comfort moving fluidly between the shop floor, customer video calls, and internal commercial reviews round out the profile.

Responsibilities:

• Own portal communication and quality liaison – Serve as the single owner of all Caterpillar portal communication, ETQ Reliance interactions, and quality-system correspondence. Act as the primary day-to-day liaison for Caterpillar buyers, SDEs, SQEs, and quality teams, consolidating relationships that today are spread across multiple Technique contacts.
• Maintain Caterpillar quality documents – Own all Caterpillar quality documents on Technique’s side – control plans, inspection criteria, PFMEAs, and submission packages – and keep them current as Caterpillar specs and Engineering Standards change.
• Manage supplier performance evaluations – Receive and interpret Caterpillar supplier performance evaluations, build response plans, and own follow-through to close gaps.
• Support Estimating and Sales – Provide Caterpillar-specific requirements knowledge to Estimating – flow-down interpretation, recurring spec callouts, special-process expectations, and packaging and routing standards – so quotes are built with the right context the first time. Maintain a Caterpillar requirements library to eliminate re-engineering the same questions on every RFQ.
• Connect Caterpillar to internal expertise – Partner with Technique’s assigned Caterpillar sales representative and the Estimating team to route the right Caterpillar conversations to the right internal people: Engineering for design-for-manufacturing questions, Quality Engineering for capability concerns, Operations for process-route feasibility, and Supply Chain for special-process sourcing.
• Identify business opportunities – Surface new programs, expanded scope on existing parts, and quality wins worth highlighting to CAT buyers, and bring them to Sales and leadership.
• Manage quality flow-down – Translate Caterpillar Engineering Standards and print-level requirements into Technique-side documentation, driving Quality Engineering and Operations to update work instructions, control plans, and inspection criteria. Own the interpretation of ambiguous flow-downs, including direct engagement with Caterpillar SDEs/SQEs for clarification. Maintain version control of Caterpillar specifications referenced on active parts and flag spec revisions when issued.
• Execute PPAP in ETQ Reliance – Own the PPAP workflow inside ETQ Reliance for every Caterpillar part – staging, evidence collection, review, submission, and closure of interim approval conditions. Coordinate cross-functional inputs: PFMEA and control plan from Quality Engineering, dimensional and capability data from Inspection, material and special-process certs from Supply Chain, and PSW sign-off. Drive first-pass PPAP approval as a measured metric. Manage PPAP revalidations and re-submissions triggered by ECNs, process changes, or sub-tier supplier changes.
• Lead corrective actions end-to-end – Own all Caterpillar corrective actions from receipt through verification: lead the cross-functional response, drive root-cause to depth, close the loop with Caterpillar, and confirm the fix holds. Manage non-conformance and 8D closure for all Caterpillar issues and set the standard for RCCA depth across the plant.
• Own Caterpillar PPM management – Track and drive down the Caterpillar parts-per-million defect rate. Connect PPM performance to the corrective-action backlog so improvements are visible on the next scorecard.
• Manage Caterpillar audits and site visits – Coordinate Caterpillar supplier audits, capacity assessments, and SDE site visits, including the response and follow-through on any findings.
• Drive the SQEP scorecard and roadmap – Own the Caterpillar SQEP scorecard. Review it weekly and drive leading indicators – PPM, OTD, NCM closure aging, 8D response quality – before they show up as lagging numbers. Manage the SQEP roadmap: current tier, gap analysis to the next tier, action plan, and evidence package. Report Caterpillar account performance to Technique leadership on a regular cadence, including risks, opportunities, and organizational needs.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or Quality preferred; equivalent experience considered
• ASQ CQE, CQA, or Six Sigma Green/Black Belt certification preferred
• 5+ years of hands-on quality lab experience: dimensional inspection, GD&T application, CMM and metrology, capability studies (Cpk/Ppk), and gage R&R
• Direct PPAP execution experience, preferably to Caterpillar, Cummins, John Deere, or an IATF 16949 automotive OEM
• Direct experience working with Caterpillar in the ETQ supplier portal: submitting PPAPs, responding to NCMs/SARs, and managing scorecard interactions through ETQ Reliance
• Working knowledge of ETQ Reliance or comparable enterprise QMS (e.g., Pilgrim, MasterControl, Veeva)
• Fluency in GD&T, blueprint reading, and Caterpillar Engineering Standard structure
• Demonstrated experience leading 8D/RCCA/CAR responses
• Ability to move fluidly between the shop floor, customer video calls with Caterpillar SDEs, and internal commercial reviews in the same day
• Prior experience in supplier quality, customer quality, or program management at a tier-1 OEM supplier preferred
• Prior experience inside a Caterpillar SQEP-certified supplier (Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum) preferred
• Familiarity with heavy-equipment, off-highway, or power-generation end markets preferred

About Technique,

Technique is a Michigan-based precision sheet metal and welded assemblies manufacturer serving aerospace, defense, automotive, motorsports, medical, and food processing industries. We specialize in high-speed prototypes, ultra-low volume stampings, tubing, and assemblies for production and emergency-based manufacturing.

Our employees enjoy a work culture that values safety, integrity, teamwork, learning opportunities, and results.

Technique benefits include paid time off, health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), 401(k), 401(k) matching, professional development, referral program, paid training, on-the-job training, employee assistance program, and tuition reimbursement.

Benefits:

• Paid Time Off
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Health Savings Account
• Flexible Spending Account
• 401(k)
• 401(k) Matching
• Professional Development
• Referral Program
• Paid Training
• On The Job Training
• Employee Assistance Program
• Tuition Reimbursement

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Technique is an equal employment opportunity employer. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.