| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Quality |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Quality Assurance Manager or Head of Quality |
| Direct reports | None |
| Experience | 3 to 7 years in quality, preferably with customer-facing experience |
Customer Quality Engineer job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Customer Quality Engineer
Department: Quality
Reports to: Quality Assurance Manager or Head of Quality
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Customer Quality Engineer is the plant's quality contact for customers. They handle customer complaints and returns, lead 8D problem solving, manage warranty and field failure analysis, and represent quality in customer audits and reviews. The role protects the customer relationship by responding fast, finding true root cause, and proving corrective action. In an Indian plant supplying OEMs, the customer quality engineer translates customer specific requirements into the plant, keeps customer scorecards healthy, and makes sure defects that reach the customer are contained and never repeated.
Key responsibilities
- Act as the plant's single quality contact for assigned customers on complaints and requirements.
- Respond to customer complaints and returns quickly with containment and clear communication.
- Lead 8D or structured problem solving to find root cause and prove corrective action.
- Analyse warranty and field failures and feed findings back into the plant.
- Represent quality in customer audits, reviews and new-part approvals.
- Translate customer specific requirements into internal controls and checks.
- Track and protect the customer quality scorecards and ratings.
- Coordinate containment at the customer and in transit when a defect escapes.
- Verify that corrective actions hold and complaints do not recur.
- Report customer quality status and escalate risks to the customer relationship.
Requirements
- B.E. or B.Tech in an engineering discipline
- Knowledge of 8D, core tools and customer quality processes
- A Six Sigma certification is an advantage
- 3 to 7 years in quality, preferably with customer-facing experience
KRAs and KPIs for a Customer Quality Engineer
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Complaint response | Customer complaints acknowledged and contained within the customer's required time |
| Root cause closure | 8D or corrective action closed within the agreed time and verified effective |
| Repeat complaints | Repeat complaints for the same defect reduced to near zero |
| Customer scorecard | Assigned customer quality rating held at or above the agreed level |
| Audit outcome | Customer audits cleared at the agreed score for assigned customers |
| Requirement compliance | Customer specific requirements built into controls with no missed clause |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Quality management system (QMS), 8D and problem-solving templates, Customer portals and scorecards, Measuring instruments, MS Excel.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Customer Quality Manager, Quality Assurance Manager, Head of Quality
Interview questions for a Customer Quality Engineer
- A customer reports a defect on a shipped batch. Walk me through your first 24 hours.
- How do you find the true root cause in an 8D rather than a symptom?
- How do you handle an angry customer while you still investigate?
- How do you make sure a corrective action truly prevents the complaint returning?
- How do you translate a customer specific requirement into a shop-floor check?
- How do you recover a customer quality rating that has slipped?
Managing a Customer Quality Engineer in ZeniaHR
Hire and manage your quality team in one place
Post the role, onboard the new hire, and track attendance, leave and KRAs in ZeniaHR. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What does a customer quality engineer do?
A customer quality engineer is the plant's quality contact for customers. They handle complaints and returns, lead 8D problem solving, manage warranty and field failure analysis, and represent quality in customer audits. They translate customer specific requirements into the plant, protect customer scorecards, and make sure defects that reach the customer are contained and never repeated.
What is 8D and why is it used in customer quality?
8D is an eight-discipline problem-solving method used to respond to customer complaints. It covers team formation, containment, root cause, corrective action and prevention. Customers often require an 8D report because it shows a structured, verified response rather than a quick fix, which builds confidence that the defect will not return.
What is the difference between a customer quality engineer and a supplier quality engineer?
A customer quality engineer faces the customer, handling complaints, audits and requirements for products the plant ships out. A supplier quality engineer faces vendors, ensuring the quality of parts and materials coming in. One protects the customer relationship, the other controls incoming quality, and both use similar problem-solving tools.