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Staff Engineer, Quality New Product Development

_Work Mode: Hybrid_

**Location: ** Hybrid at Kohler, WI

Opportunity

We are seeking a highly motivated Staff Engineer to join our Quality organization and serve as a critical bridge between the Quality Engineering and New Product Development (NPD) Engineering teams. This role will focus on building quality into the product development process by taking quality learnings from the field and embedding them into the early design phases of a new product launch. The objective is to ensure that lessons learned from the field, warranty data, voice of the customer data and previous product launches are systematically applied to prevent recurrence of defects and improve product reliability across the plumbing product portfolio.

Key Responsibilities:

+ Collaborate closely with Quality Engineers and NPD Engineers to identify, validate, and integrate countermeasures into new product designs.

+ Analyze warranty, field failure, and customer complaint data to identify systemic issues and drive upstream solutions.

+ Lead or support cross-functional problem-solving efforts to eliminate root causes of recurring issues in early design and development stages.

+ Ensure DFMEA, PFMEA, and Control Plans reflect lessons learned from past field issues and warranty trends.

+ Collaborate with Manufacturing and Supplier Quality to validate process capability and ensure design intent is met at scale.

+ Serve as the quality advocate at each of the NPD phase gates, clearly articulating risk, resolution strategies, and readiness to proceed.

+ Develop tools and methods to systematically capture and integrate field intelligence into design guidelines and engineering standards.

+ Understand and capture lessons learned from each project experience to be used as a guide for future projects.

+ Support continuous improvement initiatives and contribute to the advancement of the organization's design-for-quality mindset.

Skills/Requirements

+ Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Industrial, or related field required).

+ 7+ years of experience in quality engineering, process development, or product engineering; plumbing industry experience is a plus.

+ 5+ years of experience with new product development processes of experience in quality engineering

+ Strong understanding of quality tools such as FMEA, 8D, A3, Root Cause Analysis, Control Plans, MSA, SPC, etc.

+ Familiarity with warranty analysis, field data systems, and translating customer feedback into engineering actions.

+ Proven experience in cross-functional collaboration between quality, design, and manufacturing teams.

+ Strong communication and analytical skills, with the ability to influence early design decisions.

+ Comfortable presenting complex information and concepts in ways that are succinct and easily understood.

+ Picks up knowledge quickly, energizing, independent, highly reliable and positive attitude.

+ Experience with Lean Six Sigma or equivalent problem-solving methodology is preferred.

\#LI-Hybrid

\#LI-SW1

_Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without requiring sponsorship now or in the future._

_We believe in supporting you from the moment you join us, which is why Kohler offers day 1 benefits. This means you’ll have access to your applicable benefit programs from your first day on the job, with no waiting period. The salary range for this position is $98,900 - $125,600. The specific salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors including the candidate’s experience, their education, and the work location. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision & 401k._

Why Choose Kohler?

We empower each associate to #BecomeMoreAtKohler with a competitive total rewards package to support your health and wellbeing, access to career growth and development opportunities, a diverse and inclusive workplace, and a strong culture of innovation. With more than 30,000 bold leaders across the globe, we’re driving meaningful change in our mission to help people live gracious, healthy, and sustainable lives.

About Us

It is Kohler’s policy to recruit, hire, and promote qualified applicants without regard to race, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran. If, as an individual with a disability, you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact [email protected] . Kohler Co. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.