Customer Quality Engineer

As a Customer Quality Engineer (CQE), you will be responsible for ensuring customer quality requirements are met and lead the resolution of customer quality issues across the product lifecycle. You will be the primary quality liaison between customers and internal cross functional teams, driving root cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives. The CQE plays a critical role in maintaining customer satisfaction, compliance with quality standards, and sustained product and process performance.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Quality & Issue Management

• Lead resolution of customer quality issues, ensuring compliance with the QMS, effective use of ETQ, and ownership of final RCA response and closure.

• Manage customer claims, concerns, and complaints through timely containment, RCA, permanent action verification, response, and closure.

• Serve as the escalation point for high‑severity customer issues, supporting rapid resolution and customer satisfaction.

• Ensure customer‑specific requirements are understood, documented, and embedded in internal processes, representing the voice of the customer during MOC activities.

• Act as gatekeeper for the Customer Feedback (ETQ) process, with authority to review, prioritize, approve, and close requests; validate root cause effectiveness; authorize corrective actions; and ensure actions are implemented, verified, and sustained.

Root Cause Analysis & Corrective Action

• Lead structured problem solving using recognized or customer‑required methodologies (e.g., 8D, 5 Whys, Fishbone, Is/Is Not).

• Coordinate cross‑functional teams to investigate internal and external nonconformances.

• Ensure root causes are evidence‑based and corrective and preventive actions address systemic failure modes with urgency and sustainability, including applicability to similar technologies or processes.

• Partner with regional quality leadership to share RCA learnings across PPG sites to mitigate risk of recurrence.

Customer Communication & Relationship Management

• Serve as the primary contact for customer quality issues, representing PPG professionally during customer meetings, reviews, and audits.

• Provide clear, timely communication on issue status, risks, investigations, escalations, and recovery plans to manage customer expectations.

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with customer plant leadership and engineering teams.

• Proactively identify quality risks and coordinate preventive actions aligned with the PPG plant quality management system.

Quality Systems, Standards & Audits

• Promote compliance with customer‑specific requirements (CSRs), IATF standards, and PPG internal standards (APQP, FMEA, LPA).

• Lead customer‑specific audits for customers in escalation status, in partnership with the QA Manager.

• Drive data‑driven continuous improvement initiatives to reduce complaint rates and improve quality performance.

• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Process Engineering, Supply Chain, Sales, Planning, Technical Laboratories, and Customer Service to resolve issues and improve customer scorecard performance.

• Support packaging, handling, storage, logistics, and transportation quality initiatives as needed.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Number and severity of customer complaints

• Repeat complaint rate

• Timeliness and effectiveness of root cause analysis and corrective actions

• Open and past due customer action items

• Customer satisfaction feedback and performance scorecards

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent experience.

• 5+ years of experience in technical development, customer quality, manufacturing quality, or automotive engineering.

• Demonstrated knowledge of problem solving methodologies and quality tools.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast paced, customer focused environment.

• The person who will be successful in this role is comfortable driving cross-functional teams without direct authority while creating an atmosphere of collaboration, respect, and a continuous improvement.

• Strong judgment and decision making skills, with the ability to evaluate data, assess risk, and make sound, timely decisions in a customer facing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Automotive industry and coatings experience.

• Working knowledge of IATF 16949.

• Experience supporting customer and third party audits.

Working Conditions & Travel

• Office and manufacturing floor environment.

• 10-15% travel may be required to customer or supplier locations.

The base salary range for this position is $90,000 to $120,000, with the possibility of an annual bonus up to 7% of base salary. PPG offers comprehensive benefits such as Health, Dental, Life, Retirement Plan, Paid Vacation & Holidays, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Disability/Leave, and other Voluntary benefit offerings. Actual benefit offerings confirmed at the time of hire.

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About us: 

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD™ 

Through leadership in innovation, sustainability and color, PPG helps customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets to enhance more surfaces in more ways than does any other company. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com and follow @PPG on X. 

The PPG Way 2030  

We are customer champions 

Proactive. Bold. Trustworthy. Everything we do starts with our customers. We listen, move fast and don’t stop until we solve their biggest challenges. When our customers win, we all grow. 

We act with purpose and speed 

Agile. Data-driven. Empowered. We take smart risks to stay ahead of the competition. We work proactively with agility, using quality data to develop solutions that create value.  

We are excellent operators 

Productive. Collaborative. Accountable. No matter our role, we identify problems, take ownership and always bring solutions. We are both proactive and responsive to drive continuous improvement and deliver results. We support our frontline, the faces of PPG to our customers.   

We compete to win 

Future-focused. Driven. Ambitious. We are passionate about growing our business and winning with our customers. We deliver results, embrace new technologies and leverage agility and speed as strengths. 

We are PPG proud 

Strong. United. Passionate. We work safely, act with integrity and value our diverse perspectives. We celebrate achievements and take pride in the positive impact we create together to protect and beautify the world. 

At PPG we use AI in the hiring process to make the process more efficient. AI tools do not make hiring decisions. You can learn more by going to  https://careers.ppg.com/us/en/candidate-resources.  

PPG provides equal opportunity to all candidates and employees. We offer an opportunity to grow and develop your career in an environment that provides a fulfilling workplace for employees, creates an environment for continuous learning, and embraces the ideas and diversity of others. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, pregnancy, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, disability status, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.  

If you need an adjustment due to a disability, please email [email protected]. 

PPG pay ranges and benefits can vary by location which allows us to compensate employees competitively in different geographic markets. PPG considers several factors in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, qualifications and education, licensure and certifications, and other organizational needs. Other incentives may apply.  
Our employee benefits programs are designed to support the health and well-being of our employees. Any insurance coverages and benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.  Benefits will be discussed with you by your recruiter during the hiring process. 

PPG values your feedback on our recruiting process. We encourage you to visit Glassdoor.com and provide feedback on the process, so that we can do better today than yesterday.