Job Description

At Goal Zero, an NRG owned company; our mission is to empower people with a bright, safe, connected and sustainable future by delivering smart, portable power solutions designed for everyone, everywhere. As the market leader in portable solar power, Goal Zero solar panels, power stations and accessories give a new breed of consumers and outdoor enthusiasts the power to go farther, regardless of their gears battery life. We invite you to join our adventure as the Quality Assurance Manager.

NRG is the leading integrated power company in the U.S., built on the strength of our diverse competitive electric generation portfolio and leading retail electricity platform. A Fortune 500 company, NRG creates value through best-in-class operations, reliable and efficient electric generation, and a retail platform serving residential and commercial businesses. Working with electricity customers large and small, we implement sustainable solutions for producing and managing energy, developing smarter energy choices and delivering exceptional service as our retail electricity providers serve almost three million residential and commercial customers throughout the country.

More information is available at www.nrg.com. Connect with NRG Energy on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @nrgenergy.

GOAL ZERO is seeking a Quality Assurance Manager that is responsible for ensuring products coming off manufacturing lines conform to product specifications and perform as designed and tested. The Quality Assurance Manager will be responsible for evolving and executing on a best in class quality assurance system and team that promotes customer satisfaction for products that are in active production. The role has final approval that each item is ready for sale and use by our customers. This role will lead a team of technicians, inspectors, and engineers to reactively and proactively to maintain and maximize the quality of Goal Zero products. Reactive elements include monitoring of production quality metrics (including vendor quality management systems, vendor production quality testing reports, the AQL inspection reports from internal employees) as well as in-market performance of our products (including feedback from Customer Service incident tracking, online reviews, and RMA/defect returns tracking), with responsibility to analyze any nonconformance incidents and effectively disposition them between manufacturing focused solutions, which will be taken to completion by the Quality Assurance team, and design focused solutions, which will use other engineering resources both at Goal Zero and at partner supplier companies. Proactively, this role will champion continuous improvement efforts and defect/waste reduction initiatives by establishing and iterating effective Quality Management Systems (QMS) both within Goal Zero and with manufacturing partners, initiating and implementing quality improvement activities as appropriate to raise the performance of the companys product lines.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Develop, implement, manage and integrate the next generation of Quality Management System (QMS) for manufacturing partners, including the monitoring of vendor performance, establishing criteria and rating systems for critical vendors, and detailed quality control methods and reporting for all product lines.
Develop and implement the next generation of a Goal Zero QMS which includes the following:

Establish collection and analysis systems of statistical data to predict trends that will affect improvement of product quality
Design, implement and document procedures for process control, process improvement, testing and inspection
Interact with various teams within Goal Zero, as well as outside customers and partners, to establish feedback monitoring and identify problematic trends and opportunities to improve product quality
Establish and implement metrics (process capability, control charts, measurement quality) to monitor and react appropriately to nonconformance incidents for in-market products
When non-conformance incidents require it, perform root-cause analysis and other problem-solving activities to identify effective corrective actions and process improvements, both for issues originating in the production process through Supplier Corrective Action Reports (SCAR) and those originating in design through Engineering Change Requests/Orders (ECR/ECO)
Own and run project management for active SCAR/ECR projects, using available resources with the QA team as well as other teams within the Goal Zero Product Development group and at partner contract manufacturers
Operate significant majority of SCARs and ECRs directly without engineering help, in particular those related to manufacturing processes, mechanical changes to the design, or minor changes to electronics design.
Develop and execute internal and external quality audits.

Serve as the primary quality control resource for problem identification, resolution, loss reporting and continuous improvement
Manage quality control personnel on a day-to-day basis
Support concurrent engineering efforts by participating in design development projects representing quality assurance and the customer
Develop process certification standards and assist in process certification.
Reporting to management the appropriate level of detail of all quality assurance related activities at Goal Zero
Manage third party social responsibility audits and conflict minerals reporting.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Requires a strong understanding of manufacturing processes and technologies used in consumer electronics, power electronics, and plastics/metal fabrication
Engineering experience with board-level electronics and plastic/metal enclosures, fixtures, assemblies strongly preferred
Ability to understand and implement engineering root cause analysis and design changes for majority of ECRs and SCARs without the need for outside assistance on all portable power product categories
Broad knowledge of theory and principles of statistics and statistical process control.
Experience in designing and implementing quality systems.
Diverse knowledge of inspection and control methods, techniques and documentation.
Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
Strong computer skills including quality control applications, word processing, spreadsheets and databases.
Thorough understanding of general safety requirements.
Ability to manage and motivate employees and team members, clearly defining goals and projects and focus a team on accomplishing those goals

Education and Experience Requirements

BS/BA in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering preferred. Related degree or experience will be considered.
5 years experience in a quality assurance role required. 7-10 years in a quality assurance role, as well as 5 years as a CQE/CQM in a mid-size manufacturing environment for consumer products/ consumer electronics, is preferred.

Physical Requirements

Open Office Environment - Primary
Warehouse Environment Secondary
Evening and weekend work as needed as job duties demand.
Occasionally requires standing, sitting, walking, kneeling, twisting
Occasionally requires lifting up to 50lbs as appropriate to perform duties and responsibilities
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
Domestic and International travel up to 20% may be required including International manufacturing locations

LI-TA1

NRG Energy is committed to a drug and alcohol free workplace. To the extent permitted by law and any applicable collective bargaining agreement, employees are subject to periodic random drug testing, and post-accident and reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing. EOE AA M/F/Protected Veteran Status/Disability
EEO is the Law Poster(The poster can be found at http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/upload/poster_screen_reader_optimized.pdf)

Level, Title and/or Salary may be adjusted based on the applicant's experience or skills.

Official description on file with Human Resources