Staff Quality Engineer

Calix provides the cloud, software platforms, systems and services required for communications service providers to simplify their businesses, excite their subscribers and grow their value.

The Calix Quality Team purpose is to drive organizational improvements, process adherence and product conformity benefiting both Broadband Service Providers (BSPs) and Calix Stakeholders.  In this Quality Engineering role, you will identify hardware return trends, drive the structured analysis approach for difficult issues, and improve the failure analysis capabilities of our outsourced repair service providers.  Cross-functional collaboration with Hardware Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering and Customer Service is required to ensure that we continually improve repair service data integrity, hardware initial Quality and long-term Reliability.

Calix uses external ODMs (Original Design Manufacturer), JDM (Joint Design Manufacturer) and EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Services) companies to build electronic hardware and systems.     Repair services and data are provided by the repair service center or the manufacturing source.  The Quality Engineer is expected to technically decide problem ownership (Manufacturing, Component or Design – Engineering), define improvement priorities based on pareto trends, and provide feedback to improve Design – Engineering processes.  As a member of the Calix Quality Team, the candidate is also tasked to innovate with advanced tools including AI/ML to deliver comprehensive understanding, predictive analytics and actionable insights.

The purpose of this job is below:

• Drive a Culture of Quality and continual process improvement with innovation
• Provide data, information and actionable insights to prioritize improvements
• Ensure that repair service providers self-audit their processes using Process FMEA
• Develop AI/ML tools and AI agents to prioritize improvement projects
• Reduce early Quality hardware returns and return rates

Success in this role is best described as providing clear, concise and constructive recommendations that accelerate problem solving, root cause analysis, and reduce early Quality returns, such as out of box failures.  In this role, the candidate is expected to collaborate with internal Calix technical experts to understand issues, draft the problem statement, and escalate to the correct organization for effective resolutions.  Example KPIs (Key performance Indicators) are hardware return rates, repeat problem reports, corrective action request completeness, effectiveness and responsiveness, measured in business days.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Lead Hardware RMA (Return Material Authorization) Engineering Level Reviews
• Develop approaches to understand, categorize and resolve difficult (complex) problems
• Audit and confirm repair data integrity from repair service centers
• Strengthen failure analysis, identify root cause trends and prioritize Calix improvements
• Drive CAR (Corrective Action Request) effectiveness and responsiveness
• Present repair service provider monthly and quarterly global Quality scorecard reviews
• Structure repair data to enable AI/ML tools and AI agents

Qualifications:

• Minimum 10+ years of experience, including exposure to PCBA level troubleshooting
• Exposure to Hardware Engineering design, manufacturing and repair services,
  prior experience in the Telecom or communications environment is a plus
• Analysis of returned electronics hardware with embedded software, using Linux OS
• Experience troubleshooting PCBA modules, boards or cards, then identifying the cause
• BS degree in Math, Computer Science, Engineering, or a closely related discipline; advanced degree preferred
• Expected travel 15% beyond the Petaluma, California hardware development office
• Excellent English communication skills, written and verbal

Location:

• Remote-based position based in Petaluma, California
• 15% Travel required within United States and Mexico
• Focus:  Repair service data integrity, RMA trend analysis and actionable insights

The base pay range for this position varies based on the geographic location. More information about the pay range specific to candidate location and other factors will be shared during the recruitment process. Individual pay is determined based on location of residence and multiple factors, including job-related knowledge, skills and experience.

San Francisco Bay Area:

141,500 - 240,400 USD Annual123,000 - 209,000 USD Annual