Principal Engineer - Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) & Reliability
Eaton · Coraopolis, PA
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Lean / CI
- Base pay
- $154k–$225k
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Certification
- Black Belt preferred
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 22 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior continuous improvement role at Eaton (industrial) in Coraopolis, PA. Work in close partnership with the Senior Chief Engineer - DFSS & Reliability and the Technical Director to align priorities and strategy, while maintaining the independence, leadership, and decision-making authority expected of a senior technical role.
- They ask for
- 10+ years · degree required · Black Belt preferred
- Tools it names
- Six Sigma, Black Belt, Root cause, SPC, FMEA, MSA / Gage R&R
- Base pay
- $154k–$225k
- Day to day
- relocation help
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
How this role compares
Against 256 other live lean / ci postings in the US.
- Base pay
- About 54% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (10+ vs 5+)
Typical $101k–$145k, from 109 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Lean 87%
- ✓ Six Sigma 60%
- Kaizen 58%
- Value stream mapping 57%
- ✓ Root cause 50%
- 5S 35%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for SPC, FMEA, MSA / Gage R&R, DOE, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Lean / CI team at Eaton
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is CI run from the plant floor or from a corporate OpEx group?
- Which metrics does leadership actually watch: OEE, scrap, cost per unit?
- The posting mentions a Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Eaton in Coraopolis
4 other open roles at this site.
- Lead Controls Engineer - Power Electronics & Energy Storage · Controls · Manager
- Senior Industrialization Engineer - Electronics · Industrial · Senior
- Application & System Reliability Engineer · Reliability
- Senior Microgrid Controls Engineer · Controls · Senior
Full description from EatonAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Essential functions
- ◆Lead the application and deployment of DFSS and Design for Reliability practices across assigned programs and organizations, developing practical methods, standard work, templates, and core deliverables that integrate with product development, quality, and MBSE workflows.
- ◆Independently lead complex technical and quality problem-solving efforts by applying DFSS and reliability tools to root-cause analysis, risk reduction, design trade-offs, and data-driven decision making.
- ◆Guide teams in the use of methods such as QFD, CTQ flow-down, DFMEA / system FMEA, DOE, tolerance analysis, DVP&R, FRACAS, 8D, 5-Whys, Ishikawa, Pareto analysis, SPC, reliability growth, reliability prediction, and life-data / Weibull analysis where appropriate.
- ◆Partner with lab and validation teams to define effective test strategies, test plans, instrumentation needs, MSA (Measurement Systems Analysis), sample-size considerations, data-gathering approaches, and acceptance criteria that support DFSS and reliability analysis.
- ◆Translate test results, field data, customer feedback, and failure information into actionable insights, including root-cause identification, corrective actions, design improvements, and reliability-growth plans.
- ◆Coach engineers, technical leaders, and project teams while working side-by-side with them on active programs, building capability to execute DFSS and reliability practices within their own projects.
- ◆Define, track, and interpret meaningful quality and reliability indicators such as DPMO, Cp/Cpk, MTBF, failure rate, availability, uptime, corrective-action closure, and reliability-risk reduction, as appropriate to the program.
- ◆Collaborate with the Senior Chief Engineer, MBSE Chiefs, Systems Architects, Product Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Service, and customer-facing teams to connect customer needs, requirements, architecture, verification plans, and quality-risk management.
- ◆Develop reusable training material, coaching plans, playbooks, and deployment mechanisms that improve DFSS process adherence, consistency, and competence development across programs.
- ◆Advise engineering leaders and influence program teams by providing expert guidance on quality, reliability, product assurance, and process-improvement priorities that improve product outcomes and business performance.
Qualifications
- ✓BASIC / REQUIRED
- ✓Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Reliability Engineering, Systems Engineering, Quality Engineering, or a related technical field.
- ✓Minimum 10+ years of experience in product development, systems engineering, quality engineering, reliability engineering, DFSS, product assurance, or related technical roles.
- ✓Six Sigma Black Belt certification or equivalent demonstrated DFSS expertise.
- ✓Strong hands-on experience applying DFSS and reliability tools in real product-development, validation, quality, or problem-solving environments.
- ✓Demonstrated experience independently leading root-cause analysis, FMEA, test planning, validation, failure analysis, corrective and preventive action processes, and data-driven engineering decisions.
- ✓Experience coaching technical teams and influencing cross-functional stakeholders in a matrixed engineering organization.
- ✓Strong understanding of product failure modes, field-performance risks, design and process variation, validation challenges, and customer-impacting quality issues.
- ✓Ability to communicate complex technical topics clearly to engineering teams, project leaders, quality teams, labs, and senior stakeholders.
- ✓Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc.
Qualifications
- ✓PREFERRED
- ✓Master's degree or Ph.D. in Engineering, Reliability Engineering, Systems Engineering, Quality Engineering, or a related technical field.
- ✓15+ years of experience applying or leading DFSS, reliability, product assurance, engineering excellence, or technical improvement initiatives in complex product-development environments.
- ✓Six Sigma Master Black Belt certification.
- ✓Certified Reliability Engineer, Certified Quality Engineer, or a similar recognized quality or reliability credential.
- ✓Experience integrating DFSS and reliability practices with MBSE,
requirements
traceability, system architecture, verification planning, and digital-thread workflows.
- ✓Experience partnering closely with lab, validation, manufacturing, service, or field-quality organizations to improve test quality, data collection, and eng
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Eaton's Electrical Sector Americas is seeking a Principal Engineer - Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) & Reliability to enhance engineering excellence by turning customer needs into strong requirements, reducing technical risk, resolving complex reliability issues, and improving product quality, manufacturability, and customer satisfaction. This role may be located in Pittsburgh, PA; Raleigh, NC; or Milwaukee, WI. A hybrid work model (3 onsite/2 remote) is available, along with relocation assistance.
The Principal Engineer will serve as a highly autonomous, hands-on subject matter expert working closely with product teams, quality, lab and validation teams, manufacturing, service, MBSE Chiefs, and technical leaders. The role will independently lead complex technical work, apply DFSS and reliability methods, convert analysis into corrective actions and design improvements, and coach engineers so capability grows within project teams and across the organization. He/she will work in close partnership with the Senior Chief Engineer - DFSS & Reliability and the Technical Director to align priorities and strategy, while maintaining the independence, leadership, and decision-making authority expected of a senior technical role.
