Manager, Quality Engineering
Novanta · Irvine, CA
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Quality
- Degree
- Required
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management quality role at Novanta (industrial) in Irvine, CA.
- They ask for
- degree required
- Tools it names
- Root cause, CAPA, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), Robotics
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Quality Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $100k–$149k.
Median of the low and high ends of 89 live postings that list pay, out of 189 quality engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 188 other live quality postings in California.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $100k–$148k, from 87 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Root cause 77%
- FMEA 54%
- Supplier quality 49%
- ✓ Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 46%
- AS9100 43%
- ISO 9001 39%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Robotics, Team leadership, 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 Quality team at Novanta
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?
- Which standards drive the work here: ISO 13485, IATF 16949, AS9100?
- How much of the job is customer complaints versus prevention?
- 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: Novanta in Irvine
2 other open roles at this site.
- Director of Manufacturing Operations · Production · Director+
- Automation Engineer I · Controls
Full description from NovantaAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
responsibilities
of a Senior Quality Engineer with frontline supervisory leadership, driving both engineering excellence and team performance.
Primary
Responsibilities
- ◆Lead and manage quality engineering activities including design control, risk management, and validation
- ◆Supervise and coordinate daily activities of quality team members
- ◆Ensure compliance with regulatory and quality management system
requirements
- ✓Conduct root cause analysis and drive corrective and preventive actions (CAPA)
- ✓Collaborate cross-functionally to improve product quality and reliability
- ✓Perform audits and identify areas for process improvement
- ✓Maintain quality records, reports, and trend analysis
- ✓Provide technical guidance and mentorship to engineers and team members
- ✓Drive cost of poor quality (COPQ) reduction initiatives
- ✓Foster team engagement, development, and retention
Required Experience, Education, Skills, Training and Competencies
- ✓Bachelor’s degree in Quality Engineering, Engineering, or related field
- ✓Extensive experience in quality engineering or related roles
- ✓Prior supervisory or team leadership experience preferred
- ✓Strong knowledge of quality systems, regulatory requirements, and statistical tools
- ✓Proven ability to conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective actions
- ✓Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Travel
Requirements
- ✓Less than 10%
Physical
Requirements
- ✓Lifting up to 50 pounds
- ✓Standing long periods of time
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Build a career powered by innovations that matter! At Novanta, our innovations power technology products that are transforming healthcare and advanced manufacturing—improving productivity, enhancing people’s lives and redefining what’s possible. We create for our global customers engineered components and sub-systems that deliver extreme precision and performance for a range of mission-critical applications—from minimally invasive surgery to robotics to 3D metal printing.
Novanta is one global team with over 26 offices located in The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Looking for a great place to work? You have found it with a culture that embraces teamwork, collaboration and empowerment. Come explore Novanta.
The Manager, Quality Engineering is a blended technical leadership and people management role responsible for ensuring product quality, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement. This position combines the