Instacart

Senior Field Quality Engineer

Instacart

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Remote

Location: Remote • New York, Ohio • 🇺🇸 United States

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Salary

💰 $149,000 - $200,000 per year

Job Level

Senior

Tech Stack

SQL

About the role

  • Lead end-to-end triage of field quality issues for electronic and electrical subsystems (e.g., PCBAs, power, batteries, sensors, displays), from detection and containment to verified long-term corrective actions.
  • Manage and mentor a small team of field and quality engineers, setting clear KPIs (e.g., DPPM, RMA rate, MTTR) and driving accountability across cross-functional stakeholders.
  • Own the 8D/5-Why/FMEA process to identify true root causes, align on interim and permanent fixes, and prevent recurrence across the fleet and supply chain.
  • Partner with R&D, contract manufacturers, and suppliers to validate fixes (design, process, firmware) via DOE, bench validation, and on-device field trials; ensure changes are fully qualified and documented in PLM.
  • Build and maintain a FRACAS and quality dashboard that turns data into action; quantify COPQ drivers and prioritize the highest-impact remediation work.
  • Establish robust incoming, in-process, and end-of-line quality controls for E&E components; influence test coverage, screening, and reliability guardrails for new and sustaining builds.
  • Serve as the visible point of contact for escalations, communicating status and risk with clarity to customers and executives while coordinating rapid on-the-ground response.
  • Support regulatory, safety, and EMC/EMI compliance considerations in field fixes and product changes in collaboration with compliance and engineering partners.
  • Travel to customer sites, supplier factories, and labs to accelerate hands-on failure analysis and corrective action validation as needed.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
  • 8+ years of experience in hardware quality, field quality, or reliability engineering focused on electronics/electrical systems for deployed products.
  • 3+ years of experience leading engineers or technicians, including setting goals and developing talent.
  • Proven ownership of 8D, 5-Why, FMEA, CAPA, and FRACAS processes with measurable improvements in DPPM/RMA/MTTR or similar KPIs.
  • Hands-on debug skills using oscilloscopes, multimeters, and logic analyzers; ability to read schematics and perform board-level triage.
  • Experience driving fixes across design, firmware, process, and test with contract manufacturers and suppliers.
  • Working knowledge of EMC/EMI, electrical safety, and regulatory considerations for commercial electronics.
  • Proficiency with PLM and issue-tracking tools (e.g., Arena/Agile, Jira) and strong data analysis skills using Excel or SQL.
  • Ability to travel to customer and supplier sites as business needs dictate.
  • Excellent cross-functional communication skills and comfort operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Benefits
  • highly market-competitive compensation and benefits
  • equity grant for new hires
  • annual refresh grants

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard skills
8D process5-Why analysisFMEACAPAFRACASdebug skillsDPPMRMA rateMTTRdata analysis
Soft skills
leadershipmentoringgoal settingcross-functional communicationaccountabilityclarity in communicationproblem-solvinginfluencingteam managementadaptability