APQP / DFMEA Specialist

The role is responsible for driving E/E Quality performance and ensuring design integrity across the vehicle electrical architecture by verifying that applicable design standards are followed, quality and engineering processes are applied consistently, and expected quality deliverables are achieved according to project milestones. 

The role proactively consolidates quality activities from concept to launch and field monitoring, working closely with Engineering teams to review architecture, diagnostic, and safety alternatives, challenge assumptions, and support the selection of the most robust technical and quality solution. 

The position ensures that Lessons Learned, customer claim analysis, diagnostic data, plant feedback, field behavior, and technical risks are systematically translated into improved architecture standards, process compliance, prevention actions, diagnostic requirements, validation methods, and quality gates. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Lead proactive analysis of customer claims, warranty data, diagnostic reports, plant defects, launch issues, and connected-vehicle feedback to identify electrical architecture, diagnostic, and system-behavior risk patterns. 

• Ensure design integrity for electrical architecture, diagnostic strategy, and functional safety by verifying that standards, engineering rules, release processes, safety work-product expectations, diagnostic requirements, quality checkpoints, and expected deliverables are consistently applied and achieved. 

• Work closely with Engineering teams to review architecture, diagnostic, and functional safety alternatives, challenge technical assumptions, compare options from a quality, robustness, serviceability, safety, and customer-impact perspective, and support the selection of the most appropriate technical solution. 

• Verify the completion and robustness of DFMEA, System FMEA, design reviews, diagnostic specifications, validation evidence, detection plans, risk assessments, safety work products, Lessons Learned deployment, and quality-gate evidence. 

• Release a structured quality report at each project milestone, summarizing expected deliverables, completion status, risk assessment, open gaps, and recovery plans when deliverables are not achieved. 

• Drive root-cause analysis across architecture, software, hardware, network communication, diagnostics, functional safety, and service processes. 

• Define and assess diagnostic strategy effectiveness, including DTC definition, failure detection thresholds, fault isolation, service procedures, guided diagnostics, and prevention of unnecessary part replacement. 

• Support functional safety quality governance by verifying that safety requirements, failure reactions, safe states, degraded modes, traceability, verification evidence, and review milestones are completed according to the defined process. 

• Manage technical risks, deviations, missed deliverables, and open quality points through clear recovery plans, action ownership, escalation, governance, and timely closure. 

• Capitalize Lessons Learned and Best Practices into architecture standards, diagnostic rules, process checklists, validation criteria, functional safety audit criteria, deliverable expectations, and quality gates. 

• Support launch readiness by reviewing architecture maturity, diagnostic readiness, software/hardware integration, plant detection, service readiness, functional safety evidence, and field-monitoring strategy. 

• Lead technical reviews with Systems Engineering, Electrical Architecture, Diagnostics, Functional Safety, Software, Hardware, Manufacturing, Supplier Quality, Technical Centers, Customer Care, and Service Engineering. 

Operational Area Focus: 

• Electrical Architecture: network topology, ECU functional allocation, power distribution, grounding strategy, wake-up/sleep behavior, signal integrity, communication robustness, architecture standards, and scalability. 

• Diagnostic Strategy: DTC maturity, fault detection logic, diagnostic coverage, troubleshooting effectiveness, guided diagnostics, service documentation, validation evidence, and repair-cost optimization. 

• Functional Safety: safety concept consistency, hazard-related failure management, degraded modes, safe-state strategy, traceability, safety work products, verification evidence, and review milestone achievement. 

• System Integration: interaction between hardware, software, wiring, power management, cybersecurity, diagnostics, functional safety deliverables, and service procedures. 

• Field Performance: customer symptom analysis, no-trouble-found reduction, remote diagnostic data usage, early detection of systemic issues, Lessons Learned deployment, and prevention of repeat repairs.