Position Wanted - Senior Quality Engineer
Highly motivated Senior Quality Engineer with strong analytical and interpersonal skills. A detail-oriented and creative problem solver with a proven ability to investigate and manage technical issues in both R&D and Manufacturing environments. With a diverse quality, technical and customer service background, this provides for the ability to understand and improve services and products, reduce costs and lead times, impress customers and mentor fellow employees. Skill set includes:
IEE Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Minitab and SAS JMP Statistical SW
ASQ Certified Quality Auditor “CQA” MS Office (Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
ASQ Certified Quality Engineer “CQE” Visio
ISO 9001 Internal Auditor ISO/IEC 17025:2005 A2LA
THOMAS J. “TJ” AMBROSE
1315-B Old Dam Rd 919-324-5725 (C)
Kenly, NC 27542 919-284-2161 (H)
www.linkedin.com/in/tjambrose tjambrose@embarqmail.com
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, RTP, NC 1996 to Dec. 2008
Senior Quality Engineer – Hardware Test & Verification 2003 to Dec. 2008
• Led a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt project to prove if a 2nd Over-the-Air (OTA) chamber can be used to test mobile products. This required the use of various methods of statistical analysis tools (ex. Probability Plots, Regression Analysis, I-Charts, and Pareto Charts). Potential for an annual cost savings of $135-200K. Smarter Solutions and SEMC Project Certified.
• ISO 9001 Internal auditor.
• Led the implementation of the certification effort for the Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) testing. Provided testing and technical support, created test procedures, process flow documentation and output reports which enabled SEMC to achieve ISO 17025 A2LA Certification with no findings.
• Led process improvement efforts and directed daily activities of a new process to check OTA performance of SEMC and competitor products.
• Directed daily OTA testing activities for 2-3 Engineers and Technicians.
• Managed the implementation of the hand effect testing program which led to design improvements’ for the RF performance of mobile phones. This included using human factor studies to determine common user positions for holding a mobile device.
• Created a statistical prediction model from hand effect testing using JMP 6 statistical software that would predict the drop call percentage of a mobile phone before product launch.
• Submitted patent for this statistical model and testing process.
• Led an IT project to develop a SQL database with an Access interface to serve as a central data warehouse for several different test processes. Performed Access queries for project reporting.
• Directed testing and tracked the performance of radiated performance chambers. This included the creation of excel reporting templates, scheduling of testing, analysis of data results and reporting of the test results to local and international design teams as well as upper management.
• Created and maintained ISO documentation history for all Over-the-Air testing and provided data analysis and reports to project development teams. Reports usually consisted of trend line analysis and Pareto Charts versus customer requirements.
• Analyzed large customer data files using Excel pivot tables and sorting of data to look for any possible trends or performance problems.
• Directed and performed testing and analysis of high profile product returns.
Senior Quality Engineer – Product Analysis 1999 to 2003
• Served as principal point of contact for all analysis and reporting of product return information in North America. Provided monthly trend and analysis information to local and global management.
• Directed analysis activities for 3-5 Engineers and Technicians and served as key contributor in the technical analysis and resolution of product quality problems. Analyzed return and customer data to determine areas for the Product Analysis Team to focus future investigations.
• Conducted quarterly internal ISO audits of various departments within SEMC.
• Created and presented product quality data results at Quarterly Quality Reviews.
• Helped to establish and managed the pre-launch auditing process for all products designed or launched in North America and provided analysis and data to the product development teams so improvements could be made before product launch. Results from these audits helped prevent many failures from being sent to customers during the acceptance testing process and helped find manufacturing issues before high volume production began. Types of issues found included software problems, assembly issues, mechanical and component problems. These issues were followed up with R&D and manufacturing to correct or improve the product before launch.
• Investigated customer field issues and complaints. This involved quantifying and qualifying the issues before launching an official investigation and followed up with root cause corrective action for any issues found.
• Managed the creation of an Access database and performed monthly queries for reporting of product returns.
• Led a hardware modification project at a repair facility for the conversion of 136K phones saving over $100K in lost revenue.
• Assisted finance group with the tracking and balance sheet for the warranty claims reserve.
• Audited and reported to finance monthly penalty payments. Monitored balance sheet to verify the customer was not claiming too many units.
• Led the audit of two new repair facilities and provided improvements to their startup repair process.
• Provided monthly analysis and results of product quality data to the customer support team. Results from this analysis were used in external monthly reports provided to customers.
Product Quality Engineer 1997 to 1999
• Led a team to establish an incoming accessory testing program in the distribution center then handed over responsibility of the process to a local Quality Engineer.
• Established an ESD awareness program for new employees.
• Key contributor in the preparation of the distribution center successfully passing their initial external ISO audit certification. This included not only auditing the facility, but also document and procedure, modification or creation.
• Conducted quarterly internal ISO 9001 audits of various departments within SEMC.
• Created and maintained monthly Product Report Cards.
• Assisted with developing the strategy and participated in retail store audits.
• Helped to define and implement 8 key processes for the Product Quality Group. These were repair center failure analysis, warehouse audits, data analysis and reporting, customer visits and audits, pro-active quality development, rapid response team, product report card and regional quality support.
Development Quality Engineer 1996 to 1997
• Assisted with the implementation of a quality documentation system for the R&D facility.
• Created flow charts and wrote various procedures and work instructions to achieve ISO certification.
• Led and assisted in quarterly ISO 9001 internal audits.
• Served as a member of an audit team that conducted quarterly supplier audits.
Data General (Now EMC) Apex, NC 1978 to 1996
Senior Engineering Technician – Test Engineering Dept 1983 to 1996
• Provided program development, fixture development and continuing engineering support for Teradyne L260, Fairchild F303, Eaton 407, Afit 4400Z and Sonit Automatic Test equipment.
• Responsible for performance yield improvement to ATE programs and fixtures.
• Provided production support and operator training for the ATE department.
• Served as ISO 9000 Internal Auditor.
Production Technician – PCB Test 1978 to 1983
• Troubleshot and repaired a variety of printed circuit boards. This included the use of diagnostic and microcode listings, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, etc.
EDUCATION
DeVry Institute of Ohio, Columbus Ohio
Electronic Technician Degree, Deans List, Presidents Club, GPA 3.82