Hardware Quality Industrialization Engineer

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.

We are looking for an experienced Hardware Quality Industrialization Engineer to join our team. Our manufacturing team is growing quickly and we need someone with a strong quality engineering and supplier management background. This person will be the founding member of the quality and will get to design and build the team from the ground up.

In this role, you will:

Work internally within Kodiak with engineering, supply chain, operations and our external manufacturing partners to build data driven, repeatable quality processes 

Evaluate new and existing suppliers to ensure their internal processes and controls meet Kodiak standards

Analyze field returns to drive potential design improvements

Drive root cause analysis with both internal stakeholders and external partners. Own all corrective actions and improvements at the manufacturer(s) or internally

Work with our internal test team to establish test parameters, pass/fail limits and overall test strategy 

Own our supply vertical(s) based on product type (PCBAs, Harnessing, etc) 

Work with external partners to ensure they are meeting our compliance and certification requirements  

What you’ll bring:

Minimum of 5+ years in Quality, Supplier Quality or Supplier Industrialization Experience

Bachelor degree minimum, mechanical or mechatronics or hardware preferred

Experience in Aerospace, Automotive or Autonomous Vehicles 

Strong track record of supplier evaluation and management 

Ability to manage competing priorities across the company

Strong experience in statistical quality control analysis

Strong experience in problem solving tools (8D, 5 whys, fishbone diagram)

What we offer:

Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses

Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)

MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance

Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies

Our office is centrally located in Lancaster, Texas

Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging

Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance

Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation) 

Fidelity 401(k)

Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA

Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)

At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. Accordingly, roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny and eligibility f …