Quality Engineer Jobs in Tucson, AZ
Quality engineers in Tucson work where a bad part is not an option: aerospace and defense lines, a Caterpillar test ground in Green Valley and Roche's diagnostics headquarters. Posted pay runs from $75,000 for a supplier quality engineer to more than $190,000 for a manager. Current openings are below, followed by who is hiring and how to get in.
Current Quality Engineer Openings in Tucson, AZ
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Quality Engineer Work in Tucson
Most Tucson quality engineering sits in regulated manufacturing. Raytheon (RTX) is the region's largest private employer, Celestica runs an ITAR aerospace electronics plant here, and aerospace postings such as World View's ask for AS9100, first article and supplier audit experience. Up the Oracle corridor in Oro Valley, Roche Tissue Diagnostics runs its global tissue diagnostics headquarters, and south on I-19 Caterpillar's Tucson Proving Ground in Green Valley hires quality staff with ISO 17025 lab audit experience.
That mix shapes the job. A quality engineer here spends less time on high-volume consumer defects and more on traceability, supplier approval and documentation that has to survive a customer or government audit. Defense and ITAR work also means many quality roles require U.S. citizenship.
Top Tucson Employers Hiring Quality Engineers
These Tucson-area employers have posted quality engineering work on their own careers sites:
- World View - the Tucson stratospheric balloon and defense company, now part of Ondas Sentinel, hiring an on-site supplier quality engineer for AS9100 and PPAP work.
- Celestica - an ITAR aerospace electronics plant in Tucson that has posted operations quality specialists and supplier quality engineers for audits, control plans and corrective action.
- Caterpillar - the Tucson Proving Ground in Green Valley, which posted a quality manufacturing engineering manager opening for its ISO 17025 validation work this year.
- Roche Tissue Diagnostics - the Oro Valley headquarters for Roche's tissue diagnostics business, whose Tucson careers page names quality supervisors and quality assurance specialists.
- Edmund Optics - a precision optics maker that has posted a Quality Engineer II opening for its Tucson site.
Quality Engineer Salaries in Tucson
- Entry level (0-3 years): roughly $65,000 to $80,000 per year.
- Experienced (4-8 years): roughly $80,000 to $110,000 per year.
- Senior, lead or manager (8+ years): roughly $110,000 to $140,000 per year, with quality engineering managers above that.
These are estimates that vary by employer and experience. World View posted its supplier quality engineer at $75,000 to $85,000, and Caterpillar posted its Green Valley quality engineering manager at $128,470 to $192,710. Federal data has no separate quality engineer category; Tucson's industrial engineers averaged $110,680 in May 2023. Defense clearances, ASQ certification and audit experience push pay up.
How to Become a Quality Engineer in Tucson
Most postings ask for a bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, aerospace or industrial engineering, or equivalent technical experience. The University of Arizona's Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering is the local degree route, and Pima Community College's Machining Inspection and Quality Assurance Certificate, a one-year in-person program at the Downtown Campus, is a local starting point in inspection. Arizona does not license quality engineers. The Arizona State Board of Technical Registration registers professional engineers, but none of the Tucson quality postings checked for this guide ask for a PE; they ask for quality system experience such as AS9100 or ISO 9001, and value ASQ credentials such as the Certified Quality Engineer.
What the Job Involves
You write and maintain control plans, approve suppliers, review first article and PPAP packages, and run root cause investigations when a part fails inspection. Days split between the floor, the material review board, supplier calls and the audit binder, and supplier quality roles add regular trips to vendor shops.
Skills Employers Look For
- AS9100, AS9145 (APQP and PPAP) or ISO 9001 quality systems
- Root cause tools: 8D, FMEA, fishbone and corrective action
- Statistical process control and measurement system analysis
- Blueprint reading and GD&T
- Supplier and internal audit experience
- ASQ CQE or CSQP certification
- U.S. citizenship for ITAR and defense work
Career Path and Advancement
The quality ladder usually starts in inspection or as a quality technician, moves to quality engineer, then senior or supplier quality engineer, and on to quality manager or director. World View and Caterpillar have both posted director- and manager-level quality roles in Tucson. Quality engineers also move sideways into manufacturing and industrial engineering, since the same plants hire all three.
Related Careers in Tucson
These Tucson guides cover the closest roles to quality engineering:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to be a quality engineer in Arizona?
No. Arizona has no license for quality engineers. The Arizona State Board of Technical Registration registers professional engineers, but Tucson quality postings ask for quality system experience and value ASQ certification rather than a PE.
How much do quality engineers make in Tucson?
Estimates run about $65,000 to $80,000 at entry level, $80,000 to $110,000 with experience, and $110,000 to $140,000 for senior and lead roles. World View posted a supplier quality engineer at $75,000 to $85,000, and Caterpillar's Green Valley quality engineering manager posting topped $190,000.
Which Tucson employers hire quality engineers?
Defense and aerospace manufacturers post much of the quality work, including World View and Celestica in Tucson. Caterpillar's Tucson Proving Ground in Green Valley, Roche Tissue Diagnostics in Oro Valley and Edmund Optics also hire for quality roles.
What certification helps most for quality engineer jobs in Tucson?
World View's Tucson supplier quality posting names the ASQ Certified Quality Engineer and Certified Supplier Quality Professional as highly desirable. Working knowledge of AS9100 matters as much as any certificate for aerospace employers.
Can you become a quality engineer in Tucson without an engineering degree?
Some postings accept equivalent technical experience instead of a degree. One route is inspection or quality technician work, often after Pima Community College's Machining Inspection and Quality Assurance Certificate, followed by ASQ certification and a move into quality engineering.
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