Quality Assurance Inspector Weekend -Days

The Quality Inspector is the front line of product conformity. This role inspects parts against prints, specifications, and inspection plans, documents what was found, and stops nonconforming material from moving forward. Every acceptdecision on the floor starts here.

The work is judgment as much as measurement. Selecting the right gage for the characteristic, verifying its calibration status before use, and interpreting a callout correctly are all part of producing a result that can be relied on. A measurement taken with the wrong instrument is not a measurement.

Authority here is deliberately asymmetric. This role can reject, hold, and refuse - without prior approval and without fear of reprisal - but it cannot accept nonconforming material, waive a requirement, or release a hold. That asymmetry is the point: stopping is always available, and passing is never a solo decision on a questionable part.

Escalation is a duty, not a fallback. Borderline, ambiguous, or unexpected conditions go to the Shift Supervisor rather than being decided alone, and a nonconforming vendor part is raised as a supplier corrective action request with complete inspection evidence. Cosmetic and non-dimensional SCARs route to the Shift Supervisor; dimensional ones route to Engineering.

Several people carry this role alongside another. Specialists take inspection assignment from the Shift Supervisor and meet the same qualification requirements as any inspector before working unsupervised. There is one inspection standard, and holding a second title does not change it.

• Perform first-article, in-process, and final inspection per the applicable inspection plan and sampling requirement.

• Interpret prints, GD&T, specifications, and inspection plans correctly and consistently.

• Select and correctly use the appropriate gages and instruments; verify calibration status before use.

• Perform re-inspection and sorting activity as directed during containment.

• Record inspection results completely, legibly, and accurately, with full traceability to part, lot, and revision.

• Maintain a clean, organized inspection station and return issued gages in good condition.

• Identify, tag, and segregate nonconforming material immediately and notify the Shift Supervisor.

• Escalate borderline, ambiguous, or unexpected conditions rather than deciding alone.

• Support root cause investigation by providing accurate, factual observations of what was found.

• Record SPC data points accurately at the required sample size and frequency, and apply the reaction plan on the chart when a signal appears - stop, contain, notify the Shift Supervisor.

• Where an inspection finds a nonconforming vendor part, raise the supplier corrective action request (SCAR) with complete inspection evidence, and route it for approval - to the Shift Supervisor if the issue is cosmetic or non-dimensional, to Engineering if it is dimensional.

• On approval the system emails the vendor automatically from the quality mailbox. Stay copied on the thread so you see the vendor response, but let the Source Inspector lead the exchange from that point.

• Complete and maintain required training and qualification for the inspections assigned.

• Frequently stands and walks on a production floor for much of the shift.

• Regularly lifts and carries parts, fixtures, and gages up to 25 lbs; occasionally up to 40 lbs with assistance.

• Requires near-vision acuity and color discrimination sufficient to inspect small features and read measuring instruments, with correction if needed.

• Requires fine manual dexterity to handle small parts, precision instruments, and delicate gage surfaces.

• Works in a machine shop environment with exposure to noise, coolant, lubricants, metal chips, and moving equipment.

• Required PPE includes safety glasses and hearing protection in designated areas.

• Authority to reject nonconforming product against the print, specification, or inspection plan.

• Authority to place material on quality hold without prior approval and without fear of reprisal.

• Authority to refuse to inspect with equipment that is out of calibration or unsuitable for the characteristic.

• No authority to accept nonconforming material, waive a requirement, or release a hold.

• Nonconforming material stops here - Defects are caught at the operation that produced them, tagged and segregated immediately, and never pass to the next step on the assumption someone downstream will catch them.

• The same part gets the same call every time - Interpretation does not vary by inspector, by shift, or by how busy the floor is. Where two people would call a feature differently, it is raised and resolved rather than left to whoever measures it next.

• Every result can be trusted and traced - Records are complete, legible, and tied to part, lot, and revision, produced with a gage that was in calibration and right for the characteristic. An auditor can reconstruct the decision months later.

• Signals are acted on, not just recorded - SPC points are taken at the required rate and a chart signal triggers the reaction plan on the spot - stop, contain, notify - rather than a note to mention it later.

• Questions get asked before parts move - Borderline and ambiguous conditions are escalated rather than guessed, and raising a concern, including about one's own mistake, carries no penalty.

• One or more years of dimensional inspection experience, or equivalent machining experience with documented inspection training.

• Print reading and working GD&T interpretation.

• Proficiency with calipers, micrometers, height gages, thread and pin gages, and optical comparators.

• Legible, accurate documentation of inspection results.

• Willingness to stop and escalate rather than pass a questionable part.

• Firearms, suppressor, or other precision manufacturing industry experience.

• CMM exposure or willingness to train as a CMM Operator.

• ASQ Certified Quality Technician/Inspector (CQT/CQI).

• Experience with QMS or electronic quality data entry.

• Consistent - the same part gets the same call every time.

• Honest about what was found, including when it is inconvenient.

• Detail-focused across a full shift without drifting.

• Asks rather than assumes an ambiguous requirement.