Location: Vancouver, BC

Travel: Frequent travel to China, including regular visits to manufacturers, vendors, and test labs

Employment type: Full-time

Department: Hardware / Engineering

ABOUT THE ROLE

MetaOptima is looking for a Vancouver-based Supplier Quality & Manufacturing Engineer to support the production and prototyping of our hardware products with manufacturing partners in China.

This role exists to improve production quality, reduce batch-to-batch and unit-to-unit variation, strengthen technical communication with Chinese manufacturers and vendors, and ensure production follows MetaOptima’s approved specifications, BOMs, drawings, work instructions, test procedures, and change-control processes.

The ideal candidate has strong supplier-quality discipline, practical manufacturing experience, fluent Mandarin, strong professional English, and the ability to work closely with both a Canadian engineering team and Chinese manufacturing partners.

RESPONSIBILITIES

SUPPLIER QUALITY AND FACTORY OVERSIGHT

• Travel to China to support prototype builds, pilot builds, production runs, factory reviews, and shipment inspections.

• Verify that production follows approved BOMs, drawings, work instructions, fixtures, software/firmware versions, and inspection criteria.

• Identify and document quality issues affecting mechanical assembly, moving assemblies, device mounting, cable routing, power/charging, cosmetic quality, calibration, packaging, and end-of-line testing.

• Detect and escalate unauthorized part substitutions, process changes, rework methods, or configuration changes.

• Support supplier qualification, component sample review, and local vendor communication.

INCOMING INSPECTION, FIRST-ARTICLE INSPECTION, AND PRODUCTION TEST

• Create, maintain, and execute incoming inspection and production inspection checklists.

• Lead or witness first-article inspection for new builds, changed components, changed processes, or new suppliers.

• Verify end-of-line testing is completed and documented for each unit.

• Review test logs, calibration records, serial numbers, photos/videos, and inspection evidence.

• Recommend shipment hold/release based on objective acceptance criteria.

NONCONFORMANCE, CAPA, AND ROOT CAUSE

• Document defects by batch, serial number, severity, suspected root cause, and corrective action.

• Support factory-side root-cause analysis using 8D, CAPA, or equivalent methods.

• Verify corrective actions in later builds.

• Track repeat defects and escalate unresolved or recurring issues.

• Provide clear evidence to MetaOptima’s hardware and quality teams.

CONFIGURATION AND CHANGE CONTROL

• Maintain build-configuration summaries for production batches.

• Confirm that units are built to the approved revision of hardware, firmware, work instructions, packaging, and test procedures.

• Track proposed supplier, BOM, fixture, tooling, firmware, software, or process changes.

• Escalate any undocumented change or deviation before it affects production quality.

BILINGUAL COMMUNICATION

• Communicate directly with Chinese manufacturers, vendors, and test labs in Mandarin.

• Translate technical requirements and issues between English and Mandarin.

• Produce concise English reports for MetaOptima.

• Produce Mandarin technical summaries for manufacturers or vendors when needed.

• Join meetings with MetaOptima, manufacturers, vendors, and labs.

• Help turn factory-side issues into clear engineering actions and business risks.

REQUIREMENTS

• Based in the Vancouver area and able to travel frequently to China.

• Fluent Mandarin and strong professional English.

• 5+ years of experience in supplier quality, manufacturing engineering, quality engineering, or production engineering.

• Experience with electromechanical products.

• Experience working with contract manufacturers.

• Able to read BOMs, drawings, assembly instructions, inspection plans, and test procedures.

• Experience with incoming inspection, first-article inspection, production testing, nonconformance reporting, root-cause analysis, and CAPA/8D.

• Strong documentation discipline.

• Comfortable challenging manufacturers professionally and documenting issues clearly.

• Able to work independently during overseas supplier visits.

• Eligible to travel internationally, including frequent travel to China.

NICE TO HAVE

• Prior experience working with manufacturers in China, especially Shenzhen, Dongguan, or Guangzhou.

• Experience with clinical hardware, medical devices, imaging hardware, robotics, automation, consumer electronics, or precision assembly.

• ISO 9001 or ISO 13485 exposure.

• Experience with test fixtures, calibration procedures, and end-of-line test systems.

• Experience coordinating external test labs.

• Familiarity with IEC 60601, EMC, photobiological safety, radio certification, or product safety testing workflows.

• Experience with packaging inspection and shipment-readiness checks.

WHY JOIN US

You’ll play a pivotal role in advancing next-generation imaging technology for dermatology, helping transform how skin is captured, reconstructed, and analyzed worldwide.

If you’re excited to help build clinical-grade imaging technology, we’d love to hear from you.