Sr. Metrology Engineer
Vatn Systems
Salary undisclosed
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Description
As a Sr. Metrology Engineer focused on hardware inspection, you will serve as the dedicated measurement and inspection authority for precision machined hardware, both produced in-house and outsourced to suppliers. You will own the development and execution of quality processes for the shop, including inspection strategy, CMM programming, and providing critical engineering feedback. This role operates directly within the machine shop environment rather than our broader QMS team. You will bridge the gap between machining and mechanical engineering to ensure part designs, tolerances, and inspection methods align with true manufacturing capabilities and support our rapidly increasing production rates.
Primary Responsibilities:
Inspection & Measurement
- Develop robust inspection plans for complex machined parts, including First Article Inspections and high-volume production sampling strategies
- Perform comprehensive inspections on both in-house manufactured components and outsourced hardware from external suppliers
- Program and operate CMM and other measurement systems to inspect high-complexity components
- Define measurement approaches for tight tolerance features
- Establish and document repeatable measurement methods across production runs
Engineering & Supply Chain Interface
- Review engineering drawings prior to release to identify tolerance stack risks, unclear/conflicting GD&T, and manufacturability issues
- Provide GD&T guidance to the mechanical engineering team
- Translate design intent into practical inspection and manufacturing requirements
- Document non-conformances and out-of-tolerance conditions on outsourced parts, providing clear and actionable inspection data to the Quality team to drive vendor corrective actions
Process Quality
- Define in-process inspection requirements within machining workflows
- Advise and train CNC Operators on proper techniques for manual, in-process hand inspections
- Identify and resolve sources of shop-floor variation, including tool wear, setup variability, and process instability
- Lead root cause analysis for out-of-tolerance conditions on the floor
System Buildout
- Establish tactical, machining-focused quality processes from the ground up (gauge control, inspection frequency, documentation standards)
- Interface collaboratively with the broader Quality organization, who handles overarching product QMS
Required Skill
- Expertise in GD&T with a strong focus on real-world application for shop-floor inspection and machining
- Experience programming and operating Coordinate Measuring Machines
- Extensive experience with precision machined components and tight-tolerance hardware
- Hands-on inspection experience using a wide array of measurement tools
- Ability to confidently interpret engineering drawings
- Experience defining, scaling, or improving inspection processes for production
- Strong problem-solving and communication skills
- Experience working directly with machinists to define inspection and process controls
Preferred Skills
- Experience specifically with Zeiss CMMs and Calypso software
- Familiarity with multi-axis CNC machining
- Experience evaluating supplier FAIs and partnering with procurement/supply chain teams to resolve quality issues
- Experience bridging mechanical engineering and manufacturing teams
Vatn is an equal opportunity employer.
About this role
Vatn Systems is building out a dedicated metrology function within its machine shop, and this role puts you at the center of that effort. You'll own inspection strategy and execution for precision machined hardware—both what's made in-house and what comes from external suppliers—while working directly on the shop floor rather than in a separate quality office. The position sits at the intersection of machining, mechanical engineering, and supply chain, requiring you to translate design intent into manufacturable reality and catch tolerance and GD&T issues before parts go into production.
Your day-to-day work spans CMM programming and operation, First Article Inspections, production sampling strategies, and hands-on measurement of complex, tight-tolerance components. You'll advise the engineering team on GD&T and manufacturability, train CNC operators on inspection techniques, troubleshoot shop-floor variation, and drive corrective actions with suppliers when outsourced parts miss spec. You'll also be establishing the tactical quality processes—gauge control, documentation, inspection frequency—that don't yet exist in a formalized way.
This role demands deep expertise in GD&T applied to real manufacturing constraints, strong CMM skills (Zeiss and Calypso experience is a plus), and genuine comfort working alongside machinists to solve problems. You need to read drawings confidently, think like both an engineer and a machinist, and communicate clearly across disciplines. If you thrive in a hands-on environment where you're building systems from scratch rather than maintaining existing ones, and you want to directly influence how a growing shop scales its quality, this is worth a close look.
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