DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING & QUALITY

Lawson-Fenning Los Angeles, CA Job Details Full-time $150,000 - $180,000 a year 2 hours ago Benefits Health insurance Dental insurance 401(k) Paid time off Qualifications Team development Millwork Data collection Root cause analysis Process management Full Job Description

ABOUT THE ROLE

This role owns the drawings, specifications, and quality standards behind everything Lawson-Fenning builds. It is a working role. You will be in CAD yourself through the first year, producing shop drawings and custom drawings against a live production schedule — not directing a drafting group. You do not need to come from furniture: architectural millwork, casework, store fixtures, retail environments, and custom fabrication are the same work shape. Custom output, drawings-driven, finish-critical, held to tolerance by suppliers you don't own. Lawson-Fenning designs and builds handmade furniture in Los Angeles, to a standard we've held for two decades. That standard lives in skilled people and long-standing production partners — in their heads and in their shops, not on paper. We're growing, and the technical infrastructure has to grow with it. You will write the first version of most of what you own. Three domains sit under this role: the drawing set and technical standards, the quality system that holds production and our suppliers to them, and product compliance, which we can support with outside specialist help. Success is defect rates that are known rather than estimated, specifications that exist in writing before they're enforced, supplier corrective actions that close and stay closed, and a compliance position that holds up under scrutiny.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

Engineering & Technical Standards LF's master specifications and technical standards — dimensional, structural, material, hardware, and finish — and the process by which they are written, versioned, and kept current.

CAD and the drawing set:

shop drawings, custom drawings, line extensions, design-for-approval review, and the CAD archive. Accuracy to design intent of supplier shop drawings before production release. Structural feasibility on new and modified designs; partner with Design and Product Development to resolve buildability early rather than at sampling. Assembly-instruction accuracy and the technical content that reaches customers and installers. Quality & Inspection Build and own LF's quality management system: inspection criteria by collection and construction type, defect taxonomy, defect tracking, and reporting. Define and document the inspection standards our suppliers are held to, and the approval process for supplier-performed inspection.

Own supplier corrective action:

containment, root-cause investigation, validation, and closure — with the discipline to require evidence rather than assurance before resuming shipments. Establish written finish standards before any measurement tool is used to enforce them. Own material treatment and inbound material quality checks at the supplier level. Hold quality sign-off authority on new product introduction. Product Compliance Own LF's product compliance framework: including flammability, lighting certification, materials and chemical compliance, labeling, and emerging requirements. Maintain testing records and certification documentation to an audit-ready standard. Serve as the compliance gate on launch readiness — required testing and documentation complete before release, with risks and trade-offs named clearly rather than absorbed quietly. Build & Lead the Function Build the quality and technical standards function from its current state, including the inspection resource under this role. Convert established practice into documented standard — this is a stated priority of the role, not a background task. Establish the operating cadence, reporting, and system discipline the function runs on. Develop the team as it grows; add technical and inspection roles as volume warrants.

KEY METRICS

Where measurable today: Defect rate by supplier and by collection — established, then reduced Supplier corrective actions opened, closed, and recurrence rate Specification and drawing coverage across the active assortment Compliance documentation completeness and audit readiness As reporting infrastructure matures: Cost of quality — rework, replacement, and claims attributable to defect First-pass yield at supplier inspection Field failure and warranty claim trends Launch readiness performance against gate criteria

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

8+ years producing and governing technical drawing sets in a custom or made-to-order manufacturing environment. Architectural millwork and casework, contract or commercial furniture, store fixture and retail environments, high-end residential cabinetry, or custom fabrication all qualify. Hands-on CAD production, current. Microvellum, Cabinet Vision, Mozaik, AutoCAD shop drawing production, SolidWorks, or Rhino — platform fluency matters more than which platform. Experience writing the standard rather than applying one someone else wrote: dimensional, structural, material, hardware, and finish. Direct experience holding outside shops to a standard. Root-cause methodology, corrective action, and the disposition to require evidence rather than assurance before shipments resume. Wood and casegood construction and finishing systems. Upholstery, metal, and our specific material set are learnable here if the construction fundamentals are there. Product compliance exposure is welcome — flammability, NRTL listing, materials compliance, labeling. We can support this domain with outside specialist help. It is not a screening requirement. Comfort with ERP and product data systems. We run Cin7 Omni and Airtable. Adaptability matters more than platform. Bachelor's in engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent applied experience. Los Angeles-based, on-site.

THIS ROLE IS A GREAT FIT IF

YOU... Would rather draw it yourself than explain it to someone who will. Love design and want to make it buildable, and bring an engineering mindset to doing so. Are energized by building a system rather than inheriting one — most of what you own here will be written by you first. Go after root cause instead of treating the symptom, and can tell the difference under time pressure. Can hold a standard with a supplier or a colleague without making it adversarial. Communicate technical information in a way that helps non-technical people make good decisions. Are comfortable naming risk plainly, including when it is inconvenient to the schedule. Bring calm and structure to situations that have neither. Are willing to build the function before you staff it.

Pay:

$150,000.00 - $180,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) Dental insurance Health insurance Paid time off

Work Location:

In person