France-Austria -Senior Quality Engineering Transformation Consultant - QMS & PLM - Freelance

Budget: According to your seniority

Senior Quality Engineering & Transformation Consultant (Diagnostic Assignment & Program Charter Write-Up)

Internal Need
22/01/2026

Client Background

Our client is an industrial technology company designing and commercializing connected electronic products, operating under a distributed model combining internal engineering capabilities with outsourced manufacturing at scale. Core responsibilities such as product design, technical definition, and quality ownership are retained in-house, while production activities are carried out through external partners, creating strong interdependencies across the product lifecycle.

The organization relies on a central engineering structure responsible for research and development, product engineering, software, prototyping, and early industrialization, providing agility and technical control but introducing operational complexity as products transition from development to volume manufacturing. The client seeks to strengthen and harmonize quality, governance, and lifecycle management practices across internal teams and external partners, ensuring consistency, scalability, and traceability.

Assignment Background and Scope

ECARIS has submitted a comprehensive Quality Reengineering Proposal outlining a multi-year transformation program redesigning quality practices end-to-end across the product lifecycle. This proposal addresses process fragmentation, governance gaps, tooling limitations, and traceability weaknesses across design, validation, early industrialization, supplier interfaces, and large-scale deployment. The client has aligned with this vision and validated the overall transformation approach, including its structuring into distinct and interdependent workstreams.

The transformation begins with a foundational diagnostic and structuring phase, referred to as "Workstream 0," designed to move from a validated transformation vision to a fact-based, operationally grounded, and decision-ready program definition.

Workstream 0 Is Designed To

• Validate, refine, and challenge assumptions underlying the ECARIS Proposal based on detailed on-the-ground diagnostic
• Translate the high-level transformation vision into a coherent and executable program framework anchored in the client's actual operating realities
• Produce a comprehensive Project Charter constituting the authoritative reference framework for the Quality Reengineering Program, on which all subsequent workstreams will be defined, structured, sequenced, and governed

The Project Charter is not a mere formalization exercise but the cornerstone document that may confirm, adjust, consolidate, or reshape the scope, number, and articulation of downstream workstreams initially outlined in the ECARIS Proposal.

Assignment Scope and Consultant Responsibilities

The assignment covers Workstream 0 – Diagnostic and Program Structuring, the foundational phase of the Quality Reengineering Program. The scope is intentionally broad, transversal, and structuring, establishing a fact-based, operationally grounded, and decision-ready framework enabling the client to confidently launch and govern a multi-year transformation program.

Workstream 0 spans the full product and quality lifecycle, including design, validation, early industrialization, supplier interfaces, documentation, and readiness for outsourced manufacturing and large-scale deployment, covering organizational, governance, and measurement dimensions required to sustain transformation over time.

Diagnostic and Field Assessment

The Consultant Will Conduct An In-depth, On-site Diagnostic Of Current Practices, Focusing On Actual Operations Rather Than Nominal Processes. This Includes

• Leading on-site diagnostic activities at the central engineering and small-run assembly site, including Gemba-style observations across prototyping, assembly operations, test laboratories, documentation practices, and cross-functional handoffs
• Conducting structured interviews and working sessions with Quality, R&D, Hardware Engineering, Firmware/Software, Industrialization, Supply Chain, and Operations teams to capture real workflows, decision points, tools in use, and data flows
• Mapping end-to-end processes and critical interfaces (design controls, validation, change management, non-conformity handling, supplier quality, release readiness, and transfer to outsourced manufacturing), with explicit identification of pain points, bottlenecks, blind spots, and systemic risks

Maturity Assessment Across Key Domains

The Consultant will assess maturity, robustness, and coherence of existing practices across key domains:

• Quality Management System (QMS) maturity and audit readiness, assessed against ISO 9001 foundations and IATF-inspired rigor where relevant (CAPA effectiveness, PDCA loops, escalation mechanisms)
• Product and lifecycle governance practices, including PLM/PLS concepts, BoM integrity, configuration and change management (ECR/ECO), traceability, and documentation governance (DMS)
• Firmware and software lifecycle management for embedded products, including OTA strategies, versioning, rollback capabilities, observability, release governance, and alignment with hardware lifecycle constraints and quality gates
• Supplier and component quality management practices, including incoming quality controls, qualification expectations, supplier performance monitoring, and governance of EMS/CM relationships

Synthesis and Diagnostic Output (As-Is)

The Consultant will consolidate findings into a coherent, end-to-end diagnostic view, including:

• A structured "as-is" assessment of quality, lifecycle, engineering, and operational practices
• A prioritized register of issues, risks, and structural constraints, highlighting systemic weaknesses and their potential impact on scalability, reliability, and compliance
• Specific attention to constraints arising from the interaction between internal engineering activities, early industrialization, and outsourced manufacturing models

Target Design and Quality Operating Model (To-Be)

Based on the diagnostic, the Consultant will define a clear and actionable Target Quality Operating Model, covering:

• Target processes and control points across the product lifecycle
• Roles and responsibilities (RACI), governance structures, decision forums, and escalation paths
• Operating rhythms and coordination mechanisms between Quality, Engineering, Industrialization, and Supply Chain
• Key quality and lifecycle control gates from design through industrialization and readiness for mass production

The target model must be realistic, aligned with the client's industrial context, and suitable for progressive deployment at scale.

Program Architecture and Structuring

The Consultant will design the overall architecture of the Quality Reengineering Program by:

• Confirming, refining, or reshaping downstream workstreams initially outlined in the ECARIS Proposal based on diagnostic findings
• Defining clear scope boundaries, dependencies, sequencing logic, and major milestones
• Producing a high-level transformation roadmap supported by a detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Measurement, Planning, and Financial Framing

The Consultant Will

• Define a comprehensive KPI and measurement architecture, including KPI definitions, baselines, target levels (pass/good/target), data sources, ownership, review cadence, and reporting principles
• Develop initial resource and effort assumptions per downstream workstream, including skills mix, capacity requirements, critical roles, and key prerequisites or enablers
• Provide indicative time and budget envelopes per workstream under alternative commercial scenarios (fixed-fee and time & materials), with explicit assumptions and sensitivity factors

Expected Outcomes and Project Charter

The primary outcome of Workstream 0 is a comprehensive Project Charter constituting the authoritative reference framework for the entire Quality Reengineering Program. The Project Charter is a practical, operational, and decision-ready guidance framework upon which all subsequent workstreams will be based, serving as the single source of truth for structuring, governing, planning, and executing the transformation over time.

The Project Charter Will Provide

• A shared, end-to-end understanding of the current situation ("as-is"), grounded in observed practices, constraints, and risks across quality, lifecycle, engineering, and operational domains
• A clearly articulated Target Quality Operating Model ("to-be"), defining processes, governance, roles and responsibilities, escalation mechanisms, and control points across the product lifecycle
• A structured description of the transformation program, including final definition of downstream workstreams, their scope boundaries, objectives, interdependencies, and sequencing
• A detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) translating the transformation into executable initiatives, milestones, and activities
• A governance and steering model covering decision forums, operating rhythm, escalation paths, and stakeholder roles
• A KPI and measurement framework enabling objective monitoring of progress, performance, and outcomes
• Indicative planning assumptions and budgetary envelopes (fixed-fee and time & materials) sufficient to support informed executive decision-making
• Tooling and architectural recommendations required to support the target operating model

At the conclusion of Workstream 0, the client is expected to:

• Formally validate, adjust, or recalibrate the structure, ambition, and sequencing of the Quality Reengineering Program
• Launch downstream workstreams under a clear, shared, and robust governance and execution framework
• Commit resources and budgets based on realistic, substantiated, and transparent assumptions
• Rely on the Project Charter as the enduring reference document for steering the transformation

Should the Consultant demonstrate strong leadership, sound judgment, and mastery in structuring the Project Charter, management may consider retaining the Consultant to support and/or lead one or more downstream workstreams, in alignment with the governance and operating model defined in the Project Charter.

Sought Consultant Profile And Qualifications
ECARIS seeks a senior consultant capable of leading Workstream 0 – Diagnostic and Program Structuring for a complex, multi-year Quality Reengineering Program in an industrial technology environment. This role requires a rare combination of deep technical credibility, operational grounding, and program-level structuring capability. The consultant must be equally comfortable operating on the shop floor, engaging with engineering and quality teams, and framing decision-ready materials for executive leadership.

Technical and Domain Expertise

The Consultant Must Demonstrate Strong Mastery Across

• Quality Management Systems (QMS) design, assessment, and transformation, including maturity evaluation and audit readiness, grounded in ISO 9001 principles and IATF-inspired rigor where relevant (CAPA effectiveness, PDCA loops, escalation mechanisms)
• Quality engineering for electronics and embedded products, covering design validation, test strategy, failure analysis, and production readiness considerations
• Supplier quality and outsourced manufacturing governance, including EMS/CM oversight, qualification and onboarding practices, performance management, escalation mechanisms, and interface management
• Product lifecycle and PLM/PLS fundamentals, including BoM structures, configuration management, engineering change control (ECR/ECO), traceability, and documentation governance (DMS)
• Firmware and software lifecycle management for connected devices, including OTA strategies, versioning, rollback, observability, release governance, and alignment with hardware lifecycle constraints and quality gates
• Transformation program structuring, including Target Operating Model definition, roadmap construction, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), governance model design, and KPI framework definition
• Tooling landscape assessment and recommendation, covering PLM, QMS, and DMS solutions, as well as interfaces with ERP/MES and shop-floor traceability systems where relevant

Functional and Program-Level Capabilities

The Consultant Must Demonstrate

• A robust end-to-end understanding of the product lifecycle, from concept and design through prototyping, early industrialization, transfer to mass production, and post-deployment quality feedback loops
• Proven ability to design and operate cross-functional operating models, spanning R&D, Quality, Industrialization, Supply Chain, and Operations
• Experience in program chartering and executive-level framing, including scope definition, objective setting, dependency management, sequencing logic, and decision structuring
• Capability to perform financial and resource framing for multi-workstream transformation programs, including effort estimation, budget envelope definition, and delivery model comparison (fixed-fee vs. time & materials)
• Strong stakeholder management skills in complex industrial environments, including direct engagement with engineering teams, factory-floor stakeholders, and executive steering committees

Personal Attributes and Leadership Qualities

The Consultant Is Expected To Demonstrate

• Strong analytical and synthesis capabilities, translating complexity and ambiguity into clear, structured, and decision-ready outputs
• High autonomy and sense of ownership, combined with sound judgment in uncertain or evolving contexts
• A pragmatic, operationally grounded mindset, favoring evidence-based conclusions over theoretical models
• Excellent facilitation skills, enabling alignment across functions and hierarchies without relying on formal authority
• Clear, concise, and impactful written and verbal communication, suitable for executive audiences
• The ability to act as a constructive challenger, raising risks, gaps, and alternative options with tact, credibility, and authority
• Cultural adaptability and comfort operating in international, multi-site environments

Education

The ideal candidate will have a degree from a top-tier engineering school (Grande École d'ingénieurs française or international equivalent) or a postgraduate degree (Master's or PhD) from a leading international university in engineering, industrial systems, quality, or a related field. A dual background combining engineering and management is a strong asset.

Languages

English:
Fluent/professional proficiency required (minimum C1), both written and spoken

German:
Fluent/professional proficiency required (minimum C1), given the on-site nature of diagnostic activities and local stakeholder interactions

French:
A plus, particularly for interaction with ECARIS internal teams and documentation

Certifications (Nice to Have)

• ISO 9001 Lead Auditor or equivalent QMS certification
• IATF 16949 training or certification (even outside automotive contexts)
• Lean/Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or Black Belt), with demonstrated practical application
• Project or program management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, SAFe Program Consultant), provided it is complemented by strong hands-on experience
• Change management certification (Prosci or equivalent), as an enabler for large-scale transformation framing

Overall Profile Fit

This assignment is suited for a consultant with significant seniority (typically 10–15+ years of experience), combining hands-on industrial exposure with transformation and structuring experience. It is not suited for junior or mid-level quality profiles, tool-centric PLM/QMS implementers, or purely methodological PMO profiles. The consultant selected for Workstream 0 will play a decisive role in shaping the Quality Reengineering Program and, subject to performance, may naturally be considered for continued involvement in downstream workstreams.

Engagement Details

Start date:
Late February/Early March 2026

Duration:
3–4 months (with potential extension into a multi-year engagement)

Location:
Graz, Austria (primary) and Paris, France (HQ), with frequent travel between both locations

Remote work:
Up to 2 days per week

Daily rate:
Based on profile