RecordMove

Synthetic materials engineer to quality engineer

A synthetic materials engineer already meets 23% of what the quality engineer role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From synthetic materials engineer

Distant match

To quality engineer

8 You already bring

12 Still to learn

37 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

72.7/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a quality engineer is expected to do is already part of a synthetic materials engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the quality engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A quality engineer role treats 4 of its required skills as things a synthetic materials engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

inspect quality of products
quality assurance methodologies
quality standards
record test data

What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A quality engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a synthetic materials engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held materials engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held communication generic programmes and qualifications
already held quality assurance methodologies business, administration and law
already held check quality of raw materials information skills
already held manufacturing processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held record test data information skills

All 8 carried skills, including the 4 the quality engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 29 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 information skills 4 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn analyse test data required
still to learn perform risk analysis required
still to learn report test findings required
still to learn undertake inspections required

optional, not held check quality of products on the production line optional
optional, not held lead inspections optional
optional, not held perform pre-assembly quality checks optional

02 management skills 3 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn identify process improvements required
still to learn define quality standards required
still to learn set quality assurance objectives required

optional, not held define manufacturing quality criteria optional
optional, not held manage budgets optional
optional, not held perform project management optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn recommend product improvements required
still to learn support implementation of quality management systems required
still to learn write inspection reports required

optional, not held communicate test results to other departments optional
optional, not held train employees optional

04 business, administration and law 1 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn quality assurance procedures required

optional, not held audit techniques optional
optional, not held lean manufacturing optional

05 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn test procedures required

optional, not held industrial engineering optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional

06 assisting and caring 3 supplementary

optional, not held ensure compliance with company regulations optional
optional, not held ensure compliance with legal requirements optional
optional, not held oversee quality control optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a quality engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 8 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held inspect quality of products skill
already held quality assurance methodologies knowledge
already held quality standards knowledge
already held record test data skill
already held check quality of raw materials skill
already held communication knowledge
already held manufacturing processes knowledge
already held materials engineering knowledge

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 constructing 1 supplementary

optional, not held maintain test equipment optional

08 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held use measurement instruments optional

17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held check quality of products on the production line optional
optional, not held define manufacturing quality criteria optional
optional, not held audit techniques optional
optional, not held communicate test results to other departments optional
optional, not held ensure compliance with company regulations optional
optional, not held ensure compliance with legal requirements optional
optional, not held industrial engineering optional
optional, not held lead inspections optional
optional, not held lean manufacturing optional
optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
optional, not held manage budgets optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held oversee quality control optional
optional, not held perform pre-assembly quality checks optional
optional, not held perform project management optional
optional, not held train employees optional
optional, not held use measurement instruments optional

30 held skills the quality engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
not needed by the target role anticipate installation maintenance skill
not needed by the target role assemble machines skill
not needed by the target role basic chemicals knowledge
not needed by the target role build machines skill
not needed by the target role chemical processes knowledge
not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role design engineering components skill
not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
not needed by the target role design process skill
not needed by the target role electrical machines knowledge
not needed by the target role examine engineering principles skill
not needed by the target role handle chemicals skill
not needed by the target role injection moulding machine parts knowledge
not needed by the target role manage environmental impact of operations skill
not needed by the target role manage processes skill
not needed by the target role measure materials skill
not needed by the target role perform maintenance on installed equipment skill
not needed by the target role prepare scientific reports skill
not needed by the target role rubber technology knowledge
not needed by the target role synthetic materials knowledge
not needed by the target role test materials skill
not needed by the target role types of plastic knowledge
not needed by the target role use CAD software skill
not needed by the target role use hand tools skill
not needed by the target role use technical drawing software skill
not needed by the target role work safely with chemicals skill
not needed by the target role work with chemicals skill
not needed by the target role write technical reports skill

6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn quality assurance procedures required
still to learn test procedures required
optional, not held audit techniques optional
optional, not held industrial engineering optional
optional, not held lean manufacturing optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional

Index

Other moves recorded from synthetic materials engineer

Full index of moves from synthetic materials engineer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a synthetic materials engineer become a quality engineer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A synthetic materials engineer already covers 23% of what a quality engineer is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 4 of which the quality engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a synthetic materials engineer need to become a quality engineer?

12 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is identify process improvements.

How hard is the move from synthetic materials engineer to quality engineer?

Its learning distance is 72.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.