Quality Inspector

Job Summary

Guardian Bikes is a leading direct-to-consumer kids' bike brand, known for its patented SureStop brake technology and a mission to build the safest kids' bikes in the industry. Guardian is building a vertically integrated, AI-driven manufacturing and commerce company — we design, manufacture, fulfill, and sell directly from our U.S. factory floor to the customer's door. The company has grown from a small startup into a major brand, selling over a million bikes to families across the country.

The Quality Inspector makes sure every frame, component, and finished bike leaving our Seymour factory meets Guardian's specs and federal safety requirements. You will inspect parts as they arrive, check work in process across welding, paint, and assembly, and audit finished bikes before they ship. When something is off, you document it, stop it, and work with production to fix the root cause.

Key Responsibilities

Incoming inspection

• Inspect raw materials and purchased parts (tubing, tires, chains, plastics, hardware) against drawings, specs, and supplier certificates.

• Accept, reject, or quarantine lots and log results in the quality system.

In-process inspection

• Check laser-cut and formed parts and robotic welds for dimensions, alignment, penetration, and visual defects.
• Verify paint and finish quality, including coverage, adhesion, and decals.
• Audit assembly stations for correct torque, cable routing, and fastener installation.
• Inspect SureStop brake assemblies for correct fit, adjustment, and function.

Final inspection and audits

• Pull finished bikes for audit, including ride checks, brake performance, wheel true, and packaging.
• Confirm bikes meet Guardian specs and CPSC bicycle requirements (16 CFR Part 1512) before release.

Documentation and problem solving

• Record inspection data accurately and on time; write nonconformance reports with photos.
• Tag and segregate nonconforming product and support rework and root-cause investigations.
• Read and apply blueprints, GD&T callouts, inspection plans, and work instructions.
• Maintain and verify calibration of gauges and measuring tools.
• Flag trends early to production leads and the Quality Manager, and help train operators on quality standards.
• Follow all safety rules and 5S practices.