Senior Supplier Quality Engineer

About the role

Northwood is seeking a Senior Supplier Development Engineer to be the first quality-focused hire. This role is ideal for someone eager to build supplier quality processes from the ground up and shape how we scale high-reliability manufacturing for satellite ground stations. You will play a critical role in establishing our quality systems, developing our supply base, and partnering with engineering and operations to ensure our products are designed and built for long-term performance. This is a rare opportunity to influence the foundation of quality and supplier operations at a company on the frontier of satellite connectivity.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement the company's first supplier quality assurance system, documentation, and workflows
• Lead the identification, evaluation, and qualification of new suppliers for key components (RF, PCBA, mechanical, electromechanical) and conduct supplier audits, performance reviews, and corrective action processes
• Collaborate with product design and manufacturing teams on DFM, NPI, and pilot builds
• Support in defining supplier KPIs (quality, delivery, cost, responsiveness) and establish reporting mechanisms
• Drive resolution of supplier quality issues through root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action (NCR/CAPA)
• Support the development of incoming inspection plans and testing protocols
• Act as a hands-on technical liaison between internal engineering teams and external manufacturing partners
• Own capacity expansion readiness and production ramp-up at suppliers
• Develop and implement supplier technical requirements and quality flow downs to meet hardware manufacturing needs
• Provide feedback to suppliers as appropriate on manufacturing methods, with a specific focus on eliminating costs, reducing cycle times, and increasing yields
• Drive supplier root cause failure analysis and corrective actions associated with any quality gaps, escapes, or containments
• Lead cost engineering activities to converge the bottoms-up cost curve to product cost, maximizing the total cost of ownership

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial Engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in Supplier Quality or Supplier Development roles in manufacturing
• Experience with quality standards and tools (e.g., ISO 9001, AS9100, PPAP)
• Experience qualifying new suppliers and managing supplier performance
• Experience building or scaling quality systems in a low-to-medium volume, high-complexity manufacturing environment
• Able to travel up to 25% domestically and internationally

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in an AS9100 environment
• Prior experience in the aerospace, satellite, telecommunications, or defense industries
• Experience with RF components, PCBA, custom enclosures, and electromechanical assemblies
• Familiarity with ERP, PLM, and digital quality management systems
• Experience supporting early-stage product development through to production ramp
• Lean Six Sigma or other quality certifications
• Proficient in SQL or other data tools for supplier and quality analytics