Supplier Quality Engineer

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary supplier-facing quality representative for PCBA, electromechanical enclosure, and cable/harness manufacturing partners.
• Perform hands-on inspection, troubleshooting, and functional checks on incoming PCBAs, assemblies, and ESS-tested hardware.
• Use advanced electrical technician skills to diagnose failures, identify workmanship issues, and validate supplier repairs.
• Conduct on-site supplier audits, process reviews, root-cause investigations, and corrective-action follow-up activities.
• Evaluate supplier SMT, assembly, and inspection processes and recommend improvements to reduce defects and improve yield.
• Ensure supplier compliance with IPC-610, IPC-620, IPC-J-STD-001, and related industry workmanship standards.
• Support supplier bring-up activities, including first article inspections, prototype validation, and early ESS monitoring.
• Aid Engineering with manufacturability feedback, component failure analysis, and electrical troubleshooting insights.
• Review supplier documentation packages, including FAI reports, test results, inspection data, and AS9100D-required records.
• Maintain supplier scorecards, quality metrics, and trend analyses, and provide clear reports and recommendations to leadership.
• Drive continuous improvement across suppliers by developing better work instructions, clearer acceptance criteria, and improved test or assembly fixtures.
• Actively identify quality risks at suppliers and within internal processes and propose actionable, data-driven improvements.
• Build strong relationships with supplier engineering and quality teams to enable real-time feedback and early detection of quality risks.
• Travel frequently to supplier sites to perform on-site evaluations, support issue resolution, and reinforce quality expectations.

Qualifications

• Experience with PCBA manufacturing processes, including SMT, soldering, rework, inspection, and in-circuit verification.
• Familiarity with bring-up testing, ESS screening, and functional hardware test processes.
• Experience conducting supplier audits, nonconformance reviews, and structured root-cause analysis methods such as 5-Why and Ishikawa diagrams.
• Proactive mindset with the ability to identify quality risks and propose actionable improvements.
• Strong understanding of ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D requirements, including aerospace-quality documentation practices.
• Strong communication skills with confidence interacting directly with supplier personnel at all levels.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently to supplier locations.
• Hands-on experience working with PCBs and soldering in a manufacturing or quality environment.
• Demonstrated capability to work independently in a supplier-facing quality role, balancing multiple priorities and deadlines.