Supplier Quality Engineer

About the role

Waabi, founded by AI visionary Raquel Urtasun, is the leader in Physical AI, unlocking the next era of autonomous transportation with technology that powers commercial autonomous trucks and robotaxis. We are looking for diverse, innovative, and collaborative candidates to join our world-class team and impact the world positively.

Responsibilities

• Lead Supplier Qualification and Onboarding: Conduct technical audits of potential and existing suppliers to evaluate their manufacturing maturity, quality management systems (QMS), and alignment with IATF 16949 or ISO 9001 standards.
• Manage the Supplier Life Cycle: Serve as the primary technical point of contact for a portfolio of suppliers, managing all quality activities from initial sourcing through Start of Production (SOP) and into service-life support.
• Partner with internal Engineering teams during the DFM (Design for Manufacturing) phase to ensure complex mechanical designs are optimized for high-yield production and assembly at the vendor site.
• Own the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) process and the delivery of the PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) package, ensuring every component is validated before SOP.
• Lead the development of Supplier PPAP deliverables, including PFMEAs, Process Flow Diagrams, and Control Plans, ensuring suppliers identify and mitigate assembly-related risks with "Poka-Yoke" (error-proofing) solutions.
• Be responsible for supplier mechanical assembly, test, and integration of sensors, compute, and actuation systems, defining special characteristic (SC/CC) steps for the manufacturing process.
• Work closely with internal teams to define, deploy, and validate hardware End-of-Line (EOL) testers and calibration requirements.
• Support Process Verification (PV) Testing, conducting run-at-rate studies to prove supplier manufacturing lines can sustain quality targets at full production speed.
• Interface with Product Quality to analyze field performance data, identifying hardware trends and driving corrective actions back to the supplier.
• Lead the RCCA (Root Cause Corrective Action) process for all supplier-related non-conformances, utilizing the 8D methodology to move from initial containment to long-term systemic prevention.
• Be QMS responsible for supporting and improving the quality management system relative to suppliers, CMs, and Tier 1s.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Deep understanding of APQP, PPAP, including FMEA, MSA, Gage R&R, and SPC.
• Proven experience driving the 5 phases of APQP, managing design maturity milestones, and ensuring all 18 elements of PPAP are met for safety-critical components.
• Mastery of 8D, 5-Why, and Fishbone (Ishikawa) analysis with a track record of implementing RCCA to prevent recurrence of complex electromechanical failures.
• Proficient with Solidworks or similar 3D CAD and CAE software tools for design review, fixture development, and tolerance stack-up analysis.
• Experience with technical drawing tolerancing (e.g., GD&T) for various manufacturing operations to ensure clear communication of design intent to vendors.
• Experience with various manufacturing processes (e.g., printed circuit board, PCBA, wire harness, sheet metal, injection molding, stamping, die casting, and CNC machining).
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to evaluate supplier DFMs, design changes, or material substitutions.
• Experience with PLM tools and document revision control to manage Engineering Change Orders (ECO) across the supply base.
• Experience with automotive standards (e.g., ISO 9001, IATF 16949, or ISO 26262).

Travel Expectations

Approximately 25-50% travel required, fluctuating based on APQP program milestones such as on-site supplier audits, process validations (PV), and production ramp-ups.

Bonus Qualifications

• Automotive, Aerospace, Autonomous Vehicle (AV), or EV industry experience is highly preferred.
• IPC/WHMA-A-620 and IPC-A-610 knowledge for acceptance of wire harness assemblies and electronic assemblies.
• Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or Six Sigma Green/Black Belt is highly preferred.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and equity awards.
• Health and Wellness benefits encompassing Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage (for full-time employees only).
• Unlimited Vacation.
• Flexible hours and Work from Home support.
• Daily drinks, snacks, and catered meals (when in office).
• Regularly scheduled team building activities and social events both on-site, off-site, and virtually.