Supplier Quality Engineering Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Leads, mentors, and develops a team of Supplier Quality Engineers.
• Defines departmental goals, KPIs, and long-term supplier development strategies.
• Allocates resources across projects, audits, escalations, and new product initiatives.
• Represents the supplier engineering function in cross-functional leadership forums.

Supplier Quality Management

• Establishes and maintains supplier quality standards, inspection criteria, and performance metrics.
• Makes supplier performance trends and sets priorities for improvement.
• Directs response to major supplier quality escalations and ensures timely containment and resolution.

Supplier Corrective Action & Nonconformance Management

• Directs supplier nonconformance management, including MRB processes and disposition strategies.
• Drives timely closure of supplier corrective actions and verifies long-term effectiveness.
• Implements processes that reduce repeat issues and reinforce supplier accountability.

Supplier Auditing & Compliance

• Directs supplier audit activities, including planning, execution, and follow-up.
• Safeguards timely closure of audit findings and follow-through on required actions.
• Maintains compliance with industry standards, customer requirements, and internal quality systems.

New Product Introduction (NPI) Leadership

• Guides the supplier engineering team in supporting design engineering during early development phases.
• Validates supplier readiness for prototypes, pilot builds, and production ramp-up.
• Approves supplier qualification activities such as PPAP, FAI, or equivalent processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, or related field; advanced degree preferred and a minimum of 4 years of experience leading engineering or supplier quality teams, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, quality systems, and supplier development methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive strategic initiatives.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• Able to travel locally and occasionally overnight for supplier audits, inspections, or business needs.
• Experience organizing, leading, reporting, and driving improvements with supplier audits.

Physical Requirements

• Work in office, lab, clean room, and production environments and move through those areas during audits, inspections, or routine oversight.
• Sit, stand, and walk for extended periods and perform frequent computer-based work, document review, and data entry.
• Lift up to 20 lbs occasionally, such as materials, samples, or documents.