Supplier Quality Engineer - Senior

The Senior Supplier Quality Engineer is responsible for leading supplier development strategies and ensuring that suppliers deliver high-quality components and products that meet customer requirements. This role involves building strong partnerships with external suppliers, internal stakeholders such as supply chain and engineering teams, and leading continuous improvement initiatives within the external supply base. The position requires a solid understanding of quality management systems, advanced product quality planning (APQP), and root cause analysis to drive supplier performance improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead supplier development strategy and design metrics for supplier performance.

Carry out supplier validation audits, APQP, and supplier support.

Collaborate with engineering teams to define process parameters and ensure effective supplier process capability.

Support the supplier approval process by assessing manufacturing, technology capabilities, and health, safety, and environmental risks.

Lead new product launches to ensure supplier capability aligns with required quality standards.

Manage the root cause analysis and corrective actions for supplier quality issues.

Conduct on-site supplier visits for root cause analysis and verify corrective actions.

Review supplier quality data to identify process improvement opportunities.

Collaborate with suppliers to create corrective action plans addressing process failures.

Promote continuous improvement techniques, such as Lean, Six Sigma, and FMEA, to suppliers.

Manage Design and Process FMEAs development and refinement.

Oversee Supplier Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and monitor customer and supplier PPM, problem-solving, cost recovery, and warranty indicators.

Lead supplier quality audits to ensure compliance with Quality Management Systems (TS16949/ISO9001).

Develop and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders to ensure optimal performance.

Participate in cross-functional teams in new product development and changes to existing products.

Manage Zero Defect Manufacturing (ZDM) check sheets, SQSW, and SOPs for systems.

External Qualifications and Competencies

Experience:

This position offers a hybrid work model.

Minimum 15+ years of experience in a manufacturing or engineering role within the automotive or a similarly regulated industry.

Competencies:

Customer Focus: Build strong relationships with customers and deliver customer-centric solutions.

Quality Influence: Ability to drive and influence decision-making processes to align with quality priorities.

Supplier Performance Improvement: Develop and execute quality improvement strategies to enhance supplier performance.

Manufacturing Process Design & Validation: Expertise in designing zero-defect processes and validating supplier manufacturing capabilities.

Supplier Product Reliability: Ability to evaluate supplier product design and ensure it meets reliability expectations.

Values Differences: Recognize the value of diverse perspectives and cultures within the organization.

Additional Responsibilities Unique to this Position

Qualifications:

Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, or Instrumentation.

Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.

ISO/IATF Lead Auditor certification or equivalent.

Proficient in APQP, PPAP, MSA, Six Sigma, problem-solving tools, and auditing skills.

Strong understanding of EMS, controllers (ECM, PSO, PCC, ECU, BMC), telematics, and current transformers.

Skills and Experience:

This position offers a hybrid work model.

Leadership & Team Management: Strong leadership and team management skills with the ability to manage cross-functional teams.

Communication: Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, adaptable to different audiences.

Problem Solving: Strong problem-solving abilities using systematic analysis and industry-standard methodologies.

Process Improvement: Experience in continuous improvement using Lean, Six Sigma, and other tools to optimize processes.

Technical Knowledge: Proficient in interpreting technical requirements, including Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, Engineering Standards, and manufacturing process design.

Supplier Auditing & Quality Management: Ability to apply auditing techniques and quality management systems to evaluate supplier processes for risks and non-conformance.

Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP): Proven experience in applying APQP skills to external suppliers to meet customer expectations.

Statistical Analysis: Knowledge of statistical tools and techniques to analyze data, describe process performance, and drive improvements.