Senior Supplier Quality Engineer

Job Summary

The Senior Supplier Quality Engineer plays a key role in developing and maintaining a robust supplier quality program, ensuring that materials, components, and services provided by suppliers consistently meet Moxtek quality, reliability, and performance requirements. This role works closely with suppliers and cross-functional teams including Quality, Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, and Operations to establish supplier quality requirements, resolve supplier-related quality issues, improve supplier performance, and develop sustainable processes and controls. The Senior Supplier Quality Engineer provides technical leadership in supplier qualification, supplier development, corrective action, process improvement, and quality risk management.

Essential Functions

1. Develop and execute supplier quality strategies, processes, and initiatives to ensure consistent product quality across the supply chain.
2. Evaluate and qualify potential suppliers through technical assessments, quality system reviews, process evaluations, and supplier audits in conjunction with engineering and Purchasing.
3. Communicate clear supplier quality requirements, specifications, acceptance criteria, performance expectations, and quality metrics.
4. Monitor supplier performance using quality metrics, including defects, PPM, supplier escapes, corrective action performance, and other key performance indicators.
5. Lead initiatives to improve supplier performance and reduce defects, variation, scrap, rework, and production disruptions.
6. Verify supplier root cause, corrective action, and preventive action are effective and sustainable.
7. Develop strong working relationships with suppliers while maintaining appropriate accountability for quality, delivery, and process performance.
8. Evaluate supplier process capability and performance using statistical methods and quality tools such as SPC, Cp/Cpk, Pareto analysis, and trend analysis.
9. Support supplier change management activities to ensure changes to materials, processes, equipment, tooling, or manufacturing locations are appropriately evaluated and approved.
10. Develop and maintain supplier quality metrics and reports and communicate supplier performance, risks, and improvement opportunities to management.
11. Identify opportunities for continuous improvement within the supplier quality program and implement improvements that increase quality, reduce risk, and improve operational efficiency.
12. Stay current with industry trends, applicable standards, regulations, and best practices related to supplier quality management and manufacturing quality.
13. Travel domestically and internationally up to 10% of the time to support supplier audits, supplier development, qualification activities, and quality improvement initiatives as needed.
14. Support other quality management system processes, including CAPA/8D, RMA, DCN, NCR, and other quality-related activities as required.
15. Perform additional duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

1. Bachelor's degree in engineering, manufacturing, quality, or a related technical field.
2. Minimum of 7 years of experience in supplier quality engineering, quality engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a related field, preferably in a manufacturing or technology-driven environment.
3. Demonstrated experience managing supplier quality performance and resolving complex supplier quality issues.
4. Strong understanding of quality assurance principles, supplier management, quality control, and manufacturing processes.
5. Experience with supplier qualification, supplier audits, first-article inspections, and supplier corrective actions.
6. Strong knowledge of structured problem-solving methodologies, including CAPA/8D, 5-Why, fishbone, and root-cause analysis.
7. Experience with statistical analysis and quality improvement tools, including SPC, process capability, Pareto analysis, and Six Sigma methodologies.
8. Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) requirements.
9. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate technical information to suppliers, engineers, manufacturing personnel, and management.
10. Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects and influence internal and external stakeholders without direct authority.
11. Ability to manage multiple priorities, make sound decisions based on risk and business impact.
12. Experience in optics, X-ray applications, vacuum technology, precision machining, or other advanced manufacturing environments is desirable.

Preferred Qualifications

1. ASQ Certified Quality Auditor (CQA)
2. ASQ Certified Supplier Quality Professional (CSQP)
3. Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt
4. Experience with ISO 9001, ISO 13485, or other applicable quality management systems
5. Experience with APQP, PPAP, FMEA, Control Plans, MSA, and SPC
6. Experience with JMP, Minitab, or similar statistical analysis software

Competencies

1. Supplier quality leadership
2. Problem solving
3. Technical expertise
4. Communication
5. Cross-functional collaboration
6. Accountability and ownership
7. Continuous improvement (CI)
8. Decision making
9. Leadership and mentoring
10. Professionalism