Job Title: Supplier Quality Engineer

Job Description

This senior, multi-disciplinary Supplier Quality Engineer role serves as a key member of the Quality team and plays a critical, customer-facing position alongside the Quality Manager. Reporting to the Quality Director, the role spans supplier quality, core quality engineering, and advanced quality planning activities, with a strong focus on aerospace and defense programs and direct interaction with prime contractors.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior member of the Quality team, acting as a key point of contact for customers and supporting the Quality Manager in customer-facing activities.
• Lead supplier quality activities, including planning and conducting supplier audits to ensure compliance with aerospace and defense quality requirements.
• Manage supplier nonconformances by investigating issues, documenting findings, and driving effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Issue and manage supplier corrective action requests (SCARs), track responses, and verify implementation and effectiveness of corrective actions.
• Monitor and track supplier on-time delivery (OTD) and batch lot acceptance performance with a target of 95% or higher, and report on supplier performance metrics.
• Support supplier development initiatives to improve quality, delivery, and overall performance, particularly for electronics and aerospace-related components.
• Lead or support transition-to-production activities, ensuring that new products and processes are effectively industrialized and meet quality requirements.
• Review engineering drawings, procedures, and test procedures to ensure they meet customer, regulatory, and internal quality requirements.
• Interpret multi-customer requirement flow-downs and ensure that applicable requirements are correctly implemented in processes, documentation, and deliverables.
• Participate in customer-facing program reviews, such as Critical Design Reviews (CDRs), by preparing quality documentation, presenting quality status, and addressing customer questions.
• Support compliance activities related to DO-178C and DO-254, ensuring that relevant quality and documentation requirements are met for software and hardware in aerospace and defense applications.
• Apply AS9100 quality management system principles in daily work, including process control, documentation, and continuous improvement.
• Utilize APQP methodologies in accordance with AS9145 and support the preparation and review of AS9102 First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs).
• Collaborate with internal engineering, operations, and supply chain teams to resolve quality issues and drive continuous improvement across the value chain.
• Prepare and maintain clear, accurate quality records and reports for internal stakeholders and external customers.
• Travel approximately 25–30% of the time to supplier sites and customer locations for audits, reviews, and quality support activities.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor's degree in a technical or engineering discipline.
• 5–8+ years of quality engineering experience in the aerospace and defense industry in a senior-level capacity.
• Hands-on experience with AS9100 quality management systems, including implementation, maintenance, or auditing of QMS processes.
• Familiarity with AS9145 Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) methodologies.
• Familiarity with AS9102 First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs).
• Proven supplier quality experience, including conducting supplier audits, tracking nonconformances, managing corrective actions, and monitoring performance metrics.
• Experience working with aerospace and defense suppliers, particularly in electronics or related components.
• Customer-facing communication skills, with the ability to interface directly and professionally with prime contractors.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to interpret and manage multi-customer requirement flow-downs.
• Experience supporting compliance activities related to DO-178C and DO-254 or similar aerospace and defense standards.
• Ability to travel approximately 25–30% of the time for supplier and customer engagements.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in a senior quality engineering role with responsibility for both supplier quality and internal quality engineering activities.
• Background in electronics manufacturing or integration within aerospace and defense applications.
• Demonstrated ability to support transition-to-production activities, including readiness reviews and process validation.
• Experience participating in or leading custome