Senior Supplier Quality Engineer

The Sr. SQE is expected to:

• Work in a team environment with suppliers to develop and implement best practices that emphasize defect prevention, reduction in variation, waste elimination, and provide continuous improvements in meeting all customer requirements.
• Monitor root cause analysis activities of failed components in the supply chain and provides corrective feedback to prevent line stops due to supply issues.
• Manage the customer specific requirements and offers technical support to suppliers.
• Ensure that the products meet quality standards required to minimize quality costs and maximize customer satisfaction whilst ensuring that procedures and processes are followed.
• Maintain the robustness of product builds following new product introductions to ensure continuity and improvement in supplier capability.
• Work on multiple phases or sub-tasks of projects or entire projects of high complexity, with results impacting on project completion. Work is reviewed at project milestones and/or on completion by Senior Management. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Carry out supplier validation audits, with supplier support and supplier advanced product quality planning (APQP).
• Work with Engineering (Design and Manufacturing Engineers) team to define process parameters and criteria to ensure supplier process capability is effective to meet product and process requirements.
• Lead the supplier approval process by assessing manufacturing/technology capabilities and Health, Safety and Environmental risks.
• Support new product launches to ensure that supplier quality meets the required standards.
• Perform on-site supplier visits for root cause analysis and verification of correction actions of supplier quality issues.
• Collate and evaluate supplier quality data to identify process improvement opportunities within the supply chain.
• Work with the supplier directly, create correction action plans to address process failures.
• Review supplier manufacturing processes, collaborate with suppliers on process improvement and value enhancement opportunities.
• Promote the use of techniques for continuous improvement such as Lean, Six-Sigma, Poka-Yoke (Error Proofing), Measurement System Analysis, and Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA).
• Provide concise, complete, and accurate documentation of inspection results relative to area of responsibility.
• Facilitate the escalation of unresolved supplier quality issues within assigned projects and suppliers.
• Support the Quality Manager to monitor and report on supplier product quality and performance.
• Deliver training of quality awareness.
• Report on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in order to adhere to process and prevent occurrence of any non-conformity relating to product, process or system.
• Manage and coordinate supplier indicators: Parts Per Million (PPM), supplier problem solving on time, cost recovery and supplier warranty.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure optimal performance.

Skills & Attributes:

• Knowledge of Automotive quality and business systems.
• Strong knowledge of Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA).
• Knowledge of IATF16949 and related Automotive quality standards.
• Knowledge of measurement techniques, metrology, Inspection Methods and Equipment.
• Understanding and interpretation of engineering drawings.
• Understanding manufacturing processes.

Qualifications and Experience Levels:

• 5 years or more experience in a high-volume manufacturing environment, preferably automotive.
• Experience of working in Quality Assurance.
• Experience of Supplier Quality development
• Experience of dealing with customers and suppliers