Supplier Development Quality Engineer

A day in the life

Reporting to the Quality Leader and working on-site in Ripon, WI, you start your day reviewing supplier KPIs like defects per million and on-time delivery. You triage the top supplier quality and productivity issues, align owners, and drive resolutions. Mid-morning, you host a technical review with a supplier to assess a new purchased component and its quality management system, verifying process capability and determining what inspection and test equipment will be needed to confirm conformance to specifications. After lunch, you partner with Product Engineering in a process review to smoothly introduce both purchased and manufactured components for a new design. You wrap up by proposing statistical process controls for critical supplier operations and compiling reject and warranty data so leadership can act on insights.

What you'll own

• Track and drive closure of top supplier quality and productivity issues.
• Support new design introductions across the supply base, collaborating with multi-functional teams.
• Provide reject and warranty data to management for analysis and decision-making.
• Determine inspection and test equipment needed to validate specification conformance.
• Contribute to process reviews with Product Engineering for purchased and manufactured components.
• Establish and recommend statistical process controls for supplier processes.
• Initiate and lead technical reviews of supplied parts and suppliers’ quality management systems (QMS).
• Maintain test and audit quality documentation that aligns to engineering specifications.
• Supervise assigned quality process control and audit personnel.

Experience that sets you up for success

• 2–4 years in quality assurance and/or quality control preferred.
• Conduct supplier audits and assessments (on-site or virtual) to evaluate quality systems and process capability.
• Own part qualification, including PPAP or similar processes for new parts.
• Lead root-cause analysis for nonconforming materials and implement corrective/preventive actions (SCARs/CAPA).
• Facilitate APQP and coach internal teams to support supplier qualifications and launch readiness.
• Monitor supplier performance metrics (e.g., DPM, OTD) and run performance reviews.
• Background in QMS management within certified ISO or IATF environments.
• Working knowledge of statistical methods applied to Quality Assurance.
• Effective in project team environments and cross-functional collaboration.
• Partner with design and manufacturing engineering to define component specifications and tolerances.
• Champion continuous improvement, lean, and quality initiatives at supplier locations.

Skills and tools

• Strong problem-solving, clear communication, and diplomacy.
• Proven ability to evaluate supplier quality systems and facilitate process improvements.
• Blueprint reading; able to interpret standards such as ASTM.
• Proficiency with Microsoft applications; SAP knowledge is a plus.

Education

• BS in Engineering, Quality, or Manufacturing preferred.
• AS degree required with equivalent experience or ASQ Quality Engineering Certification.

Physical requirements & travel

• Includes extended sitting, standing, manual dexterity, stooping, bending, and minimal lifting.
• Some travel, including international supplier visits. A valid passport (or ability to obtain one) is required.

Location

This position is located on-site in Ripon, WI.