Supplier Quality Engineer

Job Summary: The Supplier Quality Engineer Lead governs supplier qualification, compliance, auditing, development, and escalation activities for high‑risk, high‑impact, and strategic suppliers. This role owns supplier quality strategy, serves as escalation point for complex supplier issues and regulatory interactions, and plays a key role in management review, audit readiness, and organizational quality maturity. The position provides leadership and mentoring to Supplier Quality Engineers and partners closely with Procurement, Operations, Engineering, Regulatory, and Business Leaders. Essential Functions & Accountabilities: Supplier Quality Leadership & Strategy Define and lead supplier quality strategy aligned with business objectives and regulatory requirements. Provide functional leadership and mentoring to Supplier Quality Engineers. Serve as escalation point for supplier quality issues, Risk 1 suppliers, outsourced processes, and supply chain disruptions. Influence senior leadership decisions related to supplier risk, sourcing strategy, and business continuity. Supplier Audits & Regulatory Compliance Lead planning and execution of global supplier audit programs (onsite, remote, desktop). Ensure effective management, escalation, and closure of audit findings and compliance gaps. Act as primary Quality representative for supplier-related regulatory inspections, notified body audits, and health authority inquiries. Supplier Performance & Risk Governance Establish and oversee supplier risk classification, risk assessment, and mitigation frameworks. Review, trend, and present supplier performance metrics and risk data to Management Review and senior leadership. Ensure proactive identification of systemic supplier risks and continuous monitoring of supplier health. Corrective Action, Escalation & Change Management Provide oversight and escalation leadership for Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs), ensuring robust root cause and sustained effectiveness. Lead supplier-related Nonconforming Material Reports (NCMRs) and support critical escalations. Evaluate and manage Supplier Change Notifications (SCNs) and change impact assessments. Supplier Development & Continuous Improvement Lead supplier development initiatives focused on quality improvement, compliance, delivery performance, and resiliency. Support New Product Introduction (NPI), supplier transfers, localization, and dual‑sourcing initiatives. Provide quality leadership for supplier-facing validation activities (IQ/OQ/PQ, PPAP, qualifications). Quality Systems & Governance Develop, Maintain governance and continuous improvement of Supplier Quality Agreements, SOPs, workflows, and metrics. Ensure supplier documentation, records, and controls remain compliant with QMS and regulatory expectations. Drive cross‑functional alignment across the supplier lifecycle from selection through post‑market support.