Position: Lead Supplier Quality Engineer

Location: Philadelphia, PA 19124

Duration: Long Term Contract

Job Description:

• Participate in Core Supplier Management teams for purchase orders, together with the Sourcing/Fulfillment and Engineering representatives.
• Work with procurement teams to define / agree / communicate to all stakeholders a roadmap for supplier development activities, identifying the supplier quality tasks to ensure the right supply chain performance to meet business objectives.
• Track and drive progress against roadmap commitments, with regular reports to stakeholders and management.
• Execute activities to drive safety, quality and compliance excellence and support delivery and cost performance, within the supply base for the assigned product scope.

Travel and Flexibility:

• Willingness to travel up to 70% to suppliers

Supplier on boarding and qualification:

• Support Supplier selection process, in cooperation with Sourcing and Engineering teams, performing technical assessment, and evaluating supplier capacity and capability (manufacturing, design, EHS).
• Assess suppliers QMS and manufacturing process compliance through holistic process audits,
• Record action plans and management supplier approvals in the supplier database,
• Lead and execute first piece qualification programs with suppliers in cooperation with other functions and subject matter experts including but not limited to: during fabrication audits, special processes audit, design reviews, functional tests (if applicable) and final product release.
• Record actions plan and approve qualification requests in the supplier database.
• Supplier assessment and development:
• Attend pre-award meetings with suppliers and Sourcing/Engineering,
• Contribute to the Supplier Performance Rating process (Score Cards),
• Review and update suppliers' qualification status based on their performance assessment,
• Initiate and manage supplier development actions and Q improvement plans.

Purchase Order Kick-off Meetings, Supplier Requirements and Design Reviews:

• Ensure readiness for kick-off meeting with dedicated checklist,
• Confirm supplier surveillance strategy with Client Engineering,
• Organize the kick-off meetings with suppliers and relevant Client representatives,
• Support Engineering in Execution of Supplier Requirement Reviews and Supplier Design Reviews
• Where applicable, review supplier quality documentation (Inspection and Test Plans, special process and NDT procedures, …).

Execution of surveillance inspections :

• Set up inspection strategy (standard quality inspection plans and additional inspections, as applicable),
• Schedule quality surveillance and witness inspections at suppliers,
• Perform surveillance and witness inspections,
• Ensure product compliance with contract requirements and applicable regulations,
• Timely review, validate and distribute inspection reports.

Release material for shipment:

• Ensure all deviations are closed.
• Where applicable, review End of Manufacturing Reports (EoMR).
• Authorize shipment once all quality requirements are met.

Manage technical deviations:

• Continuously follow up the punch items and nonconformities resulting from the quality surveillance inspections up to their closure,
• Lead RCAs and RCIs with suppliers as per business-defined impact thresholds, support supplier to create the corrective and preventative actions, monitor their implementation and perform the effectiveness check,
• Analyze customer escapes and Cost of Poor Quality (CoPQ) and support vendor recovery process,
• Initiate and execute Supplier Quality Improvement Programs with top offenders, and, preventatively, with other suppliers of critical MLIs.

Manage holistic process audits and other supplier development activities:

• Organize holistic process audits,
• Monitor the closure of corrective actions based on audit findings,
• Record the corresponding reports in the supplier database,
• Facilitate supplier Technical Advisor site installation and/or commissioning support and the corresponding lessons-learned dissemination,
• Support suppliers to execute DFMEA (where applicable) and PFMEAs.

Other tasks:

• Drive a strong EHS culture throughout the supply base,
• Support cost-out opportunities identified by the suppliers,
• Propose improvement projects to increase the effectiveness of the processes,
• Stop working if quality or safety is at risk and define/assess the conditions to release work.
• Minimum bachelor's degree in electrical or systems Engineering, or equivalent technical field from an accredited university or college.
• Previous working experience in quality, operations/supply chain or project management, with proficiency in understanding technical drawings, specifications, and standards.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing processes involved in the production of the assigned equipment (e.g. transformers, electrical panels, e Houses, and others).
• Excellent written and verbal English language skills, allowing effective communication across all organizational levels, departments, and functions.
• Strong safety, compliance, quality, and lean mindset, with proven use of the industrial quality toolkit for risk assessment, root cause analysis, problem solving, and manufacturing process controls.
• Aptitude to create and deliver reports for review by key stakeholders.
• Capacity to organize working time in global team setting and willingness to adjust it based on meetings with stakeholders in different time zones.
• Capacity to read and interpret engineering drawings and standards.
• Decision maker with excellent problem-solving skills.