Plant Supplier Quality Engineer

Zoox•Hayward, CA

7d•$190,000 - $228,000

About The Position

The Plant Supplier Quality Engineer will be a critical member of the Zoox Supplier Quality team, focused on protecting the assembly line and ensuring that all incoming supplier-provided components meet quality specifications at the point of use. This role is responsible for immediate containment, robust problem-solving, and driving cross-functional corrective actions for non-conforming material within the Zoox assembly plant. The ideal candidate will be proactive, energetic, detail-oriented, and able to thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing environment.

Requirements

Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or an equivalent technical discipline.
Minimum 6+ years of experience in a Plant Quality, Manufacturing Quality, or Supplier Quality role within a high-volume manufacturing environment (Automotive, Aviation, or similar industries are preferred).
Demonstrated experience in a production plant environment with a strong understanding of assembly line operations and the impact of material quality on production flow.
Expertise in Problem-Solving Techniques: Proven experience using structured methodologies such as 8D, Six-Sigma (Green/Black Belt preferred), Fish Bone Analysis, 5 Whys, and statistical analysis.
Strong Core Quality Tool Knowledge: Working knowledge of Process Flow Diagrams, Process FMEAs, Control Plans, Statistical Process Control (SPC), and Measurement System Analysis (MSA).
Familiarity with supplier quality processes such as APQP and PPAP is beneficial, with a focus on evaluating their effectiveness based on in-plant performance.
Fully literate in Microsoft computer applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Solid knowledge of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) for rapid part assessment.

Responsibilities

Act as the first responder to all supplier material quality issues identified on the assembly line, in receiving, or in pre-assembly inspection areas.
Immediately implement containment activities (e.g., sort, rework, scrap, Stop Shipment) to prevent line disruption.
Own the in-plant disposition of non-conforming materials.
Raise and manage Non-Conformance Reports, ensuring proper segregation, identification, and disposition of affected parts.
Lead Corrective Actions for in-plant supplier quality issues, partnering directly with the Manufacturing, Vehicle Engineering, and the Supplier Quality Engineer that manages the supplier site.
Work closely with Manufacturing and Vehicle Systems Engineering to assess the immediate impact of part quality issues on the assembly process.
Identify and support changes to assembly operations/work instructions required due to temporary supplier deviations.
Analyze and report in-plant supplier quality metrics, including line fallout rates, non-conformance trends, and containment effectiveness, to leadership.
Identify systemic quality risks based on in-plant failures and collaborate with the SQE team.