Plant Supplier Quality Engineer (Automotive)

Vertex Sigma Software•Hayward, CA

36d

About The Position

The Plant Supplier Quality Engineer will be a critical member of our 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 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, Industrial Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline.
Minimum 5+ 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).
Solid knowledge of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) for rapid part assessment.
Fully literate in Microsoft computer applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with supplier quality processes such as APQP and PPAP is beneficial, with a focus on evaluating their effectiveness based on in-plant performance.

Responsibilities

Assembly Line Protection & Containment: 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 disruptions.
Non-Conformance Management (NCM): Own the in-plant disposition of non-conforming materials. Raise and manage Non-Conformance Reports, ensuring proper segregation, identification, and disposition of affected parts.
Problem Solving & Corrective Action: 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.
Assembly Process Support: 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.
Part Quality Metrics: Be responsible for analyzing and reporting the in-plant supplier quality metrics, including line fallout rates, non-conformance trends, and containment effectiveness to leadership.
Continuous Improvement: Identify systemic quality risks based on in-plant failures and collaborate with the SQE team to improve upstream processes (APQP, PPAP) and prevent recurrence.