Senior Supplier Development Engineer
About The Position
The Senior Supplier Development Engineer serves as the technical bridge between Leonardo DRS’s requirements and external suppliers that fabricate and machine its hardware. The role works closely with suppliers and DRS engineering personnel to mature designs into producible, repeatable products by incorporating manufacturability early in design, resolving fabrication and machining issues at their source, and selecting or developing qualified suppliers capable of building to print successfully the first time. The position assesses supplier capabilities and manufacturing plans, contributes supplier and manufacturing perspectives to design reviews, and leads design-for-manufacturability and cost-reduction efforts. It supports quoting, supplier technical problem-solving, first-article and pre-production builds, root-cause investigations, corrective actions, and the transition to stable production. Supplier facility visits are required as needed, and the role requires willingness to travel 50%.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in heavy fabrication, weldment manufacturing, and/or precision machining environments.
- Proficient technical expertise and application domain knowledge.
- Proficient with ISO standards, Six Sigma tools, and statistics.
- Ability to understand military specifications and read blueprints.
- Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, communication, and writing skills.
- Self-directed and comfortable owning issues to closure across organizational boundaries.
- Willingness to travel 50%.
- Ability to define problems and drive them to root cause and effective corrective action.
- U.S. citizenship required.
Nice To Haves
- ASQ certification or Black Belt preferred.
Responsibilities
- Assess prospective and incumbent suppliers’ welding, machining, and inspection capabilities, including equipment, certifications, qualified personnel, capacity, and process controls.
- Participate in concept and detailed design reviews, representing supplier capabilities and manufacturing constraints before drawings are released.
- Lead design-for-manufacturability and cost-reduction efforts with engineering and suppliers, identifying opportunities to simplify weldments, optimize joint design and weld volume, reduce machining setups and tolerance stack-ups, and lower material and process costs.
- Review drawings, models, and specifications for build readiness, including weld symbols, GD&T, surface finishes, NDT callouts, and process requirements.
- Evaluate supplier manufacturing plans for completeness and risk, including fabrication sequences, WPS/PQR, fixturing, distortion controls, machining plans, and in-process inspections.
- Support quoting and proposal activities by providing technical input on potential sources of supply, evaluating supplier estimates against proposed manufacturing processes, and identifying cost drivers.
- Serve as a day-to-day technical point of contact for suppliers and work with DRS engineering to resolve technical questions, drawing clarifications, and deviation requests.
- Drive first-article, prototype, and pre-production builds; help suppliers develop processes and capabilities for accurate first-article inspection packages, qualified weld procedures and personnel, and resolution of technical risks before rate production.
- Visit supplier facilities as needed to support design reviews, process and build validation, first-article activities, and issue resolution; observe manufacturing processes and identify risks and improvement opportunities.
- Lead or support root-cause investigations and corrective actions for supplier nonconformances, including build defects, dimensional escapes, requirements gaps, and process failures.
- Support transition to stable production by helping establish documented work instructions, inspection criteria, and process controls, and assisting with production ramp-up and capacity growth.
- Drive continuous improvement across the supply base by sharing lessons learned, standardizing effective practices, and incorporating supplier producibility insights into internal design standards.
Benefits
- Comprehensive health insurance, including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Employer matching 401(k) retirement plan and 401(k) savings plan.
- Paid time off, including vacation, holidays, and sick leave.
- Parental leave benefits and paid parental leave.
- Tuition reimbursement.
- Professional development support and career-growth, skill-enhancement, and talent-development programs.
- Life and disability insurance coverage.
- Company contribution to a health savings account.
- Telemedicine.
- Legal insurance.
- Wellness programs focused on physical, emotional, and financial well-being.
- Flexible work schedules through a 9/80 program.
- Community service hours.
- Some employees are eligible for limited benefits only.
- Employees may be eligible for annual performance-based bonuses, equity awards, and overtime pay for non-exempt employees, as applicable.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
