Sourcing Engineer III

Textron•Wilmington, MA

About The Position

Textron Systems is seeking an experienced Electrical/Mechanical Sourcing Engineer focused on Design for Manufacturing and Assembly to support its Strategic Outsourcing Strategy within the Weapon Systems business area. The role partners with internal customers and Strategic Sourcing Managers to develop business opportunities and create effective, stable supplier and partnership roadmaps. It provides technical producibility, design-for-excellence, evaluation, and assessment input for new product development, establishes supply-base capability, and leads complex supplier-development projects to mature manufacturing readiness. The position identifies and manages capable supplier sources, mentors junior team members, and drives supplier manufacturability and assembly, cost and quality optimization, and prototype validation and readiness. It supports upstream activities including BOM development, Plan for Every Part (PFEP), emerging manufacturing technologies, DFM, cost validation and estimating, and configuration control. Working with Design Engineering, prototype and test teams, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and suppliers, the engineer supports prototype builds, analyzes results, recommends design refinements, and serves as a technical focal point for supplier management. The posting also refers to this role as the Principal Sourcing Engineer.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; preferred fields are Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Manufacturing Engineering.
At least 9 years of experience in a design environment.
At least 9 years of experience in a manufacturing environment or hands-on role.
Broad experience and knowledge of mechanical and/or electrical design, with awareness of lean manufacturing principles.
Ability to drive teams on technical outsourcing solutions, special projects, and process improvements.
Ability to analyze technical drawings; electrical schematics and wiring diagrams if working in Electrical; Model Based Definition files, preliminary bills of material, engineering sketches, CAD models, prototypes, specifications, and ad hoc requirements.
Ability to identify and analyze potential design issues and apply logical or scientific solutions to practical and intellectual problems.
Written and oral communication skills, including the ability to justify analytical results and communicate recommendations to influence designs, and ability to work collaboratively in a diverse team environment.
Knowledge and application of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
Knowledge of Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Cost (DFC).
Knowledge of existing manufacturing technologies, ability to research emerging manufacturing technologies, and ability to perform supplier capability analysis.
Ability to understand manufacturing environments and the factors that affect mechanical and electrical engineering designs.
Basic skills with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Project, and Visio.
Manufacturing computer skills with ERP and MRP systems (such as Oracle) and PLM systems (such as Matrix).
Experience with CAD software (UG NX 10+ preferred) or electrical design tools (such as CHS).
Familiarity with Quality Management Systems and requirements.
Knowledge and appreciation of FAR requirements, outsourcing, and Supply Chain procedures.
U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
Willingness to continually learn new skills, attend technical expositions, and develop a sourcing network.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or higher.
Seven to nine or more years of Supply Chain experience.
Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
PMP certification.
Experience with product-costing tools such as aPriori, SEER, or equivalent.
UG NX 10+ CAD software experience.
If working in Electrical, knowledge of J-STD-001, IPC-610/620, and key industry standards governing electrical design and manufacture.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with Sourcing Management and cross-functional stakeholders, including Business Development, Programs, Engineering, and Manufacturing, to recommend technical outsourcing approaches that support business opportunities and program goals.
Build trusted relationships across a diverse, multifunctional organization and foster positive teamwork while addressing time-critical project challenges.
Provide technical outsourcing recommendations during conceptual design reviews.
Align product technical requirements with suppliers and internal stakeholders to support outsourcing execution.
Define supplier selection criteria and conduct supplier down-selection and trade studies with internal stakeholders.
Collaborate with Engineering and Program teams to develop, review, and release technical packages and requirements for sourcing activities.
Facilitate supplier kickoffs, cadence meetings, technical interchange meetings, action lists, integrated schedules, and status reporting using standard work tools and processes.
Provide technical guidance and peer reviews for evaluation documentation, maintain capability-development artifacts, and participate in design reviews such as TIM, TRR, PDR, and CDR.
Collaborate with Supply Chain Buyers, Sub-Contracts, and the Estimating Team on outsourcing should-cost analysis.
Engage preferred suppliers early in design to influence product and process development and balance performance, manufacturability, and cost targets.
Lead supplier gap analysis based on manufacturing and technical readiness reviews, and develop and execute improvement plans to mature the supply chain and product for transition to production.
Validate product requirements for technical capability and manufacturability; lead supplier-facing DFMEA and PFMEA activities and risk-reduction measures to improve cost, schedule, and quality.
Define performance-tracking metrics and develop standardized Product Readiness Review processes and tools.
Work with IPT members, subcontractors, and procurement to align and optimize supplier manufacturing capabilities and strategic sourcing plans.
Identify cost savings and cost avoidance opportunities for sourcing improvement.
Build, maintain, and grow a database of potential supplier sources that meet performance criteria and business mission objectives.
Benchmark with key suppliers to establish yield metrics and performance indicators.
Manage and support outsourcing of product testing, tooling, fixturing, assembly, and validation to qualified external suppliers.
Work with Supplier Development Engineers to ensure supplier quality flow-downs, directives, and requirements are communicated and understood.
Support BOM development, PFEP, incorporation of emerging manufacturing technologies, DFM, cost validation and estimating, and configuration control with Engineering.
Support initial prototype builds with Design Engineering, Engineering Prototype and Test, Manufacturing Engineering, and Quality; analyze build results and propose engineering design refinements.
Mentor junior team members and help develop the team’s supplier network and knowledge.
Travel to supplier locations at least 30% of the time.