Supplier Quality Engineer II

Phoenix Contact•Middletown, PA

11h

About The Position

The Supplier Quality Engineer II is a fully proficient individual contributor who ensures purchased components, materials, assemblies, and supplier-provided services meet company, customer, regulatory, and contractual quality requirements. Working with limited supervision, the engineer independently manages routine to moderately complex supplier-quality assignments spanning supplier qualification, risk assessment, audits, performance monitoring, nonconformance investigation, corrective and preventive action, change management, and continuous improvement. The role partners with suppliers and internal stakeholders across Strategic Purchasing, Procurement, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Product Management, Logistics, and other functions to resolve quality issues, strengthen supplier capability, reduce risk, and improve product and process performance. It applies quality-engineering principles, knowledge of component manufacturing processes, drawings and specifications, quality systems, structured problem-solving, and statistical analysis to identify root causes, evaluate actions, and recommend practical solutions. The position exercises judgment in selecting and adapting methods, manages multiple priorities, and escalates issues involving significant technical, commercial, customer, or compliance risk. It may lead defined supplier-quality projects, facilitate cross-functional problem solving, and provide technical guidance to less-experienced employees. It is an individual contributor role with no formal people-management responsibilities and is the second level in the Supplier Quality Engineer career path.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Quality Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical field.
Three or more years of relevant professional experience in supplier quality, quality engineering, manufacturing engineering, component engineering, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Working knowledge of supplier-quality management, supplier qualification, auditing, nonconformance management, corrective and preventive action, change control, risk management, and continuous improvement.
Experience supporting electronic, electrical, electromechanical, or mechanical components and familiarity with related manufacturing, inspection, testing, handling, packaging, and traceability requirements.
Working knowledge of ISO 9001 or a comparable quality-management system.
Ability to conduct or support supplier, process, product, or quality-system audits and document objective evidence, findings, and follow-up actions.
Ability to lead structured root-cause analysis and evaluate corrective actions using methods such as 8D, 5 Whys, fishbone, Pareto, and mistake-proofing.
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, bills of material, inspection criteria, technical documentation, and supplier quality records.
Working knowledge of statistical analysis, process capability, measurement systems, sampling, trend analysis, and data-based decision making.
Ability to use inspection and test data to assess conformance and determine when escalation or additional controls are needed.
Ability to independently manage multiple supplier-quality assignments, prioritize, make sound recommendations, and meet commitments with limited supervision.
Ability to communicate technical requirements, risks, findings, and recommendations effectively with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
Ability to facilitate cross-functional problem solving, influence outcomes, and maintain constructive working relationships without formal authority.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and relevant quality, supplier, enterprise-resource-planning, or data-analysis systems.
Willingness to collaborate, build relationships, and involve others in decision making.
Ability to deliver results by solving or supporting problem solving, prioritizing tasks and resources, and focusing on outcomes.
Self-awareness and willingness to learn and grow, accept change, and adapt to changing work demands.
Ability to drive customer value through business knowledge, identifying customer needs, and delivering work that maximizes value.
Willingness to promote improvement and innovation by staying informed about trends, creating opportunities, and increasing speed and effectiveness.
Willingness to take ownership, make decisions, accept responsibility, and drive work forward.
Ability to work at a computer and review detailed technical, quality, and supplier documentation for extended periods.
Ability to safely enter manufacturing, warehouse, laboratory, and supplier production environments while following required PPE and safety procedures.
Ability to safely use or observe the use of inspection, measurement, electrical, and electronic test equipment relevant to assigned work.
Ability to travel to supplier, company, customer, or training locations as business needs require.
Ability to communicate effectively in English, verbally and in writing.
Ability to distinguish and evaluate visual product characteristics, markings, workmanship conditions, and documentation details relevant to component quality.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, respond to urgent supplier-quality issues, and occasionally work outside normal business hours when needed for containment or operational continuity.
Regular and on-time attendance.

Nice To Haves

Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Quality Auditor, Certified Supplier Quality Professional, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, or comparable quality certification.
Experience with APQP, PPAP, first-article inspection, control plans, process failure mode and effects analysis, measurement-system analysis, and statistical process control.
Knowledge of electronics-industry standards and requirements, such as IPC workmanship standards, electrostatic-discharge controls, counterfeit-part prevention, product-safety requirements, and component traceability.
Experience in an electronics-component, industrial automation, connector, printed-circuit-board, semiconductor, electromechanical, or comparable manufacturing environment.
Familiarity with environmental and material-compliance requirements such as RoHS, REACH, conflict-minerals reporting, and supplier sustainability expectations.
Experience working with global suppliers, contract manufacturers, distributors, or sub-tier supply chains.
Experience using supplier scorecards, audit tools, corrective-action systems, enterprise-resource-planning systems, and statistical or business-intelligence applications.

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain supplier-quality requirements for purchased components, materials, assemblies, and supplier-provided processes.
Participate in supplier evaluation, qualification, approval, and ongoing monitoring based on technical capability, processes, quality systems, performance, risk, and business requirements.
Review supplier quality documentation, including process flows, control and inspection plans, work instructions, capability studies, validation records, certifications, test reports, and change notifications.
Conduct or support supplier audits, process assessments, source inspections, and quality-system reviews; document findings and verify closure.
Monitor and analyze supplier performance data, including defects, deviations, returns, complaints, delivery-related quality issues, corrective-action responsiveness, cost of inadequate quality, and trends.
Lead routine to moderately complex supplier nonconformance investigations and coordinate containment to protect production, inventory, customers, and downstream processes.
Apply structured problem-solving methods such as 8D, 5 Whys, fishbone, Pareto, and fault-tree analysis to determine root causes and prevent recurrence.
Issue, review, and follow through on supplier corrective-action requests, assessing root-cause analysis, containment, corrective and preventive actions, and effectiveness verification.
Partner with suppliers on quality-improvement plans to strengthen process capability, defect prevention, inspection, traceability, documentation, and sustained performance.
Support APQP, PPAP, first-article inspection, component qualification, validation, and product or process launches when applicable.
Review drawings, specifications, bills of material, acceptance criteria, and technical requirements to identify supplier-quality risks and clarify inspection, testing, documentation, and traceability expectations.
Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, and Quality on component failure analysis, material review, deviation disposition, design or process changes, and risk reduction.
Evaluate proposed supplier changes to materials, designs, manufacturing locations, equipment, tooling, processes, sub-tier suppliers, and inspection or test methods.
Use statistical and analytical methods to assess process capability, variation, defect patterns, and supplier performance and recommend data-based actions.
Support supplier controls for counterfeit-part prevention, product safety, restricted substances, environmental compliance, electrostatic-discharge protection, and component traceability, as applicable.
Contribute to the Quality Management System through documentation, record retention, procedure development, audit support, and compliance with applicable standards and company requirements.
Communicate supplier-quality risks, performance trends, containment status, corrective-action progress, and recommendations to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
Support supplier escalation, controlled shipping, increased inspection, supplier development, deviation approval, requalification, or disqualification decisions.
Build constructive supplier relationships while maintaining accountability for quality, corrective-action, and performance expectations.
Lead or contribute to cross-functional projects to improve supplier quality, reduce cost of inadequate quality, improve component availability, strengthen customer value, and reduce operational risk.
Share technical knowledge and effective practices with colleagues and provide task guidance to less-experienced quality professionals as appropriate.
Maintain awareness of industry standards, electronics-component risks, quality technologies, regulatory requirements, and emerging supplier-quality practices.
Perform other duties as assigned.