Supplier Quality Engineer Principal

Illuminate USA•Pataskala, OH

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Principal SQE Engineer is a senior technical position within Supplier Quality Management, responsible for supplier quality engineering activities related to photovoltaic materials, components, and manufacturing processes. This role requires close collaboration with Global Supply Chain, Procurement, Engineering, Manufacturing, R&D, and supplier teams to ensure suppliers have stable manufacturing capability, robust process control, high product quality, and long-term reliability. The ideal candidate should possess strong knowledge of photovoltaic cell manufacturing processes, advanced quality engineering methodologies, supplier quality management expertise, and experience in high-volume manufacturing environments.

Requirements

Master’s degree or above in Engineering or related technical fields is required.
5+ years of experience in Supplier Quality Engineering (SQE) or related quality engineering roles.
Experience in high-volume manufacturing environments.
Proven experience in supplier development, supplier audits, and quality improvement activities.

Nice To Haves

Preferred majors include: Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Semiconductor Engineering, Photovoltaic Technology or other related engineering disciplines.
Global supplier management and international manufacturing project experience preferred.
Experience in photovoltaic manufacturing or semiconductor manufacturing preferred.

Responsibilities

Own supplier quality performance for assigned strategic suppliers and critical materials.
Lead supplier qualification, supplier onboarding, and supplier capability assessment activities.
Evaluate supplier manufacturing capability, quality systems, process controls, and production readiness.
Develop supplier quality improvement strategies and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
Establish technical partnerships with suppliers and serve as the primary quality technical interface.
Monitor supplier quality performance through data analysis and drive improvement actions.
Plan and execute supplier audits, including: Quality Management System Audits, Manufacturing Process Audits, Product Audits, Special Process Audits.
Evaluate supplier compliance with company quality requirements and industry standards.
Assess supplier quality systems, manufacturing controls, inspection methods, and process capability.
Identify supplier quality risks and develop risk mitigation plans.
Drive supplier corrective actions and verify improvement effectiveness.
Lead supplier quality activities during New Product Introduction (NPI), material qualification, and production ramp-up phases.
Review and approve supplier quality documentation, including: APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning), PPAP (Production Part Approval Process), Process Flow Diagram, PFMEA / DFMEA, Control Plan, Inspection Standards and Work Instructions.
Evaluate supplier production readiness.
Ensure suppliers establish robust and stable process control systems before mass production.
Lead analysis, improvement, and closure of complex supplier quality issues.
Apply structured problem-solving methodologies: 8D Problem Solving, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), 5 Why Analysis, Fishbone Analysis, CAPA (Corrective and Preventive Action).
Apply statistical quality tools to improve supplier process capability: SPC (Statistical Process Control), MSA (Measurement System Analysis), GR&R (Gauge Repeatability & Reproducibility), DOE (Design of Experiments), Cp/Cpk Process Capability Analysis.
Ensure corrective actions are effective, sustainable, and prevent recurrence.
Possess deep technical knowledge and practical experience in photovoltaic cell manufacturing processes.
Understand key solar cell manufacturing processes.
Familiar with advanced photovoltaic cell technologies, including: PERC, TOPCon.
Ability to identify quality risks associated with photovoltaic manufacturing processes, materials, and equipment.
Work with suppliers to improve Manufacturing process capability, Product yield, Defect reduction, Process stability, Product reliability.
Analyze supplier manufacturing data and identify improvement opportunities.
Drive data-driven quality decisions through statistical analysis.
Support process optimization and engineering improvement projects.
Promote best practices across supplier organizations.
Review and evaluate supplier changes, including: Material changes, Process changes, Equipment changes, Manufacturing location changes and/or Sub-supplier changes.
Conduct quality risk assessments and develop mitigation plans.
Ensure changes are properly validated and approved before implementation.
Support engineering change management processes.