Supplier Quality Engineer, Safety & Restraints

Slate Auto•Troy, MI

8d•$85,431 - $128,146

About The Position

At Slate, we’re building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love—and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them. SLATE is looking for an energetic, organized, experienced Supplier Quality Engineer, Safety & Restraints to join our growing team. The Supplier Quality Engineer, Safety & Restraints will own supplier quality activities for Slate’s passive safety commodity portfolio — including airbags, steering wheels, and seat belts. Given the safety-critical nature of these components, this role demands a disciplined approach to APQP, PPAP, and ongoing production quality, with a deep understanding of the regulatory, functional, and traceability requirements that govern restraint system suppliers.

Requirements

Engineering Degree or equiv. or previous working level experience
5+ years of Supplier Quality experience; prior experience with safety-critical or restraint system commodities (airbags, seat belts, steering wheels, or equivalent) strongly preferred.
Excellent communication and supplier relationship skills, with the ability to hold safety-critical suppliers to the highest standards while maintaining productive, collaborative partnerships.
Direct experience with passive safety components including airbag modules (driver, passenger, side curtain), steering wheel assemblies, and seat belt / pretensioner systems.
Strong ability to identify process and product non-conformances in safety-critical manufacturing environments and drive structured corrective action to verified, sustainable closure.
Familiarity with functional safety standards (ISO 26262) and regulatory requirements (FMVSS) as they relate to supplier design and manufacturing obligations for restraint systems.
Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, and functional specifications for safety-critical assemblies; experience reviewing DFMEA/PFMEA documentation for restraint system components.
Strong analytical, interpersonal, and communication skills
High level of integrity and accountability; understands the human consequence of quality failures in safety-critical systems and holds suppliers and themselves to the highest standard of rigor.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment while maintaining the discipline and thoroughness required for safety-critical supplier quality management.

Responsibilities

Managing the full APQP and PPAP process for airbag modules, steering wheel assemblies, and seat belt systems — ensuring that safety-critical suppliers meet Slate’s quality requirements and all applicable regulatory and functional safety standards.
Reviewing and approving PPAP submissions.
Conducting supplier process audits (VDA 6.3 or equivalent).
Issuing and driving closure on SCARs.
Monitoring supplier quality performance metrics.
Supporting containment and corrective action for any field or production quality escapes.
Coordinating closely with Slate’s Vehicle Safety and Systems Engineering teams to ensure supplier output aligns with design intent and homologation requirements.
Maintaining component traceability records in support of any potential recall or field action scenarios.
Supporting GP-12 and incoming inspection activities at launch.
Building strong, accountable supplier relationships across Tier 1 and Tier 2 restraint system partners.