Supplier Quality Engineer

Armstrong Fluid Technology•City of Niagara Falls, NY

19d•$85,000 - $105,000

About The Position

The Supplier Quality Engineer ensures the quality, reliability, and continuous improvement of materials, components, and assemblies sourced from Armstrong Fluid Technology’s global supply base. The role develops supplier partnerships and ensures supplied products meet engineering specifications, quality requirements, and regulatory standards. It works with suppliers and cross-functional teams—including Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Quality—to improve supplier performance, resolve quality issues, support new product introductions, and implement corrective and preventive actions. The position supports supplier quality planning and qualification, audits and assessments, supplier documentation and process controls, nonconformance and customer-issue resolution, and continuous improvement. It also reviews engineering requirements and supports product development, change management, first-article inspection, production validation, and supplier development. The role requires up to 25%–40% travel to supplier and manufacturing locations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, preferably Mechanical Engineering.
Minimum of 3 years of experience in an engineering environment.
Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.
Good understanding of inspection processes using standard laboratory instruments, Go–No Go gauges, and functional gauges, including the strengths and limitations of measuring instruments.
Working experience and fundamental understanding of quality systems and standards, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ASME HI, and fire pump listings (FM, UL, LPC).
Ability to design Go–No Go and functional gauges using SolidWorks and identify and purchase suitable suppliers while considering functionality and cost.
Ability to independently create complete engineering drawings for parts and assemblies and interpret, review, and assess drawings, especially for dimensional and geometric tolerancing (GD&T).
Strong sense of urgency in a time-sensitive working environment.
Team-oriented attitude, ability to work independently, and ability to provide strong leadership.
Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.
Ability to travel up to 25%–40% to supplier and manufacturing locations.
This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Engineering.
Quality Control experience, education, or diploma.
Fluency in three or more dominant world languages, including but not limited to English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, or German.
Extensive independent global and local travel experience for business or pleasure.

Responsibilities

Evaluate, qualify, and develop suppliers to ensure compliance with Armstrong quality requirements and industry standards.
Conduct supplier audits, process assessments, and performance reviews to identify risks and improvement opportunities.
Lead supplier corrective action processes, including root cause analysis, containment, and verification of corrective-action effectiveness.
Support new product development and supplier qualification, including APQP, PPAP, FAI, and process validation activities.
Collaborate with Engineering and Supply Chain to ensure supplied components meet design, manufacturing, and performance requirements.
Review and disposition supplier-related nonconformance reports and coordinate resolution activities.
Analyze supplier quality data and performance metrics to drive continuous improvement.
Support incoming inspection requirements and help reduce supplier-related quality defects affecting manufacturing.
Participate in supplier selection, risk assessments, and sourcing decisions from a quality perspective.
Facilitate supplier problem-solving to improve process capability, product quality, and delivery performance.
Partner with internal stakeholders and suppliers to implement and improve quality systems and manufacturing processes supporting safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives.
Lead supplier quality planning for new and existing products, including APQP, process flow diagrams, PFMEAs, control plans, and PPAP submissions.
Review engineering drawings, specifications, and design requirements to identify CTQ characteristics, special characteristics, and risk areas, and ensure appropriate controls, measurement methods, and inspection strategies are implemented.
Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain during product development and change management to define and communicate quality requirements to suppliers.
Develop, review, and approve supplier quality documentation, including PFMEAs, control plans, process flow diagrams, inspection instructions, capability studies, and PPAP packages.
Establish and monitor supplier process controls and quality metrics for compliance with engineering specifications, customer requirements, and applicable industry standards.
Lead supplier qualification, process validation, and FAI activities to support production readiness and product launches.
Manage supplier nonconformances by conducting risk assessments, determining dispositions, and driving root cause analysis and corrective actions using structured problem-solving methods.
Conduct supplier audits and assessments of manufacturing processes, quality systems, inspection methods, process controls, and compliance with ISO standards and Armstrong requirements.
Monitor supplier performance, identify improvement opportunities, and lead supplier development initiatives to improve capability, reduce defects, and improve operational performance.
Investigate customer complaints and field quality issues related to supplied components, coordinating supplier containment and corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
Review and approve first articles, prototype builds, pre-production samples, and production validation runs using company quality systems and product lifecycle management tools.
Support warranty investigations and customer quality concerns by coordinating supplier involvement, conducting root cause analysis, and implementing corrective and preventive actions when required.
Collaborate with global quality teams to develop, standardize, and deploy quality procedures, specifications, inspection methodologies, and supplier quality requirements across global operations.
Drive continuous improvement using Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, statistical analysis, and risk-based quality methodologies.
Design Go–No Go and functional gauges using SolidWorks, identify suitable suppliers, and purchase gauges while considering functionality and cost.
Create complete engineering drawings for parts and assemblies; interpret and review others’ drawings, particularly for dimensional and geometric tolerancing (GD&T).