Supplier Development Specialist
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 30, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 30, 2026. Corin scores B on the Alion truth index.
JOB TITLE: Supplier Development Specialist
DEPARTMENT: Global Supply Chain
REPORTING TO: Refer to organisation chart
LOCATION: UK Head Office, Cirencester
The purpose
The Supplier Development Specialist will support the development, qualification and implementation of new and existing suppliers across the organisation for business integration, second sourcing, New Product Introduction (NPI), supplier transfers and supply continuity initiatives.
The key responsibilities of the Supplier Development Specialist are:
Supplier Onboarding & Integration
Work cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality, Engineering, Operations and Regulatory teams to ensure supplier-related projects are appropriately planned, tracked and progressed from initial supplier identification through qualification and production readiness.
Onboard and qualify new suppliers.
Support supplier setup activities associated with business integrations and product transfers.
Complete supplier documentation, quality requirements, commercial information and system setup.
Coordinate activities between the supplier and internal stakeholders to ensure requirements are understood and completed.
Escalate delays, risks and unresolved actions that may impact implementation timelines.
Support identification and implementation of second source suppliers for critical components and materials.
Support prioritisation of second-source opportunities based on supply risk, business impact and implementation complexity.
This role may require occasional work outside of standard Uk business hours to align with global supplier time zones.
Some Global travel may be required for this role to transition the supply and demand processes between the UK and Global Suppliers.
New Product Introduction (NPI)
Represent Supplier Development within NPI projects.
Work with Engineering, Quality and Procurement to ensure supplier requirements, specifications and timelines are clearly defined.
Track tooling, samples, first articles, validation activities and production readiness.
Ensure supplier-related actions are completed ahead of key NPI milestones and product launches.
Supplier Qualification & Development
Participate in supplier qualification activities working with Supplier Quality and Procurement.
Support collection and review of supplier capability information, certifications and required documentation.
Coordinate supplier assessments, audits and follow-up actions where required.
Track corrective actions and supplier development activities to closure.
Develop improvement plans for suppliers where capability, quality, delivery or capacity risks are identified.
Key Deliverables
New suppliers successfully onboarded and qualified to agreed timelines.
Second-source projects progressed from identification through production approval.
Supplier readiness achieved in line with NPI and integration milestones.
Reduction in delays caused by incomplete supplier qualification or onboarding activities.
Improved resilience of the supply base through implementation of alternative sources
The ideal Supplier Development Specialist will have/be:
Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Business, Information Systems experience and background.
Previous experience in Supply Chain, Procurement, Supplier Quality, Engineering, Operations or a related manufacturing function.
Experience within a regulated manufacturing environment such as medical devices, pharmaceuticals, aerospace or automotive
Excellent project coordination and organisational skills.
Strong analytical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills.
Experience with supplier onboarding, supplier qualification or supplier development.
Proficiency with ERP systems, project / task management tools and other supply chain management applications.