Supplier Development Engineer

Role Summary

The Supplier Development Engineer is responsible for supporting the development, qualification, and improvement of supplier capability and capacity in line with strategic business initiatives. The role focuses on improving supplier performance, competitiveness, quality, delivery, cost, capacity, process capability, certifications, and compliance.

Working closely with Procurement, Quality, Engineering, Category Management, and Divisional teams, this position drives proactive supplier-development activities, continuous improvement, supplier readiness, risk mitigation, and long-term supplier partnerships. The role may also provide technical subject-matter expertise and support for reactive supplier-performance issues, including critical root-cause corrective-action activities.

The Supplier Development Engineer, Specialist supports supplier onboarding, qualification, capability evaluations, supplier audits, and improvement programs to help meet operational, quality, cost, sustainability, and supply-continuity objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Supplier Development and Performance Improvement

• Lead supplier-development initiatives to improve supplier quality, delivery, cost, capacity, certifications, process development, and compliance.
• Identify underperforming suppliers and establish structured improvement plans with defined key performance indicators.
• Support the development and qualification of key suppliers’ capability and capacity in support of strategic initiatives.
• Drive supplier continuous-improvement projects using Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies.
• Provide supplier-development support for assigned Category Management and Divisional team initiatives.
• Act as a key escalation resource for supplier-performance issues and support critical root-cause corrective-action activities when required.

Supplier Assessment, Qualification, and Onboarding

• Conduct supplier assessments, audits, capability evaluations, and PPAP reviews to support new supplier approvals and onboarding.
• Support supplier onboarding, qualification, and development programs.
• Evaluate supplier capability, process readiness, certifications, and compliance against company requirements.
• Ensure suppliers meet applicable company standards, regulatory requirements, quality-system expectations, and sustainability goals.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Procurement to support sourcing strategies and supplier segmentation.
• Work collaboratively with Procurement, Quality, Engineering, Category Management, and Divisional teams to support supplier-development priorities.
• Support Product Development Lifecycle activities, including supplier-readiness activities and globalization/localization projects.
• Maintain clear, open, two-way communication with relevant internal stakeholders and suppliers.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with strategic and critical suppliers.

Supplier Risk and Supply Continuity

• Identify and mitigate supplier-related risks, including quality, supply continuity, financial, and regulatory risks.
• Support business-continuity and supply-chain-resilience planning.
• Contribute to proactive supplier-risk mitigation and supplier performance management activities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in supplier development, supplier quality, procurement, manufacturing, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated leadership capability, including experience leading initiatives, influencing stakeholders, or managing supplier-development activities.
• Strong knowledge of supplier performance management, supplier capability improvement, and continuous-improvement practices.
• Well versed in Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)
• Experience conducting supplier audits, assessments, capability evaluations, and supplier-improvement projects.
• Strong communication, negotiation, relationship-management, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a cross-functional environment involving Procurement, Quality, Engineering, and business teams.
• Ability and willingness to travel to supplier sites as required.

Preferred Experience

• Lean or Six Sigma experience; Green Belt or Black Belt certification is preferred.
• Familiarity with ISO standards, quality systems, and regulatory environments.
• Experience supporting supplier quality, supplier qualification, supplier onboarding, and first-article sample activities.
• Experience with Product Development Lifecycle supplier-readiness activities.
• Experience supporting globalization, localization, sourcing, supplier-segmentation, or supply-chain-resilience initiatives.
• Experience in manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, electronics, industrial, or comparable supplier-intensive environments.
• Experience developing and implementing supplier-performance improvement plans with measurable KPIs.