Senior Supplier Quality Engineer, Plastics

Job Summary

Owns the Plastics Supplier Quality function, leads and develops a team of SQEs, drives commodity-level strategy, manages executive supplier governance, and is accountable for supplier quality performance and risk management across the plastics supply base.

This individual will also maintain a hands-on role as an individual contributor, retaining responsibility for selected suppliers and execution of key tactical supplier quality activities.

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Job Title: Senior Supplier Quality Engineer - Team Leader, Plastics (L7)

Company Overview

Insulet started in 2000, driven to achieve our mission of enabling our customers to enjoy simplicity, freedom, and healthier lives using our Omnipod® product platform. In the last two decades, we have improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients who have insulin-requiring diabetes through innovative technology that is wearable, waterproof, and lifestyle accommodating.

We are on an exciting trajectory of significant growth and global expansion, enabling us to reach more patients around the globe.

We are looking for highly motivated, performance-driven individuals who want to be part of building our Center of Excellence and be at the forefront of our rapidly growing global footprint. We are looking to hire exceptional people who are guided by shared values and a desire to exceed customer expectations. Our continued success depends on it.

Position Overview

The Senior Supplier Quality Engineer - Team Leader, Plastics, is responsible for leading Insulet's Plastics commodity Supplier Quality function while providing both technical and organizational leadership across a global supplier network.

This role is accountable for supplier quality governance, supplier performance management, quality systems oversight, and execution of strategic initiatives supporting new product introduction, manufacturing expansion, supply continuity, and regulatory compliance. The individual develops, deploys, monitors, and continuously improves supplier quality systems and metrics while ensuring supplier performance aligns with business objectives and regulatory requirements.

In addition to direct supplier quality responsibilities, this role serves as a first-line people leader responsible for coaching, mentoring, and developing a team of Supplier Quality Engineers supporting the Plastics commodity. The role works closely with Supplier Development Engineering, Procurement, Design Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Systems, and external suppliers to drive supplier performance, mitigate risk, and enable business growth.

Effective communication of supplier quality performance, organizational risks, strategic initiatives, and supplier capability is critical to the success of this position. The successful candidate will combine deep technical manufacturing expertise with strong leadership capabilities to improve supplier quality performance, support capacity expansion, and ensure delivery of high-quality products across Insulet's global footprint.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Organizational Development

• Lead, mentor, coach, and develop a small team of Supplier Quality Engineers supporting the Plastics commodity.
• Establish team priorities, performance objectives, development plans, and succession strategies aligned with organizational goals.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance on complex supplier quality issues, investigations, and strategic initiatives.
• Drive employee engagement, accountability, capability development, and continuous improvement within the Supplier Quality team.
• Balance team workload and resources to support business priorities, supplier initiatives, and new product development activities.
• Foster a culture of quality, collaboration, ownership, and operational excellence.

Supplier Quality Strategy & Governance

• Own supplier quality deliverables supporting Plastics category sourcing strategies, supplier governance, and continuity of production.
• Serve as the quality lead for the Plastics commodity and establish supplier quality strategies supporting business growth, manufacturing expansion, dual sourcing, and supply continuity objectives.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), dashboards, scorecards, and risk metrics to assess supplier performance and supplier quality system effectiveness.
• Lead strategic supplier quality initiatives supporting cost reduction, capacity increases, supplier transfers, dual sourcing, localization efforts, and risk mitigation programs.
• Develop risk management strategies to proactively identify and mitigate product, supplier, operational, and compliance risks.
• Lead executive supplier performance reviews and governance discussions with key suppliers and internal stakeholders.

Plastics Commodity Supplier Quality Leadership

• Demonstrate strong technical expertise in plastics manufacturing processes and supplier quality systems.
• Possess comprehensive knowledge of plastic component manufacturing, injection molding, mold tooling, polymer materials, process validation, dimensional inspection, statistical process controls, and reliability testing methodologies for medical device applications.
• Possesses exceptional analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Support qualification and validation activities related to plastics suppliers, manufacturing processes, and critical component technologies.
• Partner with suppliers and internal teams to improve process capability, product quality, reliability, and manufacturing performance.
• Support new manufacturing line qualifications, supplier transfers, capacity expansion initiatives, and new product introduction activities.

Supplier Development & Performance Management

• Engage strategic partnerships with suppliers, sub-tier suppliers, Supply Chain Management, and Supplier Development Engineering to drive supplier accountability and performance.
• Lead supplier selection, qualification, and development activities to ensure quality, reliability, and scalability requirements are achieved.
• Drive continuous improvement activities through supplier scorecards, performance reviews, quality improvement plans, and corrective action programs.
• Monitor supplier performance and drive measurable improvements in quality, responsiveness, delivery performance, and process capability.

Quality Systems, Audits & Supplier Controls

• Lead supplier quality system assessments, process audits, quality system audits, surveillance audits, and for-cause investigations.
• Ensure compliance with corporate quality systems, medical device regulations, industry standards, and supplier quality requirements.
• Review and approve supplier qualification documentation, process validations, quality plans, inspection strategies, and change notifications.
• Coordinate technical assessment, review, documentation, and approval of supplier change requests.
• Ensure supplier quality records and supporting documentation remain accurate, complete, and audit ready.

Nonconformance, Corrective Action & Risk Management

• Lead root cause investigations related to supplier quality issues, non-conforming materials, and quality events.
• Drive Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs), containment activities, effectiveness monitoring, and sustainable corrective actions.
• Serve as escalation point for critical supplier quality issues, supply disruptions, product quality concerns, and compliance risks.
• Lead cross-functional problem-solving efforts to address recurring supplier quality challenges and systemic issues.

New Product Introduction & Capacity Expansion

• Provide supplier quality leadership to support new product development, new technology introductions, manufacturing scale-up activities, and global expansion initiatives.
• Partner with Engineering, Operations, Procurement, and Supplier Development teams to ensure supplier readiness for future business growth.
• Support transfer activities, process validations, qualification programs, and manufacturing readiness initiatives associated with new products and capacity expansion.

Executive Communication & Stakeholder Management

• Effectively communicate supplier quality performance metrics, strategic initiatives, emerging risks, and improvement opportunities to all levels of the organization.
• Prepare and present executive-level reports, dashboards, business reviews, and supplier performance summaries.
• Influence internal stakeholders and supplier leadership to drive alignment, accountability, and timely execution of improvement initiatives.
• Lead escalation discussions and provide recommendations to senior leadership regarding supplier quality risks and mitigation strategies.

Required Leadership / Interpersonal Skills & Behaviors

• Demonstrates strong leadership capabilities with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop technical professionals.
• Demonstrates agility and responsiveness to evolving quality, operational, and business challenges.
• Effectively influences internal cross-functional teams and external suppliers to drive resolution and continuous improvement.
• Builds strong partnerships across Engineering, Operations, Procurement, Supplier Development, and Quality organizations.
• Demonstrates a strong customer-focused mindset while maintaining compliance and quality standards.
• Communicates clearly, concisely, and persuasively across all organizational levels, including executive leadership.
• Demonstrates strong business acumen and sound decision-making under conditions of ambiguity and competing priorities.
• Effectively manages multiple complex initiatives while maintaining focus on organizational objectives.
• Operates successfully in a team-oriented, high-energy, and fast-paced environment.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of Quality Management Systems (QMS), supplier quality systems, complaint handling, and regulatory frameworks including 21 CFR Part 820, 21 CFR Part 11, and IPC-A-610 standards.
• Comprehensive understanding of plastics manufacturing technologies, supplier qualification processes, and supplier quality methodologies.
• Expertise in PPAP, DOE, Process Capability Analysis, Gage R&R, Control Plans, SPC, Failure Analysis, and Inspection Methodologies.
• Strong knowledge of supplier audits, supplier quality system assessments, supplier risk management, and supplier performance monitoring.
• Demonstrated leadership and project management capabilities.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong verbal, written, presentation, and executive communication skills.
• Ability to analyze quality data and generate actionable insights through dashboards, scorecards, and performance metrics.
• Strong proficiency in problem-solving methodologies and continuous improvement techniques.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with professionalism and discretion.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Plastics Engineering or related technical discipline.
• 5-8 years of progressive work experience for those with a bachelors degree OR 3 years of progressive work experience for those with a masters degree in medical device Supplier Quality Engineering, Quality Engineering, or Manufacturing Engineering.
• At least 2 years of demonstrated technical leadership, project leadership, team leadership, or people management experience.
• Experience supporting plastics manufacturing environments, including injection molding, polymer materials, mold tooling, secondary operations, and plastic component suppliers.
• Demonstrated experience leading supplier performance improvement initiatives and cross-functional quality programs.
• Experience working within regulated industries such as medical devices, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments.
• ASQ CQE, CQA, Six Sigma Green Belt/Black Belt, or equivalent certification preferred.
• Experience leading global supplier quality initiatives and managing international supplier relationships preferred.

Additional Information

• This position is based at our Acton site. Candidate must plan to be onsite at least 4 out of 5 days a week.
• Responsible for leadership and development of a Supplier Quality team.
• Expected to lead supplier quality strategy across a global plastics supplier portfolio.
• Estimated travel: 25-35%, with flexibility based on business needs.

• Occasional international travel and engagement with global manufacturing sites and strategic suppliers may be expected.

Additional Information:

Insulet Corporation (NASDAQ: PODD), headquartered in Massachusetts, is an innovative medical device company dedicated to simplifying life for people with diabetes and other conditions through its Omnipod product platform. The Omnipod Insulin Management System provides a unique alternative to traditional insulin delivery methods. With its simple, wearable design, the tubeless disposable Pod provides up to three days of non-stop insulin delivery, without the need to see or handle a needle. Insulet’s flagship innovation, the Omnipod 5 Automated Insulin Delivery System, integrates with a continuous glucose monitor to manage blood sugar with no multiple daily injections, zero fingersticks, and can be controlled by a compatible personal smartphone in the U.S. or by the Omnipod 5 Controller. Insulet also leverages the unique design of its Pod by tailoring its Omnipod technology platform for the delivery of non-insulin subcutaneous drugs across other therapeutic areas. For more information, please visit insulet.com and omnipod.com.

We are looking for highly motivated, performance-driven individuals to be a part of our expanding team. We do this by hiring amazing people guided by shared values who exceed customer expectations. Our continued success depends on it!

At Insulet Corporation all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

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