MightyRecruiterA supplier quality engineer is akin to an industrial engineer. This person ensures all suppliers and the materials they provide are in compliance with engineering and manufacturing specifications and company and government standards. They secure and work directly with suppliers and audit supplies regularly for quality control.
A bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering is common for this field. Qualified candidates may also hold degrees in other engineering specialties or logistics. It is up to you whether you require prior job experience in this field. If you do, make certain to specify the minimum years on your supplier quality engineer job description.
The perfect candidate will possess excellent communication skills, as he or she must liaise between in-house engineers, manufacturing personnel and external suppliers. He or she must problem-solve and be meticulous with supply quality control measures. Please review the supplier quality engineer job description template below for additional insight.
Supplier Quality Engineer Job Summary
Do you have an eye for quality? Do you love to negotiate to get the best prices? If so, we are looking for a meticulous supplier quality engineer to secure the best parts for our assembly line so we can build our products to top standards. You will be pivotal in our manufacturing process as you review engineering and manufacturing specifications and find the best vendors in the industry for the parts we need. You’ll flex your extensive knowledge and interpersonal skills to work out cost-effective contracts and monitor materials constantly for any lapse in quality. You will be our barrier against subpar materials. If we build it, our customers will come, but we can only do it well with your help.
Job Responsibilities
- Review engineering and manufacturing specifications to identify materials needed for product assembly for all manufactured goods
- Research and find the best vendors to supply materials needed for manufacturing process
- Contact vendors and liaise between product engineers, manufacturing personnel and suppliers to negotiate contracts to secure required materials for the production floor
- Conduct supplier quality control audits on a regular basis to ensure vendors and their supplies remain in compliance with company and federal manufacturing and production standards
- Communicate with vendors regularly to address any concerns and foster an environment that facilitates continual improvement in working relationships
- Understand and interpret all manufacturing audits, including ISO 9001 and other industry standards
- Maintain a supplier database and include performance evaluations and quality control audits in the database for in-house access by company and manufacturing management personnel
- Assist with logistics, including communications with vendors when there are packaging and receiving issues when materials arrive at receiving dock
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- Bachelor’s degree in an engineering science or logistics
- Proven experience securing successful vendor contracts
- Excellent in-house and external communication and liaison skills
- Advanced knowledge of manufacturing and production process
- Advanced knowledge of government compliance and quality control regulatory standards
Preferred:
- Prior supplier quality management experience
Supplier Quality Engineer Job Responsibilities
When jobseekers read through a posting, they are trying to envision themselves in a new position. They’ll probably consider wages and benefits, but they’ll also consider whether they feel qualified to complete daily tasks. The responsibilities section should be the most in-depth portion of a supplier quality engineer job description, and should communicate these tasks in a way that jobseekers get a clear picture of the performance and responsibilities you expect. It’s best to stay away from a list of each daily task. Instead, choose between six and eight essential duties.
Format your supplier quality engineer job responsibilities section with bullets, which are easy to read and, by avoiding extraneous text, can minimize the potential for misunderstandings. Begin each point with an action verb and focus on the most important and unique aspects of the position.
Here are some examples of responsibilities you can use in your supplier quality engineer job description:
- Coordinate with purchasing department to monitor supplier performance, generating regular reports and administering corrective actions as necessary
- Complete supplier and performance audits to enhance process standardization and waste elimination
- Resolve non-conformance issues with supplied materials and follow up with suppliers for completion of corrective actions
- Develop standards and requirements for purchased components
- Support new product launches, ensuring compliance with established standards
- Evaluate supplier data to initiate process improvement opportunities along the supply chain
Supplier Quality Engineer Job Specifications
The job qualifications and skills section is an important part of your supplier quality engineer job description. This section is generally brief, so some employers underestimate its importance. However, a strong description uses this section effectively to filter out those candidates who wouldn’t be suitable for the position. By listing the job’s minimum requirements, jobseekers can easily recognize whether the job is a good fit for them.
Take time to determine which qualifications are essential. For example, if you offer on-the-job training, don’t list prior experience as a requirement to apply. If you create a focused and specific section, you’ll be able to avoid searching through resumes from those jobseekers who don’t have the right qualifications.
A good way to choose the best supplier quality engineer job specifications to include is to talk to the person already in this position, or the direct supervisor of the engineer. Ask about both necessary and preferred requirements. Divide those lists into two sections, so jobseekers can easily discern between the two.
Read through some skills you could include in your supplier quality engineer job description:
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering field, or 5 years of equivalent experience
- Demonstrable knowledge of manufacturing process and production equipment
- Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to write technical documents
- Knowledge of quality system methodologies, such as Pareto Analysis and Six Sigma
- Ability to interpret engineering drawings
