Supplier Quality Engineer - Remote

Supplier Quality Engineer - Remote with Occasional Onsite Work
Location: Darlington (Remote with occasional site visits)
Contract Length: Until 31/12/2025 (potential for extension)
Work Pattern: Primarily remote, with rare visits to the Darlington site and potential future travel to UK or European suppliers

We're seeking an experienced Supplier Quality Engineer to join a growing team supporting new product initiatives. This role plays a key part in ensuring that suppliers and components meet the required quality standards during product development and launch.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers, internal stakeholders, and cross-functional teams including Purchasing, Engineering, and Manufacturing.

• Support the supplier selection process, ensuring quality considerations are integrated early on.

• Collaborate with suppliers to validate manufacturing processes against engineering drawings and customer requirements.

• Apply APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning), PPAP (Production Part Approval Process), and other quality tools to develop zero-defect components.

• Drive continuous improvement within the supply base using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.

• Conduct supplier audits to assess readiness, risk, and performance.

• Lead root cause analysis and verify the effectiveness of corrective actions for quality issues.

• Support quality improvement plans to enhance supplier performance.

Specific Project Responsibilities:

• Support Global 7 activities in the European region.

• Manage source releases and monitor reports from quality systems.

• Provide onsite support for build quality issues and coordinate immediate containment actions.

• Collaborate with the quality team to investigate and resolve production build issues.

• Lead APQP activities, conduct reviews with suppliers, and track performance metrics.

• Facilitate and lead FIRG processes through to closure, using structured problem-solving tools.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

• Strong background in supplier quality, product development, or manufacturing engineering.

• Proficient in APQP, PPAP, root cause analysis, and quality auditing.

• Comfortable working independently and remotely, while maintaining clear communication with cross-functional teams.

• Able to travel occasionally within the UK and Europe as project needs evolve.

• Located within a commutable distance of Darlington is preferred.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a quality-focused engineer to work on exciting, large-scale projects within a supportive and fast-paced environment.