Vendor Development Engineer

Reflections Interior Products; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Reflections Interior Products in Bengaluru seeks a hands-on Vendor Development Specialist to build and manage a robust supplier network for mechanical components and job work for RIPPL Lighting products.

You will assess capabilities, negotiate terms, onboard vendors, and monitor production quality and delivery while coordinating with multiple internal teams to meet project timelines.

Qualifications

• Diploma / BE / BTech in Mechanical, Industrial or Manufacturing Engineering.
• 3–5 years of hands-on experience in vendor development, supplier quality, sourcing or subcontract/job-work management in a manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience in visiting markets, identifying suppliers, evaluating facilities, negotiating and developing vendors through trial to production.

Responsibilities

• Vendor scouting and market development to identify new vendors and alternate sources.
• Assess vendors for capability, lead time and quality; coordinate audits and trials.
• Obtain and compare quotations, negotiate terms and onboarding with cross-functional teams.
• Visit vendor locations during job work to verify compliance and drive corrective actions.
• Track development with vendor scorecards and ensure on-time delivery.
• Coordinate with Design, Purchase, Quality, Production and Stores for requirements.

Skills

Field orientation

Technical judgement

Commercial awareness

Quality-focused

Follow-up

English communication

MS Excel

ERP systems

Confidentiality

Education

Diploma / BE / BTech in Mechanical / Industrial / Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

MS Excel

ERP/vendor-management systems

Job description

ROLE PURPOSE

To identify, evaluate, develop and manage a dependable network of vendors for mechanical components, materials, processes and job work required for RIPPL Lighting products. The role owns vendor scouting from field search through capability assessment, commercial negotiation, onboarding, trial development and ongoing production follow-up, with particular responsibility for ensuring that outsourced work meets required quality, cost and delivery standards.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Vendor scouting and market development

• Continuously map the market and visit industrial areas, clusters, exhibitions and supplier facilities to identify new vendors for varied materials, processes and job work.
• Develop alternate sources for critical, single-source, high-cost or frequently delayed items to reduce supply risk.
• Source vendors for prototypes, low-volume developments as well as regular production requirements.

2. Technical and capability evaluation

• Assess vendors for machinery, process capability, manpower, capacity, technical competence, quality systems, lead time, financial and operational stability, and ability to scale.
• Review drawings, specifications, samples and process requirements with vendors; clarify tolerances, finish, appearance and acceptance criteria.
• Coordinate capability audits, sample development, trials and first-piece approval before recommending appointment.

3. Commercial evaluation, negotiation and onboarding

• Obtain and compare quotations, cost break-ups, tooling charges, minimum order quantities, lead times, payment terms and logistics implications.
• Negotiate competitive and sustainable commercial terms without compromising product quality or delivery reliability.
• Complete vendor evaluation records and coordinate documentation, approvals and onboarding with Purchase, Finance and Quality.

4. Job-work monitoring and quality assurance

• Visit vendor locations while job work or production is in progress to verify that approved materials, drawings, processes and workmanship standards are being followed.
• Conduct stage-wise checks where required, identify deviations early and ensure containment and corrective action before dispatch.
• Follow up on rejections, rework and recurring defects; work with the vendor and internal Quality team on root-cause analysis and permanent corrective action.

5. Delivery and vendor performance management

• Track samples, tooling, development lots and production orders to meet committed timelines; elevate risks before they affect project or production plans.
• Maintain vendor-wise records and scorecards covering quality, cost, delivery, responsiveness and improvement actions.
• Build professional, long-term vendor relationships while ensuring compliance with agreed specifications, terms and confidentiality requirements.

6. Cross-functional coordination

• Coordinate closely with PE-Mechanical, Design, Purchase, Quality, Production, Assembly and Stores for development and execution of requirements.
• Provide practical feedback on manufacturability, process limitations, alternative materials/processes, expected cost and lead time.
• Support urgent developments, prototype requirements, cost-reduction initiatives and vendor-related production issues.

VENDOR / PROCESS COVERAGE -

The role is expected to develop suppliers across a broad range of mechanical materials and processes relevant to lighting products, including

• Sheet-metal, wood, metal, cane, paper, fabric, plastic, 3D printed material etc.
• Surface finishing such as powder coating, wet painting, anodising, plating, polishing and brushing
• Tooling, jigs, fixtures, dies, moulds, prototypes, packaging and other specialised job work

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Diploma / BE / BTech in Mechanical, Industrial or Manufacturing Engineering.
• 3-5 years of hands-on experience in vendor development, supplier quality, sourcing or subcontract/job-work management in a manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience independently visiting the market, identifying new suppliers, evaluating facilities, negotiating and developing vendors through trial to production.
• Experience with sheet metal, fabrication, machining, castings/extrusions and surface-finishing vendors is strongly preferred.
• Exposure to lighting products, electrical products, consumer durables, automotive components or a similar engineered-product industry will be an advantage.
• Working knowledge of engineering drawings, tolerances, BOMs, material grades and common inspection methods.

KEY SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

• Strong field orientation: willing and able to travel frequently to source, inspect and follow up with vendors.
• Good technical judgement and the ability to assess process capability and manufacturability.
• Commercial awareness, cost-analysis ability and confident negotiation skills.
• Quality-focused and detail-oriented, with a practical problem-solving approach.
• Persistent follow-up, ownership of timelines and the ability to manage several vendor developments simultaneously.
• Clear written and verbal communication in English; working knowledge of Kannada and/or Hindi will be useful for field coordination.
• Proficiency in MS Excel and documentation; familiarity with ERP/vendor-management systems is preferred.
• High integrity in vendor dealings and strict adherence to confidentiality and conflict-of-interest requirements.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Number and quality of new vendors identified, evaluated, approved and successfully developed
• Reduction in single-source dependency and improved vendor/process coverage
• Sample and vendor-development lead time; on-time completion of assigned developments
• Vendor rejection, rework and repeat-defect levels
• Vendor on-time delivery and responsiveness
• Cost savings / avoidance achieved through negotiation, alternate sourcing and process improvement
• Completeness and accuracy of vendor audits, evaluations, development records and scorecards

PLEASE NOTE:

This is not a desk-based purchasing role. It is best suited to a hands-on professional who enjoys being on the field, understands mechanical manufacturing processes, can establish new vendor relationships from the ground up, and remains closely involved until the vendor consistently delivers the required quality and timelines.