Director, Supplier Development Engineering - Electrical Sector Americas

Eaton; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 182,000 - 266,000; Full time

Job summary

Eaton is seeking a Director of Supplier Development Engineering in the United States, a high-visibility leadership role bridging supply chain strategy, operations, and engineering to strengthen the global supplier base for data center growth. You will guide 45 professionals and 5 direct reports, influencing capabilities, capacity, and supplier readiness for future demand.

The role emphasizes strategic architecture for supplier capability, risk mitigation, and manufacturing excellence across the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, or related technical discipline.
• Minimum 12 years of experience in Supplier Development, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or Procurement.
• Minimum 7 years of progressive leadership experience managing technical teams, managers, and cross-functional organizations.
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale supplier capability improvement and transformation initiatives.
• Experience supporting new product introductions, capacity expansions, supplier transfers, operational turnarounds, and manufacturing growth programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Supplier Development organization by developing and executing regional strategies aligned with Global Procurement objectives.
• Drive supplier readiness initiatives to enable scale and launch readiness for new products; drive industrialization, capacity expansions, and regionalization.
• Drive supplier capability improvement focused on manufacturing excellence, process maturity, and operational scaling.
• Provide executive oversight for supplier risk assessments and recovery initiatives with robust development plans.
• Champion Lean, Six Sigma, and production optimization across the supplier base.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Supply chain strategy

Cross-functional leadership

Organizational leadership

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, or related technical discipline

Tools

APQP

PPAP

PFMEA

Control Plans

MSA

SPC

Production Readiness Reviews

Supplier Site Assessments

Job description

About The Role

This is a highly visible enterprise leadership role that sits at the intersection of supply chain strategy, operations, engineering, and business growth.

About The Role

This is a highly visible enterprise leadership role that sits at the intersection of supply chain strategy, operations, engineering, and business growth. As Director of Supplier Development Engineering, you will shape the capability and resilience of Eaton's global supply base, directly influencing the company's ability to launch new suppliers and products, scale capacity, and deliver for customers. This is a newly created leadership position within the Electrical segment to support Data Center growth.

As a leader, you will serve as a strategic architect of supplier capability, driving initiatives that support revenue growth, manufacturing expansion, localization strategies, risk mitigation, and long‑term supply continuity. The role offers the opportunity to make a measurable impact on Eaton's growth agenda by ensuring key suppliers are positioned to support evolving business and customer needs. You will have 5 direct reports and lead a team of 45 Supplier Quality professionals.

For leaders who enjoy driving transformation, building strategic partnerships, and solving complex business challenges at scale, this role offers a unique opportunity to influence both company performance and customer success. The successful candidate will leave a lasting mark on Eaton's global supply chain competitiveness, resilience, and ability to support significant growth for Eaton.

What You Will Need

• Supplier Development Strategy & Organizational Leadership Lead the Supplier Development organization by developing and executing the regional supplier development strategy aligned with Global Procurement objectives, business growth, risk management, and capacity expansion goals, while coaching and developing Supplier Development Managers and Engineers, setting organizational priorities, optimizing resource deployment, building capabilities, and driving succession planning and performance management.
• Capacity & Supplier Readiness Leadership:
• Lead supplier readiness initiatives to ensure suppliers can successfully scale and support future business demand by driving APQP, PPAP, launch readiness, production-rate validation, industrialization efforts, capacity expansions, new product introductions, regionalization strategies, supplier transitions, and other major growth programs.
• Supplier Capability Development Drive supplier capability improvement initiatives focused on manufacturing excellence, process maturity, operational effectiveness, scalability, capacity management, and production readiness.
• Supplier Risk Identification & Mitigation Provide executive oversight for supplier capability assessments, manufacturing risk reviews, operational maturity evaluations, and supplier recovery initiatives. Ensure high‑risk suppliers have robust development and mitigation plans.
• Manufacturing Excellence & Operational Improvement Champion the deployment of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, material flow optimization, process capability improvement, structured problem solving, and operational excellence methodologies throughout the supply base.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, or related technical discipline.
• Minimum 12 years of experience in Supplier Development, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or Procurement.
• Minimum 7 years of progressive leadership experience managing technical teams, managers, and cross-functional organizations.
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale supplier capability improvement and transformation initiatives.
• Experience supporting new product introductions, capacity expansions, supplier transfers, operational turnarounds, and manufacturing growth programs.

Technical Knowledge

• Expert knowledge of supplier development methodologies and manufacturing systems.
• Strong understanding of fabrication, machining, assembly, electronics, plastics, electrical
• Advanced knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, MSA, SPC, Production Readiness Reviews, and Supplier Site Assessments.
• Experience with capacity modeling, production-rate validation, industrialization, and operational scaling.

Additional Information

• This role can be based in Beachwood, OH; Moon Township, PA; Peachtree City, GA or Waukesha, WI; Raleigh, NC; Charlotte, NC.
• This role will require up to 50% travel (domestic).
• Relocation will be offered within the US.
• Eaton will not provide employment-based immigration sponsorship for this position now or in the future, including H-1B, TN, O-1, OPT, CPT, STEM OPT, or related employment authorization sponsorship.

All positions may require participation in video and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process. All candidates will be evaluated based on job-related competencies, and all candidates’ privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws.

At Eaton, we strive to provide compensation and benefits that attract, engage, and retain the best talent. This includes competitive pay and a variety of benefit programs for eligible employees. The expected annual salary range for this role is $182000 - $266000 a year. This role is also eligible for a variable incentive program.

Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.

We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Eaton believes in second chance employment. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction history will be considered regardless of their arrest or conviction history, consistent with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and other local laws.

You do not need to disclose your conviction history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Eaton is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

To request a disability-related reasonable accommodation to assist you in your job search, application, or interview process, please call us at 1-800-836-6345 to discuss your specific need. Only accommodation requests will be accepted by this phone number.

We know that good benefit programs are important to employees and their families. Eaton provides various Health and Welfare benefits as well as Retirement benefits, and several programs that provide for paid and unpaid time away from work. Click here for more detail: Eaton Benefits Overview. Please note that specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.