Senior Supplier Quality Engineer - Space Hardware

Quality Search Personal GmbH; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwood Space is seeking a Senior Supplier Development Engineer to establish our first supplier quality program and lead supplier qualification for RF, PCBA, and mechanical components. You will partner with design and manufacturing to enable DFM, NPI, and ramp-up, driving KPIs and cost improvements while expanding our supplier base.

The role requires building quality processes from the ground up in a high‑reliability manufacturing environment, with domestic and international travel up to 25%

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in Supplier Quality or Supplier Development roles in manufacturing.
• Experience with quality standards and tools (e.g., ISO 9001, AS9100, PPAP).
• Experience qualifying new suppliers and managing supplier performance.
• Experience building or scaling quality systems in a low-to-medium volume, high-complexity manufacturing environment.
• Able to travel up to 25% domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement the company’s first supplier quality assurance system, documentation, and workflows.
• Lead the identification, evaluation, and qualification of new suppliers for key components (RF, PCBA, mechanical, electromechanical) and conduct supplier audits, performance reviews, and corrective action processes.
• Collaborate with product design and manufacturing teams on DFM, NPI, and pilot builds.
• Support in defining supplier KPIs (quality, delivery, cost, responsiveness) and establish reporting mechanisms.
• Drive resolution of supplier quality issues through root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action (NCR/CAPA).
• Support the development of incoming inspection plans and testing protocols.
• Act as a hands-on technical liaison between internal engineering teams and external manufacturing partners.
• Own capacity expansion readiness and production ramp-up at suppliers.
• Develop and implement supplier technical requirements and quality flow downs to meet hardware manufacturing needs.
• Provide feedback to suppliers as appropriate on manufacturing methods, with a focus on eliminating costs, reducing cycle times, and increasing yields.
• Drive supplier root cause failure analysis and corrective actions associated with any quality gaps, escapes, or containments.
• Lead cost engineering activities to converge the bottoms-up cost curve to product cost, maximizing total cost of ownership.

Skills

Supplier Quality

Supplier Development

Travel up to 25%

DFM/NPI collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Electrical/Industrial Engineering

Tools

SQL or data tools

Job description

Northwood Space is seeking a Senior Supplier Development Engineer to establish our first supplier quality program and lead supplier qualification for RF, PCBA, and mechanical components. You will partner with design and manufacturing to enable DFM, NPI, and ramp-up, driving KPIs and cost improvements while expanding our supplier base.

The role requires building quality processes from the ground up in a high‑reliability manufacturing environment, with domestic and international travel up to 25%