Senior Supplier Quality Special Process Engineer

Elbit America, Inc.; Fort Worth (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9/80 schedule

401(k) program

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Life Insurance

Flexible Vacation/PTO

Parental Leave

Employee Referral Program

Voluntary Benefits

Tricare Supplement

Job summary

Elbit America, Inc. is seeking a Supplier Quality Special Process Engineer to safeguard product integrity by ensuring supplier special processes meet high standards across welding, heat treating, plating, painting, and NDT/NDE for aerospace and defense applications.

The role collaborates with engineering, procurement, and supplier organizations to qualify, audit, and improve supplier capabilities, influencing quality and regulatory compliance across the supply chain.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Materials, Manufacturing, Industrial, Welding, or related).
• 3–5+ years in supplier quality, manufacturing engineering, or quality engineering in regulated environments.
• Hands-on knowledge of welding, heat treating, plating, painting, or NDT/NDE.
• Experience conducting formal supplier audits and process assessments.
• Familiarity with AS9100, AC7004, or ISO 9001.
• Knowledge of APQP, PPAP, FMEA, Control Plans, and 8D methodology.
• Strong written and verbal communication to influence suppliers and leadership.
• Willingness to travel 30%–50% for supplier visits/audits.

Responsibilities

• Lead supplier qualification and approval for welding, brazing, heat treating, plating, painting, and NDT/NDE.
• Conduct on-site supplier audits to evaluate process controls, calibration, and facility conditions.
• Review and approve supplier Process Control Plans, Control Plans, and FMEAs.
• Issue SCARs and drive root-cause analysis and CAPA implementation.
• Collaborate with internal teams to update special process specifications and acceptance criteria.
• Monitor supplier performance metrics and drive structured improvements.
• Ensure supplier compliance with NADCAP, AS9100, ISO 9001 and customer requirements.
• Support NPI by qualifying special process suppliers early in development.
• Maintain documentation of supplier approvals, audits, and certifications.

Skills

Audit experience

QMS knowledge

APQP & PPAP

FMEA

Control Plans

8D methodology

NADCAP awareness

GD&T

Vendor communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

AMS/MIL-SPEC familiarity

Job description

The Supplier Quality Special Process Engineer plays a pivotal role in safeguarding product integrity and regulatory compliance across the supply chain by ensuring that all suppliers meet rigorous quality standards for special processes — including welding, heat treating, plating, painting, non-destructive testing (NDT/NDE), shot peening, and brazing — within a manufacturing, aerospace and defense environment. This position functions at the intersection of engineering, quality assurance, and procurement, requiring both deep technical expertise and strong collaborative skills to qualify, audit, and continuously improve supplier special process capabilities. Working cross-functionally with internal engineering teams, procurement, and supplier organizations, the engineer serves as the authoritative technical liaison who ensures that supplier processes, controls, and certifications align with applicable industry standards and contractual requirements. This is a mission-critical role in which the engineer's diligence and expertise directly determine the quality, safety, and reliability of the finished product delivered to the customer.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead supplier qualification and approval activities for special processes, including welding, brazing, heat treating, plating, painting, and NDT/NDE, ensuring all processes meet applicable specifications and standards prior to production use.
• Conduct on-site supplier audits and assessments to evaluate process controls, equipment calibration and maintenance, facility conditions, and personnel certifications — documenting findings and tracking closure of identified gaps.
• Review and approve supplier Process Control Plans, Control Plans, Failure Mode and Effects Analyses (FMEAs), and work instructions specifically related to special processes.
• Issue Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs) in response to nonconformances or audit findings and drive timely root cause analysis and implementation of effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Collaborate with internal engineering teams to develop, interpret, and update special process specifications, drawing requirements, and acceptance criteria to reflect current standards and lessons learned.
• Monitor and analyze supplier performance metrics — including parts per million (PPM) defect rates, on-time delivery (OTD), and audit scores — and facilitate structured continuous improvement initiatives with underperforming suppliers.
• Ensure supplier compliance with relevant industry standards and accreditation programs, such as NADCAP, AS9100, ISO 9001, and applicable customer-specific requirements.
• Support new product introduction (NPI) programs by engaging and qualifying special process suppliers early in the development cycle, reducing downstream quality risk.
• Maintain accurate and complete documentation and records related to supplier approvals, audit reports, corrective actions, and process certifications in accordance with quality management system requirements.
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact between the company and special process suppliers, translating engineering requirements into actionable supplier expectations and managing escalations as needed.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Engineering — Mechanical, Materials Science, Manufacturing, Industrial, Welding, or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Experience: 3-5+ years of progressive experience in supplier quality, manufacturing engineering, or quality engineering within a regulated or high-consequence manufacturing environment.
• Special Process Knowledge: Demonstrated, hands‑on knowledge of one or more special processes, including welding (per AWS or AMS standards), heat treating, electroplating, surface coating/painting, or NDT/NDE techniques.
• Audit Experience: Proven experience conducting formal supplier audits and process assessments, including planning, execution, report writing, and corrective action follow-through.
• Quality Management Systems: Functional familiarity with at least one major QMS standard — AS9100, AC7004, or ISO 9001 — including interpretation and application of requirements.
• Quality Tools Proficiency: Working knowledge of Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Control Plans, and 8D problem-solving methodology.
• Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence suppliers, peers, and leadership without direct authority — presenting technical findings clearly and diplomatically.
• Travel Availability: Willingness and ability to travel up to 30%-50% for domestic and/or international supplier visits, audits, and qualification activities.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• NADCAP Expertise: Experience as a NADCAP auditor or working knowledge of the NADCAP accreditation and Merit status process across one or more commodity areas (e.g., Welding, Heat Treating, Chemical Processing, NDT).
• Professional Certification: Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or other relevant quality certification from the American Society for Quality (ASQ), or equivalent professional credentialing body.
• Industry Background: Prior experience in the aerospace, defense, or automotive industry, with familiarity with the unique regulatory, contractual, and traceability demands of these sectors.
• Specification Familiarity: Working knowledge of AMS (Aerospace Material Specifications), MIL‑SPEC, or other industry‑specific special process specifications relevant to the company's commodity base.
• GD&T: Foundational to intermediate knowledge of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5, supporting effective interpretation of engineering drawings in supplier assessments.

#LI-SW1 Here Are Some of the Great Benefits We Offer:

• Most locations offer a 9/80 schedule, providing every other Friday off
• Competitive compensation & 401(k) program to plan for your future
• Robust medical, dental, vision, & disability coverage with qualified wellness discounts
• Basic Life Insurance and Additional Life & AD&D Insurances are available
• Flexible Vacation & PTO
• Paid Parental Leave
• Generous Employee Referral Program
• Voluntary Benefits Available: Longer Term Care, Legal, Identity Theft, Pet Insurance, and more
• Voluntary Tricare Supplement available for military retirees

This job description does not list all the duties of the job. You may be asked by your supervisors or managers to perform other duties. The employer has the right to revise this job description at any time. The job description is not an employment contract. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. Elbit America is an equal opportunity employer as to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.