Supplier Quality Engineer

ESP Enterprises, Inc.; Elk Grove Village (IL); On-site; USD 95,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

ESP Enterprises, Inc. in Elk Grove Village, IL is seeking a Supplier Quality Engineer to own supplier performance, drive audits, scorecards and SCARs, and ensure components meet drawing requirements and qualification standards.

You will partner with Engineering, Purchasing and Quality to resolve issues, manage supplier qualification, lead containment and corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement across the supply base.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Quality, Manufacturing, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering with 5+ years in Supplier Quality/Quality Engineering.
• Experience in component manufacturing or assembly environments.
• Experience with supplier management, supplier audits, scorecards, and SCAR processes.

Responsibilities

• Maintain standards, policies, and procedures for supplier quality across new supply sources and supplier relations.
• Plan and conduct supplier audits to ensure process and quality controls are in place; report performance metrics.
• Lead supplier scorecard reviews and drive containment and corrective actions with suppliers.

Skills

Communication

Problem solving

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Quality/Engineering

Advanced degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

SAP

Job description

Elk Grove Village, IL · Full Time · Posted November 9, 2026

• This position is responsible for understanding, reacting and improving supplier performance. This includes (a) owning supplier performance, (b) managing, adjusting and creating the necessary processes that help understand and improve supplier performance, e.g., supplier manual, audits, scorecards, SCARs, etc… (c) assuring the products coming from suppliers meet the required drawing requirements and/or standard set during qualification, and (d) addressing supplier quality and performance problems, whether identified internally or by customers.

Location: Elk Grove IL.

Salary 95K -110K

Supplier Quality Engineer JOB SUMMARY

• This position is responsible for understanding, reacting and improving supplier performance. This includes (a) owning supplier performance, (b) managing, adjusting and creating the necessary processes that help understand and improve supplier performance, e.g., supplier manual, audits, scorecards, SCARs, etc… (c) assuring the products coming from suppliers meet the required drawing requirements and/or standard set during qualification, and (d) addressing supplier quality and performance problems, whether identified internally or by customers.

Location: Elk Grove IL.

Salary 95K -110K

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain standards expertise, policies, and procedures for Supplier Quality on the determination of new supply sources, supplier quality relations, standardization of measurements, and acceptable criteria of materials.
• Maintain supplier management system which includes scorecard system, qualification and annual audits/assessments.
  • Plan, coordinate, and conduct supplier audits to ensure that necessary process and quality controls are in place.
  • Compile and report on supplier performance metrics internally and to the suppliers
  • Lead supplier scorecard reviews as necessary along with sourcing to assess suppliers on their ability to meet quality and delivery goals.
  • Identify and prioritize suppliers who are lacking in performance and develop plan to visit/audit those suppliers for improvements.
• Support NPD (New Product Development) projects.
• Review engineering specifications and drawings to determine suppliers' abilities to meet parameters and reviews new and modified product designs from a material standpoint advising modifications when necessary
• Work with Engineering, on behalf of the suppliers and purchasing, to drive technical document changes.
• Support sourcing team to select and qualify new potential suppliers.
  • Understand the supplier's current capabilities and potential new capabilities and communicate to purchasing, engineering, and quality personnel.
• Participates in deciding whether to accept a product or continue business with a supplier from a quality perspective
• Participates in reviews and approval of supplier’s first article submissions.
• Manages the system that contains, investigates and resolves internal and customer quality concerns that relate to supplier quality and does so on a timely basis.
  • Drive resolution of quality issues back to the supplier. This includes customer complaints and non-conformances documented through reports, rating systems, supplier corrective action reporting, or other means of effective resolution of quality issues.
  • Involve vendors to drive containment to quality issues.
  • Champion Supplier Corrective Actions (SCAR) to ensure effective root cause analysis and implementation in a timely manner.
  • Communicates results of investigations that relate to supplier issues to appropriate functional areas and/or suppliers and coordinates Supplier corrective actions as necessary
  • Audits supplier corrective actions to ensure sustainability + effectiveness and to avoid problem recurrence.
• Assist Purchasing and Customer Service to expedite product from suppliers in urgent situations.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Must have knowledge of Microsoft Office, practical experience using SAP a plus
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of variables
• Prefer ISO 9001 experience
• Strong negotiation and collaboration skills required

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Required Education / Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in either Quality, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering, or Electrical Engineering plus minimum 5 years of related work experience in a Supplier Quality or Quality Engineering role. Advanced degree plus 3 years.
• Experience in component manufacturing and/or in an assembly environment
• Experience in Supplier Management or Supplier Quality which can include the process of supplier selection, supplier auditing, supplier evaluations, supplier scorecards, supplier development, and supplier improvement.
• Working knowledge of Quality Management Systems to create, track, and document non-conformance records (NCMR), Supplier Corrective Actions (SCAR), and root cause analysis (8D).

Preferred Experience

• Automotive industry experience
• Preferred experience in an electromechanical assembly
• Working knowledge of both electronics assembly + components such as PCB’s and metal/plastic components + their manufacturing processes.
• ASQ Certification
• Experience working with global suppliers, and manufacturing sites.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively interpret process risks and gaps with extended supply chain and sub-tier suppliers and recommend best practices for improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to indirectly lead a group and/or team and provide guidance and influence other employees.
• Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles and ability to apply Lean tools such as Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Change-Over Reduction, and identify waste.

Travel Requirements

• This position must be willing to travel up to 40% of the time to suppliers.

COMPETENCIES

Competency Profile: People Leader

Required Competencies

• Professional society / organizational certification (CQE, CQA)
• Experience with ISO-9001, IATF 16949, or VDA 6.3 process auditing
• Lean Manufacturing or Green Belt Six Sigma certification
• Experience in a manufacturing environment
• Customer Focus
• Aligning Performance for Success
• Continuous Improvement
• Facilitating Change
• Building a Successful Team
• Building Strategic Work Relationships
• Building Trust
• Gaining Commitment
• Planning and Organizing
• Delegating Responsibility
• Coaching and Developing Others
• Continuous Learning
• Communication

Work Schedule: M-F 7am-3:30pm