Supplier Quality Engineer

Focus; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Focus is seeking a Supplier Quality Engineer to lead containment of supplier-related quality issues and drive continuous improvements across the manufacturing lifecycle. You will coordinate cross-functional teams, oversee FA and RMA processes, and support ISO 9001 compliance to safeguard product integrity.

The role requires hands-on problem solving, strong documentation skills, and the ability to communicate with international suppliers and internal teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Mathematics, or Physical Science.
• Minimum of 3 years of supplier or manufacturing quality experience.
• Direct experience with ISO 9001 quality management systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead containment of quality issues reported by vendors or internal processes.
• Coordinate sorting activities with internal staff, vendors, or contractors.
• Prepare and share daily sorting results with plant management, HQ, and vendors.
• Drive corrective actions using 8D or equivalent methodologies.
• Collaborate with inventory control to maintain proper labeling and ERP transactions.

Skills

8D Method

DMAIC

Root Cause Analysis

Pareto Analysis

Fluent English

Cross-Cultural

Documentation

Analytical Thinking

Problem Solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Mathematics/Physical Science

Tools

Excel

Visio

ERP Systems

Job description

Position Overview

The Supplier Quality Engineer plays a critical role in managing vendor quality, driving continuous improvement, and safeguarding product integrity throughout the manufacturing lifecycle. This role is responsible for coordinating supplier quality issues between local operations and corporate home offices in Taiwan, leading cross-functional teams to minimize assembly/test scrap and material damage, and overseeing the vendor failure analysis and RMA processes.

Key Responsibilities

1. Supplier Quality & Containment Management

• Immediate Containment: Lead the containment of quality issues reported by vendors or identified within internal manufacturing processes.

• Sort Activity Coordination: Direct and manage sorting activities conducted by internal personnel, vendor representatives, or third-party contractors.

• Daily Reporting: Compile and distribute daily sorting results to key stakeholders, including plant management, corporate HQ, and vendors.

• Root Cause & Corrective Action: Drive suppliers toward permanent corrective actions using 8D methodologies or alternative structured problem-solving frameworks.

• Inventory Control Alignment: Partner with inventory control during sort operations to maintain clear physical and system-level delineation (labeling, storage, and ERP transactions) among good, suspect, and defective material.

2. Scrap & Material Damage Reduction

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead Operations, Quality, Process, and Test Engineering teams in continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing supplier-related damage and scrap.

• Metrics Tracking: Monitor and analyze assembly and test-induced material damage on a weekly basis.

• DMAIC Implementation: Apply DMAIC principles (Trend Analysis, Pareto Analysis, Action Plans) for major customer accounts to systematically identify and eliminate root causes of damage.

• Executive Reporting: Regularly present progress, roadblocks, and target action plans to management.

3. Vendor Failure Analysis (FA) & RMA Management

• FA Tracking: Oversee the return-to-vendor process for failed components using an established tracking database.

• Vendor Accountability: Monitor suppliers for timely and thorough failure analysis resolution.

• Technical Reporting: Communicate FA findings and metrics to management and Product Quality Engineers.

• Corrective Action Escalation: Enforce supplier root cause and corrective action plans based on FA outcomes.

4. Quality Management System (QMS) & Compliance

• ISO 9001 Support: Assist with plant-wide ISO 9001 compliance activities, including internal audits, equipment calibration tracking, and document control.

• Documentation Development: Draft and update Process Flow Charts, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Work Instructions (WIs), and quality forms.

• General Support: Perform additional quality-related tasks as assigned by the Quality Manager.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education & Experience

• Education: Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university (preferably in Engineering, Mathematics, or Physical Science).

• Experience: Minimum of 3 years of related supplier quality or manufacturing quality experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• QMS Knowledge: Direct experience working within third-party certified quality management systems (e.g., ISO 9001).

Certifications

• ISO 9001: Certified ISO 9001 Internal Auditor.

Skills & Competencies

• Problem Solving & Methodology: Hands-on expertise using 8D, DMAIC, Pareto analysis, and root-cause analysis in environments with varying levels of standardization.

• Communication & Presentation: Fluent in written and spoken English. Strong ability to present technical findings clearly to managers, engineers, customers, and international suppliers.

• Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Ability to effectively coordinate quality efforts across global teams and international corporate offices (Taiwan).

• Technical Documentation: Ability to read, interpret, and generate complex technical drawings, schematics, work instructions, and procedural guides.

• Software & Systems Literacy: Computer literate in a Windows environment, proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Visio, and inventory/ERP databases.

• Personal Attributes: Strong analytical mindset, detail-oriented, highly organized, and capable of managing multiple competing priorities.