Supplier Quality Engineer

Regulatory Toolkit; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Varian Medical Systems in Palo Alto, CA seeks a hands-on Supplier Quality Engineer to collaborate with suppliers and cross-functional teams to improve component quality and resolve manufacturing issues across the lifecycle.

You will lead root cause investigations using 8D, 5 Whys and Ishikawa, review corrective actions, and drive containment and prevention to protect production and patients. This onsite role emphasizes process control and supplier readiness with PPAP/APQP exposure.

Qualifications

• Requires hands-on supplier quality experience in regulated environments.
• Familiarity with PPAP, APQP, 8D, RCA and containment activities.
• Experience driving supplier improvement and risk mitigation.

Responsibilities

• Manage quality performance for a group of suppliers and serve as the key contact for supplier quality matters.
• Monitor supplier performance using quality data, dashboards, scorecards, and KPIs; communicate risks to suppliers and stakeholders.
• Investigate supplier-related issues across incoming inspection, manufacturing, installation, and field service; coordinate containment and risk mitigation.

Skills

Supplier Quality

Quality Assurance

Root Cause Analysis

PPAP

8D

Statistical Analysis

Process Improvement

Cross-functional Collaboration

Documentation

Audits

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

Minitab

Excel

Job description

Join us in pioneering breakthroughs in healthcare. For everyone. Everywhere. Sustainably.

Our inspiring and caring environment forms a global community that celebrates diversity and individuality. We encourage you to step beyond your comfort zone, offering resources and flexibility to foster your professional and personal growth, all while valuing your unique contributions.

Varian Medical Systems, a Siemens Healthineers company, is seeking a motivated and hands-on Supplier Quality Engineer to join our team onsite in Palo Alto, California.

In this role, you will work directly with suppliers and cross-functional teams to improve component quality, resolve technical and manufacturing issues at the supplier locations, and strengthen supplier processes. You will support quality across the complete product lifecycle, from new product introduction and incoming inspection through manufacturing, installation, and field service.

We welcome candidates from medical devices, automotive, aerospace, semiconductor, electronics, and other highly regulated or quality-critical manufacturing industries. The ideal candidate has demonstrated hands-on technical experience and has worked in an environment where rigorous quality standards, PPAP or equivalent product and process qualification methods, and rapid response to supplier and production issues are essential.

This is an excellent opportunity for an engineer who combines structured quality discipline with the ability to act quickly, work directly with suppliers, and drive issues through effective resolution.

This role is designed to be completed onsite in Palo Alto, California

What You Will Do

• Manage quality performance for an assigned group of suppliers and serve as a key point of contact for supplier quality matters.
• Monitor supplier performance using quality data, dashboards, scorecards, and key performance indicators. Communicate emerging risks, performance concerns, and improvement priorities to suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Investigate supplier-related issues affecting incoming inspection, manufacturing, installation, and field service. Coordinate rapid containment and risk-mitigation activities to protect production, customers, and patients.
• Lead or support root cause investigations and Supplier Corrective Action Requests using structured problem-solving methods such as 8D, 5 Whys, Ishikawa diagrams, and statistical analysis.
• Review supplier corrective actions to confirm that root causes have been identified, appropriate actions have been implemented, and recurrence has been effectively prevented.
• Support Qnote/NCR and Material Review Board activities involving supplier-provided components. Help minimize production disruption, blocked inventory, scrap, rework, warranty costs, and field impact.
• Work with suppliers to improve manufacturing processes and implement appropriate quality controls, including PFMEA, Control Plans, Statistical Process Control, Measurement System Analysis, process capability analysis, Cpk/Ppk, and process validation.
• Support Quality at the Source (“light” PPAP) by helping suppliers move from reliance on inspection toward prevention, process control, and data-driven validation.
• Participate in New Product Introduction and design-transfer activities. Partner with Engineering and suppliers to review drawings, specifications, tolerances, critical attributes, manufacturability requirements, and inspection strategies.
• Support supplier readiness through First Article Inspection, PPAP, APQP, inspection planning, and other qualification activities based