Supplier Quality Engineer

Brunswick; Saint Cloud (MN); On-site; USD 74,000 - 106,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401(k) with match

Well-being program

Product purchase discounts

Job summary

Brunswick is seeking a Supplier Quality Engineer to lead supplier quality activities, containment, and corrective actions across electronics and plastic injection molding. You will own supplier nonconformances, drive APQP/PPAP readiness, and ensure conformance to engineering specifications to protect production continuity.

The role emphasizes cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, Procurement, and Manufacturing, with scope for travel and exposure to a high-performance product

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quality, manufacturing, or related technical field required.
• 3–5 years of experience in supplier quality, manufacturing, or quality engineering in a production environment.
• Experience with APQP / PPAP, SCAR/8D, and corrective actions.
• Ability to manage supplier audits and drive continuous improvement.
• Strong knowledge of electronics (PCB/SMT) and plastic injection molding processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead supplier quality activities to support production and containment of issues.
• Own supplier nonconformances from detection to closure with root cause validation.
• Drive corrective actions with suppliers ensuring effectiveness and recurrence prevention.
• Coordinate quality risk communication to internal stakeholders for production continuity.
• Lead APQP/PPAP readiness and review PPAP submissions for product launches.
• Ensure supplier processes meet engineering specs and control plans.

Skills

Supplier quality

SCAR/8D

Corrective actions

APQP/PPAP

Root cause analysis

Process capability

CP/Cpk

Cross-functional collaboration

Continuous improvement

Electronics manufacturing (PCB/SMT)

Plastic injection molding

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quality, manufacturing, or related technical field

Tools

Excel

Quality ERP systems

MS Office

Job description

Are you ready for what’s next? Come explore opportunities within Brunswick, a global marine leader committed to challenging conventions and innovating next-generation technologies that transform experiences on the water and beyond. Brunswick believes “Next Never Rests™,” and we offer a variety of exciting careers and growth opportunities within united teams defining the future of marine recreation.

Location: St. Cloud, Florida

Workplace Category: Onsite

Travel Required: Up to 30% (domestic and limited international)

Direct Reports: No

Pay Range: $73,600 – $106,200

Visa Sponsorship: Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Relocation: Yes

Innovation is the heart of Brunswick. See how your contributions will help transform vision into reality:

Position Overview

The Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE) provides both strategic and tactical leadership to manufacturing by ensuring the quality, reliability, and continuous supply of electronic and plastic injection molded components. This role is responsible for executing Advanced Product Quality Planning in support of the High-Performance Product Development (HPPD) process, driving supplier development, leading corrective action resolution and delivering performance reporting. The SQE serves as the primary owner of supplier quality performance and acts as the first line of defense against supplier-related production risk, ensuring rapid containment, root cause validation, and sustainable corrective actions. Through direct engagement with the global supply base, the SQE ensures all materials consistently meet engineering specifications and process capability requirements, protecting manufacturing operations from line disruptions, quality escapes, and warranty exposure while driving supplier capability and continuous improvement across the supply base. With a strong emphasis on electronics manufacturing (e.g., PCB/SMT processes) and plastic injection molding (e.g., tooling and dimensional control), the SQE ensures suppliers meet technical and process requirements critical to product quality and production continuity. This role plays a key part in supporting Mercury Marine’s broader Plant 7 strategy to expand internal manufacturing capabilities, strengthen supply chain resilience, and drive standardized, scalable quality practices across electronics and plastic injection molding operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Tactical Supplier Quality: lead and execute supplier quality activities to support production operations, ensuring timely identification, containment, and resolution of supplier-related quality issues while maintaining clear communication and accountability across the supply chain.
• Own supplier nonconformances from identification through containment, root cause validation, and closure, ensuring issues are resolved in a timely and effective manner.
• Drive corrective actions (SCAR / 8D) with suppliers, ensuring robust root cause analysis, verification of effectiveness, and prevention of recurrence.
• Coordinate and communicate supplier quality issues, risks, and status updates to internal stakeholders to support informed decision-making and production continuity.
• Escalate repeat, high-risk, or systemic supplier issues based on defined thresholds to ensure appropriate visibility and resolution support.
• Ensure linkage between supplier defects, lot traceability, and production impact to enable effective containment and root cause analysis.
• Collaborate with suppliers and cross-functional teams to address quality issues, improve response time, and strengthen overall supplier performance.
• Factory Support: serve as the first line of defense in protecting manufacturing operations from supplier-related disruptions, ensuring rapid containment, risk mitigation, and continuity of material flow to support production performance.
• Lead containment activities (e.g., controlled shipping, sorting, certified stock) in coordination with suppliers to mitigate production risk and prevent line disruptions.
• Own and drive timely response to supplier-related quality issues impacting production, ensuring rapid containment and recovery actions.
• Partner with Manufacturing and Quality to assess, disposition, and control nonconforming material (MRB) to protect production flow.
• Ensure only conforming material is released to production through appropriate verification and supplier communication.
• Communicate real-time supplier quality risks, material availability constraints, and containment status to internal stakeholders.
• Coordinate supplier actions to restore normal production conditions and prevent recurrence of issues impacting manufacturing.
• APQP / PPAP & Process Readiness: lead supplier readiness and quality performance across the full product lifecycle from development and launch through sustained production, ensuring components consistently meet design, process, and quality requirements while achieving stable, capable, and repeatable supplier processes.
• Review and approve PPAP submissions and supporting documentation to validate supplier readiness for product launch and ongoing production.
• Ensure supplier processes are capable, controlled, and aligned to engineering specifications, control plans, and risk mitigation requirements defined through the HPPD / APQP process.
• Validate supplier process controls to ensure supplier process capability, control effectiveness, and consistent delivery of conforming product to specification.
• Drive identification and closure of supplier readiness gaps through APQP activities, including process capability, control effectiveness, and documentation compliance.
• Partner cross-functionally with Engineering, Procurement, and Manufacturing to support new product development, ensuring supplier capability, risk mitigation, and quality requirements are defined, validated, and achieved prior to production release.
• Plan, conduct, and lead supplier audits (process, product, and quality system) to assess capability, identify risks, and drive corrective and preventive actions aligned with APQP and ongoing production requirements.
• Process Management & Compliance: maintain standardized supplier quality processes and system integrity to ensure traceability, compliance, and accurate communication across the supply chain.
• Ensure accurate documentation, tracking, and closure of supplier nonconformances, corrective actions, and quality-related communications.
• Maintain material traceability and data integrity across supplier, quality, and inventory systems to support containment, root cause analysis, and audit requirements.
• Verify supplier compliance to engineering drawings, specifications, control plans, and defined quality requirements.
• Ensure adherence to supplier quality standards, internal procedures, and applicable regulatory requirements to maintain audit readiness.
• Support internal and external audits by validating supplier documentation, process controls and quality records.
• Continuous Improvement: drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance supplier performance, reduce defects, and strengthen overall supply chain quality and process capability.
• Analyze supplier performance metrics (e.g., PPM, repeat issues, defect trends) to identify root causes, systemic gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
• Lead or support supplier improvement initiatives that reduce defects, improve process capability, and minimize cost of poor quality.
• Drive reduction in inspection reliance through improved supplier performance, robust process controls, and progression toward dock-to-stock readiness.
• Improve supplier processes, controls, and quality systems to ensure long-term capability, stability, and repeatable performance.
• Collaborate with suppliers and cross-functional teams to implement corrective and preventive actions that address systemic issues and prevent recurrence.
• Contribute to the standardization of supplier quality requirements, inspection strategies, and best practices across the supply base.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quality, manufacturing, or related technical field required
• 3 – 5 years of prior experience in supplier quality, manufacturing, or quality engineering within a production environment required
• Experience managing supplier quality, including corrective actions (SCAR), root cause analysis, and supplier performance improvement required
• Experience supporting new product development and supplier readiness activities (APQP / PPAP) preferred
• Experience working with supplier manufacturing processes, including electronics (e.g., PCB/SMT) and/or plastic injection molding environments preferred
• Experience conducting supplier audits (process, product, or quality system) and driving corrective actions preferred
• Strong knowledge of Supplier Quality core methodologies, including APQP, PPAP, FMEA, Control Plans, SPC, and structured problem-solving (8D, 5 Why)
• Ability to interpret and apply engineering drawings, specifications, and GD&T requirements to validate supplier conformance
• Working knowledge of supplier manufacturing processes, including electronics manufacturing (e.g., PCB/SMT processes, ESD controls) and plastic injection molding (e.g., tooling, material behavior, and dimensional control)
• Understanding of process capability and statistical methods (Cp/Cpk) to evaluate supplier performance and process stability
• Demonstrated ability to manage supplier quality issues end-to-end, including containment, root cause analysis, corrective action, and verification of effectiveness
• Experience driving supplier development and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance process capability, control effectiveness, and overall supplier performance
• Ability to assess and validate supplier process controls, quality systems, and compliance to engineering and regulatory requirements
• Strong understanding of material traceability, nonconformance management (MRB, NCM), and quality system documentation requirements
• Effective communication skills with the ability to influence suppliers and collaborate cross functionally with Manufacturing, Engineering, and Procurement
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret supplier performance data (PPM, trends, repeat issues) and drive data-based decisions
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and experience with quality and ERP systems for tracking supplier performance and quality data
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment with a high level of accountability, attention to detail, and focus on operational execution
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement, process standardization, and driving long-term supplier capability and performance

Salary

The hiring range for this position is $73,600 to $106,200 annually. The actual base pay offered will vary based on multiple factors including job-related knowledge/skills, relevant experience, business needs, and geographic location. Compensation decisions are dependent upon the specifics of the candidate’s qualifications and the business context.

Benefits

• This position is eligible for an annual discretionary bonus
• This position is eligible to participate in Brunswick's comprehensive and high-quality benefits offerings, including medical, dental, vision, paid vacation, 401k (up to 4% match), Health Savings Account (with company contribution), well-being program, product purchase discounts and much more
• Details about our benefits can be found here

Why Brunswick

Brunswick Corporation is a leader in the marine industry, and we’re looking for people just like you to take part in the movement towards better boating for all. We rely on the thoughtful input of people from all backgrounds to create compelling, innovative products for our customers around the globe. As such, diversity, equity, and inclusion are priorities in the enduring culture of our company. As a world leader in emerging recreational products and technologies, when you join our team, you become part of some of the most innovative, forward-looking brands in the marine industry today.

About Mercury Marine

Headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Mercury Marine® is the world’s leading manufacturer of recreational marine propulsion engines. A division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), Mercury provides engines, boats, services and parts for recreational, commercial and government marine applications. Mercury empowers boaters with products that are easy to use, extremely reliable and backed by the most dedicated customer support in the world. The company’s industry-leading brand portfolio includes Mercury outboard engines, Mercury MerCruiser® sterndrive and inboard packages, Mercury propellers, Mercury inflatable boats, Mercury SmartCraft® electronics, Land 'N' Sea marine parts distribution and Mercury and Quicksilver® parts and oils. More information is available at MercuryMarine.com.

Next is Now

We value growth and development, recognizing that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job. Brunswick is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is key to innovation and inspiration and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply. If you require accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact [e-mail] for support. For more information about EEO laws, Brunswick Corporation participates in E-Verify as part of our commitment to a lawful and transparent hiring process. For additional information: https://www.brunswick.com/e-verify.