Supplier Quality Engineer - Nuclear

Graham Manufacturing; City of Batavia (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Graham Manufacturing seeks a Supplier Quality Engineer (Nuclear) to lead supplier qualification, audits, and material traceability for nuclear-grade components. You will enforce ASME Section III and NQA-1 requirements across the supply base.

The role requires 3–5 years in a regulated environment, active NQA-1 Lead Auditor credentials, and strong collaboration with procurement, engineering, and manufacturing to manage non-conformances and ensure traceability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field (Engineering/Quality).
• 3–5 years in ASME Section III, nuclear, naval/defense, or highly regulated heavy manufacturing.
• Active NQA-1 Lead Auditor certification or documented qualification per NQA-1 requirements.

Responsibilities

• Plan, schedule, and execute external supplier audits and surveillances as a certified NQA-1 Lead Auditor.
• Review CMTRs, heat treat charts, chemical/physical test data, and CoCs against ASME Section II/III and project specs.
• Maintain rigorous material traceability from receipt to shop release and ensure ASL integrity.
• Lead SCARs and CAPA activities; drive 8D/5-Why root cause analysis for supplier quality issues.

Skills

NQA-1 Lead Auditor

ASME Section III

CMTR Review

Material Traceability

SCAR / CAPA

8D / 5-Why

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical/Metallurgical/Industrial/Quality Engineering or related

Job description

Description

Job Title: Supplier Quality Engineer (Nuclear)

Reports To: Quality Manager

FLSA Status & EEO Code: Exempt & Professional

Division/Department: GHM / Quality

Level of Work: II

Position Summary: The Supplier Quality Engineer is responsible for the quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and performance of external suppliers providing nuclear-grade materials, pressure-retaining components, forgings, plate, pipe, and precision piece-part machining. Serving as a qualified NQA-1 Lead Auditor, this role governs the Approved Supplier List (ASL) by conducting rigorous audits, vendor evaluations, and source surveillances in strict compliance with ASME Section III, NQA-1, and 10 CFR 50 Appendix B. The SQE collaborates cross-functionally with Procurement, Engineering, and Manufacturing to mitigate supply chain risks, enforce material traceability, manage non-conformance, and uphold zero-defect quality across safety-related applications.

Key Results Areas by level of work -

Nuclear Supplier Governance & Auditing:

1. Plan, schedule, and execute external supplier audits and surveillances as a certified NQA-1 Lead Auditor to qualify, maintain, and expand the Approved Supplier List (ASL).
2. Evaluate Qualified Material Organizations (QMO) and Quality Systems Certificate (QSC) holders per ASME Section III Subsection NCA-3800 / NCA-4000 and 10 CFR 50 Appendix B.
3. Perform pre-award assessments and periodic vendor evaluations for precision machining and material suppliers.
4. Monitor supplier-specific quality risks and advise Procurement, Engineering, and Program Management on sourcing risks and technical capability.

Material Verification, Traceability & Receiving Inspection:

1. Establish and maintain inspection plans for incoming safety-related materials, forgings, plate, piping, and machined piece-parts per purchase order requirements.
2. Perform technical reviews and verification of Certified Material Test Reports (CMTRs), heat treat charts, chemical/physical test data, and Certificate of Conformances (CoCs) against ASME Section II, Section III, and project-specific technical specifications.
3. Ensure complete, uninterrupted material traceability and heat-lot integrity from supplier receipt through shop release.

Non-conformance & Corrective Action (CAPA/SCAR):

1. Issue, track, and close Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs), driving rigorous 8D/5-Why root cause analysis to eliminate recurrent defects.
2. Identify, tag, and quarantine non-conforming items; document discrepancies on Material Review Reports (MRR) and present technical data to the Material Review Board (MRB).
3. Screen supplier defects and departures from technical requirements for potential reporting obligations under 10 CFR Part 2.

Quality Management System Compliance & Continuous Improvement:

1. Generate and defend objective quality evidence (OQE) during ASME surveys, NQA-1 customer audits, and internal QMS audits.
2. Track supplier quality metrics (e.g., Right First Time, reject rates, SCAR responsiveness) and maintain operational dashboards.
3. Partner with suppliers on continuous improvement initiatives to enhance machining capabilities, reduce lead times, and eliminate process variation.

Requirements

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, an individual must possess the knowledge, training, experience and abilities required:

Education and Training

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials/Metallurgical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Quality Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Experience:

• 3-5 years of progressive quality engineering experience in an ASME Section III, nuclear, naval/defense, or highly regulated heavy manufacturing environment.

Other:

• Active NQA-1 Lead Auditor qualification/certification (or documented qualification per NQA-1 Basic Requirement 2 / Supplement 2S-3).
• Direct experience reviewing CMTRs, evaluating material test results, and assessing machining/fabrication suppliers.
• International travel may be required up to 20%.
• Domestic travel may be required up to 60%.

Preferred:

• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or ASQ Certified Quality Auditor (CQA).
• Working knowledge of NDE methods (PT, MT, RT, UT) and inspection acceptance criteria per ASME Section V/III.
• Experience with Qualified Material Organization (QMO) audits per ASME NCA-3800.

Skills:

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

1. ASME Section III & NQA-1 Regulatory Compliance: Thorough working knowledge of ASME BPVC Section III (Subsections NCA, NB, NC, ND), NQA-1 Basic Requirements/Supplements, 10 CFR 50 Appendix B, and 10 CFR Part 21.
2. Nuclear Auditing & ASL Management: Proven ability to lead supplier qualification audits, desk reviews, and on-site vendor surveillances per NQA-1 Supplement 2S-3 guidelines.
3. Material Verification & CMTR Analysis: Strong technical capability in reviewing Certified Material Test Reports (CMTRs), physical/chemical test results, and heat-lot traceability records against ASME Section II specifications.
4. Precision Inspection & GD&T: Proficient in mechanical inspection methods, dimensional layouts, CMM inspection reports, and Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (ASME Y14.5) for machined piece-parts.
5. Root Cause Analysis & Corrective Action (CAPA): Demonstrated proficiency in structured problem-solving methodologies (e.g., 8D, 5-Why, Fishbone) to resolve supplier quality escapes.
6. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Technical Communication: Clear written and verbal communication skills to interface effectively with external supplier management, internal engineering, procurement, and regulatory auditors.
7. ERP & Quality Data Systems: Working knowledge of ERP workflows, purchasing controls, non-conformance tracking systems, and quality metric dashboards.
8. Analytical Judgment & Decision Making: Sound technical problem-solving with the ability to define issues, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid engineering and quality conclusions.

Physical and Mental Demands

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Physical demands: While performing the duties of this position, the incumbent is primarily required to sit, stand, walk, stoop, and bend. Required to speak and communicate clearly with others.
• Mental demands: While performing the duties of this position, the incumbent is required to read, write, analyze data and reports, exercise judgment, develop plans, procedures and goals, present information to others and work under pressure.
• Work Environment: This job primarily operates in a clerical office setting. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers and filing cabinets. While performing the duties of this position, the incumbent is also exposed to high level of manufacturing and equipment noise. Duties are performed indoors in a manufacturing environment with temperature changes. Exposure to hazardous materials, fumes or airborne particles and moving mechanical parts with vibration.