Supplier Quality Engineer, Powertrain

Harbinger; Garden Grove (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental & Vision

Early-stage stock options

401k & HSA

PTO & Parental Leave

Vacation bonus

Wellness benefits

Cell phone stipend

Meals & stocked kitchens

Job summary

Harbinger, an American EV company, seeks a Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE) for Powertrain to ensure quality of powertrain components from suppliers. You will lead audits, PPAP, APQP, and continuous improvement with suppliers and internal teams to meet ISO/IATF requirements and customer specs.

In this role you will define quality standards, perform incoming inspections, review control plans and FMEAs, and drive corrective actions. Travel up to 30% domestically and internationally may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or similar technical field.
• 3–7 years in manufacturing or supplier quality in automotive/aerospace.
• Knowledge of castings, forgings, gears, welding, assembly, tooling, materials and related quality requirements.
• ASQ certifications such as Certified Quality Engineer/Auditor/Manager are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with suppliers to ensure quality standards and compliance.
• Conduct supplier audits (process, product, system) to qualify suppliers.
• Develop supplier performance metrics and drive improvements.
• Lead corrective and preventive actions for nonconformances.
• Establish supplier processes, including FAI and PPAP.
• Perform incoming inspections and QC checks on powertrain components as needed.
• Review control plans, FMEAs, deviations and inspection reports.
• Ensure compliance with ISO 9001 / IATF 16949 / AS9100 where applicable.
• Lead MRB meetings and participate in ECN changes as quality representative.

Skills

APQP

PPAP

FMEA

MSA

QMS

ISO 9001

IATF 16949

Quality audits

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Job description

About Harbinger

Harbinger is an American commercial electric vehicle (EV) company on a mission to transform an industry starving for innovation. Harbinger’s best‑in‑class team of EV, battery, and drivetrain experts have pooled their deep experience to bring a first‑of‑its‑kind EV platform to support the growing demand for medium‑duty EVs and Hybrids. Harbinger: Familiar Form, Revolutionary Foundation.

Job Overview

We are looking for Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE) for Powertrain commodity who will be responsible for ensuring the quality of powertrain components supplied to the organization. This role involves collaborating with suppliers, engineering teams, and production teams to establish and maintain quality standards, troubleshoot issues, and drive continuous improvement. The SQE will act as a liaison between the company and its suppliers to ensure components meet all technical specifications, quality standards, and customer requirements.

Responsibilities include defining quality standards, inspecting materials, equipment, processes, and products, developing quality control systems, supplier selection, PPAP, leading APQP, and determining corrective actions. A successful SQE should have excellent troubleshooting skills and be able to ensure that processes and products consistently meet established quality standards.

What You'll Do

• Collaborate with suppliers to ensure compliance with company and industry quality standards.
• Conduct supplier audits, including process, product, and system audits, to assess and qualify new and existing suppliers.
• Develop and implement supplier performance metrics, including defect rates, response times, and process improvements.
• Work closely with suppliers to develop corrective and preventive action plans for nonconformance issues.
• Establish and validate supplier processes for, including tool trials, gauge design and approvals, first article inspection (FAI) and production part approval process (PPAP).
• Conduct incoming inspections and quality checks of powertrain components as needed.
• Review and approve supplier documentation, such as control plans, FMEAs, Deviations and inspection reports.
• Ensure compliance with specifications, drawings, and industry standards such as ISO 9001, IATF 16949, or AS9100 as applicable.
• Participate in the supplier selection process by providing quality-related input.
• Lead weekly calls with suppliers to ensure parts are on track to meet quality and timing requirements for various build stages of the production line.
• Participate in design reviews with the design engineering and manufacturing team to mitigate risk for manufacturing and assembly.
• Monitor and report on supplier performance metrics, such as defect rates, delivery times, and compliance with specifications.
• Investigate and resolve quality issues related to supplier materials and components.
• Collaborate with suppliers to determine root causes of defects and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance supplier quality and performance.
• Maintain accurate and up‑to‑date records of supplier quality performance, audits, and corrective actions.
• Lead MRB meetings and act as a quality representative for the engineering change control board.

Who You Are

Education/Certifications/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing) or a similar technical field required.
• At least 3 to 7 years of experience in manufacturing quality or supplier quality engineering in the automotive or aerospace industry or equivalent manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of castings, forgings, gears, welding, assembly, tooling, materials, and associated quality requirements.
• ASQ Certifications such as Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Quality Auditor, Certified Quality Manager, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, or higher preferred.

Skills/Abilities And Attributes

• Knowledge of ISO‑9001:2018 or IATF 16949 standard strongly desired.
• Understanding of basic quality core tools such as Quality Management Systems, Supplier and Internal Audits, APQP, SPC, PPAP, FMEA, and MSA.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects.
• Strong understanding of mechanical components (forgings, castings, sheet metal, plastic injection molding) and assembly processes.
• Ability to travel (domestic and international) up to 30 to 50%.

Additional Qualifications

• Proven experience in a quality engineering role, preferably within a manufacturing or production environment.
• Strong knowledge of quality assurance methodologies, tools, and techniques.
• Experience with supplier quality management, including auditing and performance evaluation.
• Proficiency in quality management systems (QMS) and relevant software applications.
• Certification in quality management (e.g., ASQ Certified Quality Engineer) is a plus

Key Benefits & Perks

• Comprehensive Health, Dental & Vision (HDV) – 100% employee covered
• Early‑stage Stock Options
• Robust Retirement Savings (401k, HSA, FSA)
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) & Parental Leave
• Annual Vacation Bonus
• Wellness & Fertility Benefits
• Cell Phone Stipend
• Complimentary Meals & Stocked Kitchens

California Pay Range

$100,000—$160,000 USD

Equal Opportunity

Harbinger is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition or any other characteristic protected by law.

Harbinger is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at [e-mail].

Candidate Data Privacy

Harbinger may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Harbinger may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Harbinger may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our HR, legal, and finance teams, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Harbinger affiliates; and (iii) Harbinger’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Harbinger may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.

Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services. Any unsolicited resumes or candidate profiles submitted in response to our job posting shall be considered the property of Harbinger and are not subject to payment of referral or placement fees if any such candidate is later hired by Harbinger unless you have a signed written agreement in place with us which covers the applicable job posting.