Lead - Supplier Quality

Lead - Supplier Quality

Roles & Responsibilities :

1. Supplier Qualification & Approval – Evaluate, audit, and qualify new suppliers based on technical capability, quality systems, manufacturing capacity, and customer requirements.

2. Supplier Quality Audits – Conduct supplier process, system, and product audits using ISO 9001, IATF 16949 (where applicable), VDA 6.3, and customer-specific requirements.

3. Incoming Quality Management – Establish incoming inspection standards, sampling plans, acceptance criteria, and control methods for PCBAs, PCBs, electronic components, mechanical parts, and electromechanical components.

4. Supplier Defect Management – Identify, contain, and resolve supplier-related defects, including PCB fabrication defects, component failures, solderability issues, dimensional deviations, and material nonconformities.

5. Root Cause Analysis & Corrective Action – Drive supplier 8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, CAPA, and RCCA activities, ensuring verified root causes and effective permanent corrective actions.

6. Supplier Performance Monitoring – Track supplier PPM, incoming rejection rate, SCAR closure, audit scores, quality cost, and recurring defects through supplier scorecards and periodic reviews.

7. NPI & New Part Qualification – Support new product introduction through supplier process validation, First Article Inspection (FAI), sample approval, PPAP/APQP documentation, and qualification builds as applicable.

8. Supplier Process Capability & Improvement – Evaluate SPC, Cp/Cpk, process variation, control plans, PFMEA, and inspection systems to improve supplier process capability and prevent defects.

9. Electronic Component Quality & Traceability – Ensure component authenticity, lot traceability, date-code control, MSL compliance, ESD protection, shelf-life management, and counterfeit component prevention.

10. Supplier Change Management – Review and approve supplier changes involving materials, components, manufacturing processes, tooling, locations, and alternate parts before implementation, following customer approval requirements.

11. Cross-Functional Quality Coordination – Coordinate with SCM, Engineering, Production, NPI, IQC, Test, and Customer Quality teams to resolve material quality issues and minimize production interruptions.

12. Supplier Development & Continuous Improvement – Lead supplier improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and defect-prevention techniques to improve quality, delivery, and process consistency.

13. Quality Documentation & Compliance – Maintain supplier audit reports, inspection standards, control plans, FMEA, material certificates, deviation approvals, and quality records to meet applicable ISO, IATF, and customer requirements.

14. Supplier Risk & Escalation Management – Identify critical supplier risks, single-source dependencies, repeated quality failures, and material obsolescence; implement mitigation plans with SCM and Engineering.

15. Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) Reduction – Track supplier-related scrap, rework, sorting, line stoppages, and customer complaints; drive corrective actions to reduce quality costs.