Supplier Assessment and Qualification
• Lead the end-to-end assessment and qualification of new suppliers, including technical capability, quality systems, manufacturing controls, capacity, traceability, and overall risk.
• Plan and conduct supplier quality-system and process audits; document findings, assess risk, and drive corrective actions to closure before approval.
• Evaluate supplier process capability, special-process controls, inspection and test methods, calibration, sub-tier management, and change-control practices.
• Partner with Strategic Sourcing and Engineering to define qualification requirements, select suppliers, and make evidence-based approval decisions.
• Maintain supplier qualification records, audit results, risk ratings, and approved supplier status; establish surveillance or development plans when gaps remain.
NPI Supplier Readiness and First Article Approval
• Define supplier quality deliverables for new parts and NPI builds, including quality plans, inspection requirements, control plans, and production-readiness criteria.
• Review and approve First Article Inspection packages for completeness and compliance, including drawings, dimensional results, material and process certifications, and objective evidence.
• Drive APQP and PPAP activities where applicable, including PFMEA, process flow, control plans, MSA, capability studies, and validation of critical-to-quality characteristics.
• Verify supplier production readiness through on-site reviews, pilot-build support, and closure of open risks before release to volume production.
Supplier Performance and Quality Execution
• Serve as the primary quality interface for assigned suppliers and commodities, setting clear expectations, escalation paths, and accountability for quality performance.
• Monitor supplier scorecards and quality trends, including defect rates, PPM, escapes, on-time corrective action, audit findings, and repeat nonconformances.
• Establish risk-based incoming inspection and supplier surveillance plans; reduce inspection only after sustained evidence of process capability and performance.
• Support nonconformance disposition, deviations, material review, supplier change notifications, and qualification of process, tooling, site, or sub-tier changes.
SCAR and Corrective Action Leadership
• Issue and manage Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs), ensuring rapid containment, clear problem definition, protected production, and disciplined execution according to agreed timelines.
• Lead and coach suppliers through rigorous root-cause analysis using 8D, 5 Whys, fishbone analysis, fault-tree analysis, and other appropriate methods; reject unsupported or symptom-based conclusions.
• Validate root causes, approve corrective and preventive actions, verify effectiveness with objective evidence, and drive systemic improvements that prevent recurrence across similar parts and processes.