| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Quality |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Supplier Quality Manager |
| Direct reports | None |
| Experience | 2 to 6 years in quality, with supplier or incoming quality exposure |
Supplier Quality Engineer job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Supplier Quality Engineer
Department: Quality
Reports to: Supplier Quality Manager
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Supplier Quality Engineer works hands-on to keep incoming parts and materials good. They support supplier approval and PPAP, run supplier audits, inspect incoming lots on chronic issues, and drive supplier corrective action. The role visits vendor sites, helps weak suppliers improve, and cuts incoming rejections that disrupt production. In an Indian plant the supplier quality engineer is the day-to-day link to suppliers on quality, reporting to the supplier quality manager, and turning vendor problems into structured claims and lasting fixes.
Key responsibilities
- Support supplier approval and PPAP for new parts before they enter regular supply.
- Conduct supplier process audits and follow up findings until suppliers close them.
- Investigate incoming defects with suppliers using structured problem solving and corrective action.
- Inspect or oversee incoming lots for parts with chronic quality issues.
- Help weak but strategic suppliers improve their process controls and quality.
- Raise supplier quality claims and track containment, correction and cost recovery.
- Set incoming inspection requirements and sampling with the inspection team.
- Rate supplier quality performance and maintain the supplier scorecards.
- Coordinate with purchasing and production on supplier-related quality decisions.
- Support new-part trials at supplier sites and confirm readiness for supply.
Requirements
- B.E. or B.Tech, or a diploma in engineering
- Knowledge of PPAP, APQP and core quality tools
- An auditor course is an advantage
- 2 to 6 years in quality, with supplier or incoming quality exposure
KRAs and KPIs for a Supplier Quality Engineer
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Incoming quality | Incoming defect rate for assigned suppliers reduced to the agreed target |
| PPAP support | Assigned new parts approved through PPAP before production start |
| Supplier claims | Supplier corrective actions closed within the agreed time |
| Audit follow-up | Supplier audit findings closed within the deadline |
| Supplier development | Assigned weak suppliers improved to the target rating |
| Line protection | Line stoppages from assigned suppliers kept below the agreed limit |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Measuring instruments, PPAP and APQP tools, Supplier scorecards, Quality management system (QMS), MS Excel.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Supplier Quality Manager, Quality Assurance Manager, Quality Manager
Interview questions for a Supplier Quality Engineer
- How do you support a supplier through PPAP for a new part?
- A supplier's lot fails at incoming. What do you do first?
- How do you help a supplier that keeps repeating the same defect?
- What do you check during a supplier process audit?
- How do you decide the incoming sampling for a risky part?
- How do you balance supplier quality with purchasing's cost pressure?
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What does a supplier quality engineer do?
A supplier quality engineer works hands-on to keep incoming parts and materials good. They support supplier approval and PPAP, run supplier audits, investigate incoming defects, and drive supplier corrective action. They visit vendor sites, help weak suppliers improve, maintain supplier scorecards, and cut incoming rejections that would otherwise disrupt production.
What is the difference between a supplier quality engineer and a supplier quality manager?
A supplier quality engineer does the hands-on work: audits, PPAP support, incoming investigations and supplier claims for assigned vendors. A supplier quality manager owns the supplier quality strategy, approves suppliers, sets policy, manages the team and handles major vendor escalations. The engineer executes, while the manager leads and decides.
What qualifications does a supplier quality engineer need?
A B.E. or B.Tech, or a diploma in engineering, is the usual base, with knowledge of PPAP, APQP and the core quality tools. An auditor course is an advantage. Employers value a few years in quality with supplier or incoming quality exposure and readiness to travel to vendor sites.