Supplier & Customer Quality Engineering

Job Purpose

• The Supplier & Customer Quality Engineer serves as a key quality interface across VulcanForms’ external value chain, supporting both supplier quality performance and customer quality requirements. This role is responsible for ensuring supplier-provided products and processes meet VulcanForms, customer, contractual, and regulatory requirements while also managing customer quality concerns from intake through resolution. The engineer will work cross-functionally with suppliers, customers, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Quality to investigate issues, drive corrective actions, identify trends, and improve overall product and process quality. The ideal candidate is comfortable working directly with both suppliers and customers and can translate external quality requirements into effective actions throughout the manufacturing process.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary Quality interface with assigned suppliers and customers, building effective relationships and ensuring timely communication and resolution of quality concerns.
• Manage supplier and customer quality issues from identification through closure, including containment, investigation, root cause analysis, corrective action, and effectiveness verification.
• Lead Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations for supplier-caused nonconformities and customer complaints, including SCARs and customer-required corrective action responses.
• Interpret customer, contractual, regulatory, drawing, specification, and VulcanForms Quality Management System requirements and ensure they are appropriately incorporated into manufacturing and supplier processes.
• Drive supplier quality performance through qualification, development, performance monitoring, corrective action, and continuous improvement activities.
• Conduct supplier capability assessments, process validations, onsite or remote audits, and qualification activities to support supplier selection and ongoing approval.
• Interface directly with customers to understand quality expectations, respond to quality concerns, and ensure customer-specific requirements are effectively implemented within VulcanForms operations.
• Analyze supplier, customer complaint, nonconformance, and quality performance data to identify trends, systemic issues, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop and maintain meaningful supplier and customer quality metrics and communicate performance, risks, and improvement activities to internal and external stakeholders.
• Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Operations, and other Quality functions to resolve product and process quality issues and ensure manufacturing readiness.
• Participate in product, process, and design reviews to ensure quality requirements are incorporated early and effectively.
• Support material review and disposition activities for supplier-related and customer-impacting nonconformances.
• Develop, maintain, and improve quality documentation, procedures, work instructions, records, reports, and process maps.
• Support internal and external audits and ensure compliance with applicable Quality Management System and regulatory requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives based on supplier performance, customer feedback, nonconformance trends, and quality metrics.
• Provide training and guidance to internal teams and suppliers on applicable quality requirements, processes, and expectations.
• Travel to supplier and customer locations as needed to support qualification, audits, investigations, inspections, corrective actions, and other quality activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 3+ years of experience in Quality Engineering, Supplier Quality, Customer Quality, Manufacturing Quality, or a related quality role.
• Experience working in aerospace, defense, medical device, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience conducting root cause investigations and implementing effective corrective actions.
• Experience managing nonconformances and interpreting technical, customer, or regulatory requirements.
• Ability to work effectively with suppliers, customers, and cross-functional internal teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate technical quality issues clearly and professionally.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AS9100 and/or ISO 13485 Quality Management Systems.
• Experience performing supplier audits, qualifications, capability assessments, or supplier development activities.
• Experience managing customer complaints, escapes, concessions, corrective action requests, or similar customer quality processes.
• Experience reading and interpreting engineering drawings, specifications, and technical requirements.
• Experience with quality tools including RCCA, 5 Why, Fishbone, Pareto analysis, FMEA, SPC, MSA, and process capability analysis.
• Experience developing and analyzing supplier and customer quality metrics.
• Experience interfacing with and presenting to senior or executive leadership.
• Lead Auditor or other auditing certification related to AS9100, ISO 13485, or similar standards.
• Experience reviewing contracts, customer-specific requirements, supplier requirements, and/or inventory and material controls.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple quality issues and priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Pay and benefits

VulcanForms offers a competitive salary and equity package. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, VulcanForms provides comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance; generous paid time off; and a 401(k) plan with company match.

The annual base salary range for this position is $75,412 to $103,692.