Supplier Development Engineer

A Supplier Development Engineer ensures that supplying companies’ systems, processes and build capacities meet the design intent of the customer and are compliant with the end customer’s needs. This includes initial supply chain company verification.

**Overall Purpose of the role**
Work in a team environment as a key resource for the component teams to develop new supply sources, and existing sources needing development, to improve cost competitiveness and be the conduit between TE-c and the supplier. Responsibilities will include cross-functional program management to qualify new components, supporting issues with current production, developing suppliers to have the ability to reduce costs, increase capacity, and auditing suppliers to ensure process conformance. Manage the customer specific requirements and offer technical support within areas of commodity expertise. Work on multiple phases or sub-tasks of projects with results impacting on project completion.

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Deliver high quality stamping dies and processes that meet the production, part quality and cost goals of the program
- Support product engineers through part and assembly DFM studies
- Provide technical direction on tool and equipment design and build
- Technical specifications for stamped components RFQ generation
- Working knowledge of GD&T aspects for stamped components in high-speed environment
- Resolve complex part formability issues using die compensation strategies to achieve design intent, quality, and production goals
- Participate with product and tooling design engineers on quality standards creation per component
- Drive supplier selection through robust qualification and development processes
- Drive improvements utilizing Lean methodologies, supplier scorecards and supplier audits, ensuring supplier compliance, while driving systematic problem solving and process improvement plans to deliver value
- Manage and drive the Focus Supplier Program, when performance mandates, to track the supplier’s key performance indicators, based on their scorecards and rankings, to facilitate and develop the suppliers’ ability to consistently meet or exceed defined expectations
- Manage a diverse and cross-functional customer and supplier team during SWOT workshops at suppliers’ facilities while utilizing various quality and manufacturing tools - Control Plan Reviews, R-PFMEA’s, OEE Utilization, Standard Work Instructions, etc. - with the intent to improve upon degraded key performance indicators
- Provide technical expertise and leadership to sourcing and development of suppliers with respect to technology, performance, quality, cost, logistics and delivery
- Provide leadership during investigations of major problems and or special projects focusing on developing working relationships with suppliers and the supply chain regarding product development and procurement of parts
- Perform new supplier validation audits, with supplier support and supplier Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) as required
- Support Outside Vendor Management with Quality support for supplier-to-supplier tool moves. Provide drawings and quality inspection plans to the receiving supplier and assist with check-off to ensure all gages, etc. have been provided
- Coordinate customer concern resolutions for pre-production product complaints
- Assist in developing and executing proactive stamping business processes to increase performance and capabilities of the supply base to meet TE’s short
- and long-term project needs
- Develop the supplier team members’ capabilities in problem solving skills ensuring the use of comprehensive scoring and coaching tools - 8D Effectiveness
- Utilize technical problem-solving tools to diagnose and fix escalated, particularly difficult technical challenges in the supply base in effort to protect TE costs of poor quality and delivery internally and to our customers

**What your background should look like**:

- BS Degree in Manufacturing Engineering or Mechanical Engineering required
- 10+ years of experience in Die Design, manufacturing, and tuning
- Demonstrated, hands-on experience buying-off dies for construction quality and part accuracy.
- Demonstrated experience managing international tool and die suppliers to meet project goals.
- Experience creating Die operation layouts.
- Strong, demonstrated interpersonal skills to work effectively and cooperatively with diverse teams of engineers and management
- Hands-on experience with dimensional verification processes for body in white components.
- Willingness to expand your understanding of the stamping process and creatively resolve project issues in an aggressive, cost sensitive and time sensitive manner
- Completion of GD&T training course by certified instructor within the last 8 years
- Fluent in Microsoft Office software
- Knowledge of hydraulics, pneumatics, and electrical control systems
- Working knowledge of SPC, capability analysis, gage R&