Staff Supplier Quality Engineer

About the role

You define and enforce the quality strategy for a portfolio of critical suppliers producing complex components and special process parts. You own the end-to-end quality gate from NPI qualification through steady-state production, ensuring supplier processes meet Mainspring Energy standards. You serve as the internal subject matter expert on special processes for the broader Supplier Quality team and act as the primary escalation path for supplier quality issues. You work with significant autonomy, making decisions that directly impact the reliability and scalability of our power generation supply chain. You partner cross-functionally with Design Engineering, Materials & Process, and Supply Chain to embed quality into the supply chain from the start rather than relying on inspection to fix problems later. You drive continuous improvement initiatives that remove systemic defects and strengthen supplier capabilities over time. You translate customer and internal requirements into clear quality standards that suppliers can execute against consistently. You represent Mainspring Energy's quality expectations with partners, ensuring our pragmatic optimism and excellence without ego are reflected in every external interaction.

Key facts

What you'll do

Perform supplier process audits and evaluate compliance with Mainspring Energy quality standards across special processes and complex component suppliers.

Develop and maintain supplier quality metrics dashboards, identifying trends, root causes, and corrective actions for nonconforming materials and processes.

Lead failure analysis investigations for supplier-related defects, coordinating with Design Engineering, Materials & Process, and Supply Chain to implement effective corrective actions.

Define and document special process controls, ensuring procedures, work instructions, and test methods are clear, complete, and followed at supplier facilities.

Qualify new suppliers and new processes, overseeing NPI stages, first article inspections, and production validation to ensure readiness for steady-state manufacturing.

Partner with Supply Chain to assess supplier capability, capacity, and risk, providing input on supplier selection and development plans.

Own the resolution of supplier quality escalations, coordinating with internal stakeholders to maintain production schedules and meet customer commitments.

Implement statistical process control techniques, working with suppliers to reduce variation and improve process capability for critical characteristics.

Drive the execution of supplier continuous improvement programs, tracking closure of nonconformances and verification of sustained improvements.

Serve as the technical expert for special processes within the Supplier Quality organization, mentoring other SQE team members and standardizing best practices.

Coordinate with Materials & Process to ensure supplier material certifications, traceability, and test records are complete and compliant with Mainspring Energy requirements.

Establish supplier quality performance scorecards, defining targets, measurements, and improvement plans aligned with Mainspring Energy's operational and reliability goals.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate customer requirements into supplier quality specifications and acceptance criteria.

Champion the adoption of defect prevention strategies, using tools such as design reviews, process audits, and risk assessments to catch issues before they reach production.

Requirements

Candidates must have a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, or a related technical field or equivalent practical experience.

You must have a minimum of five years of supplier quality or manufacturing quality experience in a technical industry, demonstrating a strong understanding of supplier processes and continuous improvement.

You must be proficient in statistical process control, root cause analysis methods, and quality management systems, with hands-on experience implementing controls for complex processes.

You must have experience working with special processes such as welding, heat treating, plating, or precision machining, and be able to evaluate supplier compliance with relevant specifications and standards.

You must have strong written and verbal communication skills, able to interact effectively with supplier personnel at multiple levels and translate technical requirements into actionable expectations.

You must demonstrate a proven track record of driving supplier quality improvements, with measurable results in defect reduction, scrap reduction, or on-time delivery.

You must be comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment where priorities shift quickly and decisions are made with limited supervision.

You must be highly organized, able to manage multiple supplier relationships, audits, and projects simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail and accuracy.

Nice to have

Experience in the energy, utility, or industrial sectors, with an understanding of the regulatory and reliability expectations that drive power generation quality.

Familiarity with quality tools and methodologies specific to special processes, including weld inspection, heat treat monitoring, and dimensional gauging techniques.

Knowledge of ISO quality standards and supplier quality management systems, with prior experience implementing QMS requirements in a manufacturing environment.

Experience using data analytics and visualization tools to track supplier performance and support decision-making.

Background in supplier development and coaching, with a demonstrated ability to partner with suppliers to build capability and capacity.

Experience working with global suppliers across multiple time zones, navigating cultural and language barriers to drive quality outcomes.

Practical notes

This role is full-time.

Employment is exempt.

The work may require up to 10% travel.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

New-hire onboarding is scheduled to start in the fourth week of the month.