Senior Supplier Quality Engineer

About the role

You will architect and own the end-to-end supplier quality strategy that de-risks production for our next-generation ground station systems. This role demands a builder who establishes quality infrastructure from first principles while ensuring flawless execution across the supply chain. You will define the processes, controls, and metrics that ensure our space-grade hardware is reliable, repeatable, and ready for global deployment. You will act as the primary quality advocate for our suppliers, embedding rigorous standards into every component and assembly operation. The position requires you to translate complex engineering requirements into actionable quality plans that suppliers can execute consistently. You will drive a culture of continuous improvement where data, root cause analysis, and disciplined corrective action eliminate defects before they reach production. If you thrive on building systems from scratch and seeing your frameworks enable real-world space missions, this is your critical role at Northwood.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Architect the company's inaugural supplier quality assurance system, establishing documentation standards, process workflows, and audit methodologies for all critical component categories.
• Conduct exhaustive supplier evaluations and qualification programs for RF, PCBA, mechanical, and electromechanical parts, executing audits and assessing compliance with strict quality benchmarks.
• Partner deeply with product design and manufacturing leadership to advance DFM, NPI, and pilot build initiatives, ensuring designs are manufacturable at scale without compromising reliability.
• Create and maintain supplier key performance indicators covering quality, delivery, cost, and responsiveness, then implement robust reporting mechanisms that provide real-time visibility into supply chain health.
• Lead complex supplier quality issue investigations, driving root cause analysis and executing corrective and preventive actions to resolve non-conformances and prevent future escapes.
• Develop and validate incoming inspection plans and testing protocols that verify component conformance to specifications while optimizing efficiency and risk coverage.
• Serve as the primary technical liaison between internal engineering teams and external manufacturing partners, translating requirements and resolving issues with precision and urgency.
• Own capacity expansion readiness activities and oversee production ramp-up at suppliers, aligning their capabilities with Northwood's aggressive deployment timelines.
• Flow down detailed supplier technical requirements and quality controls to ensure every tier of the supply chain supports the reliability and performance of our hardware.
• Provide actionable feedback to suppliers focused on eliminating costs, reducing cycle times, and increasing yields without sacrificing quality, compliance, or performance.
• Drive supplier root cause failure analysis activities, coordinating cross-functional responses to quality gaps, escapes, and containments with rigorous follow-through.
• Lead cost engineering initiatives that analyze the bottoms-up cost curve, challenge assumptions, and converge on a total cost of ownership model that benefits both Northwood and suppliers.

Requirements

• Hold a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a closely related technical field that provides a rigorous foundation in manufacturing and systems thinking.
• Bring a minimum of 5 years of hands-on experience in Supplier Quality or Supplier Development roles within demanding manufacturing environments where quality systems directly impact product integrity.
• Demonstrate proven expertise with global quality standards and tools, including ISO 9001, AS9100, and PPAP, applying them consistently to control processes and validate supplier performance.
• Show a strong track record of qualifying new suppliers and managing ongoing supplier performance, using data to drive decisions and negotiate improvements.
• Exhibit experience building or scaling quality systems in low-to-medium volume, high-complexity manufacturing environments where requirements evolve quickly and precision is non-negotiable.
• Possess the ability to travel up to 25% domestically and internationally to conduct supplier audits, lead investigations, and engage with partners where our hardware is produced.
• Maintain eligibility for U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), by being a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
• Thrive in a fast-paced, mission-critical setting where quality decisions directly affect satellite communications, ground station operations, and real-world impact during disaster response and national security missions.
• Communicate clearly and professionally in written and verbal formats, ensuring technical requirements, audit findings, and corrective actions are understood by both engineering teams and supplier partners.
• Approach problem solving with intellectual rigor, using structured methodologies to dissect issues, identify underlying causes, and implement sustainable solutions across the supply base.

Nice to have

• Acquire practical experience in an AS9100 certified environment, leveraging aerospace-specific quality management principles to manage supplier relationships and compliance.
• Draw on prior experience within the aerospace, satellite, telecommunications, or defense industries, where high-reliability manufacturing and strict regulatory requirements are standard.
• Apply hands-on knowledge of RF components, PCBA, custom enclosures, and electromechanical assemblies to evaluate supplier processes and validate test results.
• Utilize familiarity with ERP, PLM, and digital quality management systems to streamline data collection, traceability, and supplier performance analytics.
• Guide early-stage product development through to production ramp, aligning supplier capabilities with evolving designs and volume demands while maintaining quality and cost targets.
• Pursue Lean Six Sigma or other formal quality certifications that reinforce data-driven decision making and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Demonstrate proficiency in SQL or other advanced data tools to analyze supplier metrics, quality trends, and root cause patterns that drive strategic improvements.

Practical notes

• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
• Ability to travel up to 25% domestically and internationally is required.
• Northwood Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Additional information is provided solely to clarify expectations; all essential functions and qualifications are defined in the core requirements and responsibilities outlined above. The role is focused exclusively on supplier quality and development activities that enable Northwood's mission to deliver reliable, real-time satellite communications from ground stations built and deployed around the world. If you are motivated by rigorous engineering standards, cross-functional collaboration, and seeing your quality systems enable critical space missions, you will find this position deeply impactful and technically challenging.