Supplier Quality Engineer

Supplier Quality EngineerDarlington - This is an almost fully remote role6-12 Month ContractSector: Engineering & Advanced Manufacturing (Automotive / Heavy Industrial)We are seeking a Supplier Quality Engineer to champion our supplier development, APQP/PPAP processes, and cross-functional engineering partnerships across our Europe region (focusing on Global 7 Activities). Sitting at the critical intersection of Purchasing, Manufacturing, and Engineering, you will play a vital role in preventing quality issues before they happen and solving them instantly when they do.The Role:As our Supplier Quality Engineer, you will combine your technical problem-solving skills with a partner-first mindset to elevate our supply base. Your day-to-day will split between proactive engineering planning and high-impact, hands-on quality resolution.Key Responsibilities:\n

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• Work seamlessly with VPI program leads to issue APQP projects to suppliers. Manage monthly metrics, update the tracker, and lead formal performance reviews.
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• Act as the first line of defense for build quality issues. Collaborate with internal quality leads to investigate emerging issues, establish immediate containment/sorting fixes, and align with suppliers on long-term resolution.
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• Own quality FIRGs (steps 3–7) and drive robust root-cause analyses to closure in the RV&S system.
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• Conduct thorough supplier audits to mitigate supply chain risks, evaluate supplier readiness, and establish structured performance improvement plans.
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• Partner with suppliers to validate that their manufacturing processes are structurally capable of perfectly aligning with engineering prints, industry standards, and customer specs.
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Skillset & Experience Required \n

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• Proven experience in a Supplier Quality Engineering or similar quality manufacturing environment.
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• Deep, practical knowledge of industry-standard automotive/industrial quality frameworks: APQP, PPAP, and AIAG tools.
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• Strong competency in leading structured problem-solving, root-cause analyses, and corrective action implementations.
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• Ability to act as a trusted technical bridge between external suppliers and internal purchasing/engineering teams.
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• Proficiency in tracking and generating technical quality reporting metrics.
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Desirable:\n

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• Experience working within global frameworks or supporting the European region.
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• A background utilizing Lean and Six-Sigma continuous improvement methodologies.
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• Familiarity with internal tracking tools like CQMS and RV&S systems.
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