Job Description:Product & Supplier Quality Engineer
Location: Mesa, AZ with travel
Product & Supplier Quality EngineerPosition OverviewNextpower is seeking a
Product & Supplier Quality Engineer to provide technical leadership and quality oversight across our products, suppliers, and contract manufacturing (CM) network. This role will establish and drive quality requirements, standards, controls, and improvement strategies to ensure products consistently meet Nextpower's quality, reliability, performance, and manufacturing requirements.
This position will serve as a subject matter expert for complex product and supplier quality challenges, partnering across Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Reliability, suppliers, and contract manufacturers to identify risks, resolve systemic issues, and drive sustainable improvements across the product lifecycle.
Key Responsibilities- Serve as a subject matter expert for product and supplier quality, providing technical leadership across Nextpower's supplier and contract manufacturing network.
- Establish and maintain supplier and CM quality requirements, control plans, inspection plans, acceptance criteria, and quality standards.
- Define and drive consistent quality methodologies, metrics, controls, and corrective-action practices across manufacturing sites and suppliers.
- Monitor and evaluate incoming, in-process, final, and end-of-line (EOL) quality performance.
- Analyze quality data and trends, including FPY, RTY, defect rates, rework, DPMO, and process capability, to identify systemic risks and improvement opportunities.
- Lead supplier and CM process, product, quality-system, and manufacturing-readiness audits and drive closure of identified gaps.
- Review quality records, manufacturing and test data, NCRs, deviations, and product release documentation.
- Lead resolution of complex and systemic quality issues through 8D, root-cause analysis, CAPA, and corrective-action effectiveness verification.
- Evaluate calibration, measurement systems, traceability, inspection controls, and manufacturing processes to ensure appropriate quality controls are established and maintained.
- Provide quality leadership during supplier qualification, NPI, pilot builds, process validation, FAT, production transfers, and manufacturing ramp-up.
- Ensure suppliers and contract manufacturers comply with Nextpower specifications, procedures, engineering changes, approved revisions, and applicable quality requirements.
- Identify emerging product and supplier quality risks and develop strategies to mitigate potential product, manufacturing, customer, and business impact.
- Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Reliability, and other functions to resolve complex quality issues and implement long-term improvements.
- Influence suppliers, contract manufacturers, and internal stakeholders to implement quality improvements, process controls, and corrective actions.
- Drive standardization of quality processes, metrics, control plans, and corrective-action practices across suppliers and manufacturing locations.
- Report product and supplier quality performance, significant risks, trends, and improvement initiatives to Nextpower leadership.
- Support customer audits, supplier and factory visits, quality reviews, and other internal or external assessments.
- Provide technical guidance and direction to engineers, suppliers, and manufacturing partners as needed.
Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Quality, Manufacturing, Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- 12+ years of related experience in product quality, supplier quality, manufacturing quality, quality engineering, or a related discipline; or 8+ years with a Master's degree; or 5+ years with a PhD; or equivalent experience.
- Extensive experience working with suppliers, contract manufacturers, or complex manufacturing operations.
- Advanced knowledge of quality and manufacturing methodologies, including ISO 9001, PFMEA, control plans, SPC, MSA, 8D, CAPA, and root-cause analysis.
- Demonstrated experience leading resolution of complex or systemic product and manufacturing quality issues.
- Experience developing and implementing quality standards, controls, and improvement strategies across suppliers or manufacturing environments.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing process controls, inspection systems, measurement systems, traceability, and quality performance metrics.
- Experience with ERP, MES, QMS, NCR, and quality-reporting systems.
- Demonstrated ability to independently evaluate complex technical issues, determine appropriate methodologies, and drive solutions across multiple stakeholders.
- Strong communication and influencing skills with the ability to communicate complex technical information across engineering, manufacturing, suppliers, and leadership.
- Strong auditing, analytical, problem-solving, and project-management skills.
- Ability and willingness to travel to supplier and contract manufacturing facilities as required.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience supporting product and supplier quality across multiple manufacturing sites or a global supplier network.
- Experience with complex electrical, electromechanical, power electronics, renewable energy, or industrial products.
- Experience establishing standardized quality processes and performance metrics across multiple suppliers or manufacturing locations.
- Experience supporting NPI, supplier qualification, manufacturing transfers, FAT, and production ramp-up.
- Demonstrated experience influencing supplier or contract manufacturing leadership and driving improvements without direct reporting authority.
- Experience presenting quality performance, risk assessments, and improvement strategies to senior leadership.
