Job Description:
What you'll do:- Lead the technical development and performance improvement of suppliers supporting welded assemblies, large metallic structures, sheet metal components, and complex structural assemblies.
- Assess supplier capabilities across welding, sheet metal forming, structural fabrication, machining, assembly, tooling, inspection, and special processes.
- Conduct supplier capability assessments, manufacturing readiness reviews, process audits, capacity analyses, and onsite technical evaluations.
- Partner with Strategic Sourcing and Engineering to evaluate and select suppliers capable of meeting technical, quality, cost, schedule, and production-rate requirements.
- Serve as the primary technical interface between suppliers and internal Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Program teams.
- Lead supplier industrialization activities, including manufacturing planning, tooling and fixture readiness, process validation, capacity planning, qualification, and production ramp-up.
- Review engineering drawings, specifications, GD&T, bills of material, weld symbols, material requirements, special-process requirements, and statements of work.
- Evaluate supplier welding capabilities, including welding equipment, personnel qualifications, weld procedures, process controls, inspection methods, and compliance with applicable aerospace welding standards.
- Review welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, welder certifications, and nondestructive inspection requirements.
- Work with suppliers to control weld distortion, residual stress, dimensional variation, heat-affected zones, joint fit-up, and other risks associated with large welded structures.
- Evaluate sheet metal forming processes such as brake forming, roll forming, stretch forming, hydroforming, stamping, and complex contour forming.
- Assess supplier tooling strategies for large structures and sheet metal components, including weld fixtures, assembly jigs, forming tools, trim tools, and inspection fixtures.
- Drive design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly discussions to improve joint design, tooling access, weld accessibility, dimensional control, producibility, cost, and lead time.
- Lead technical problem-solving involving weld defects, forming defects, springback, distortion, dimensional nonconformances, tooling issues, material variability, and assembly fit-up.
- Develop and manage supplier technical development plans, production readiness plans, capacity recovery plans, and corrective-action plans.
- Apply structured root-cause and corrective-action methods, including 8D, 5-Why, fishbone analysis, fault-tree analysis, and other appropriate problem-solving tools.
- Review and approve supplier manufacturing documentation, including process flow diagrams, manufacturing plans, weld plans, inspection plans, control plans, PFMEAs, work instructions, and qualification documentation.
- Coordinate First Article Inspection activities in accordance with AS9102 and support the resolution of FAI discrepancies and manufacturing nonconformances.
- Evaluate supplier production capacity using cycle times, yield, equipment availability, skilled labor, tooling, floor space, material flow, and inspection capacity.
- Support suppliers through engineering changes, new product introductions, prototype builds, qualification activities, and production-rate increases.
- Develop measurable improvement plans for suppliers experiencing delivery, quality, capacity, or technical performance issues.
- Lead onsite supplier recovery efforts and communicate progress, technical risks, and corrective actions to program and executive leadership.
- Monitor supplier performance trends to identify recurring issues, systemic risks, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
- Support alternate-source development and risk-mitigation strategies for sole-source, long-lead, and flight-critical structural components.
- Work with suppliers to implement lean manufacturing, process controls, mistake-proofing, yield improvement, cycle-time reduction, and production-flow improvements.
- Ensure suppliers comply with applicable AS9100, AS9102, engineering, configuration-control, special-process, and customer requirements.
- Provide technical guidance and mentorship to less-experienced Supplier Development, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain team members.
- Travel regularly to supplier locations to conduct assessments, resolve technical issues, and support production readiness and recovery activities.
Required qualifications:- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Welding Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.
- 7+ years of experience in supplier development, manufacturing engineering, welding engineering, supplier quality engineering, or a related technical role within aerospace, defense, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated experience developing suppliers and resolving complex manufacturing, quality, capacity, or delivery issues.
- Technical experience with one or more of the following commodity or process areas:
- Large metallic airframe structures
- Welded structural assemblies
- Sheet metal components and assemblies
- Sheet metal forming and fabrication
- Structural frames, supports, mounts, and enclosures
- Complex mechanical and structural assemblies
- Precision-machined structural components
- Tooling, fixtures, and assembly jigs
- Aerospace welding and special processes
- Strong working knowledge of welding processes such as GTAW/TIG, GMAW/MIG, resistance welding, laser welding, or electron-beam welding.
- Knowledge of sheet metal manufacturing processes, including cutting, bending, forming, rolling, trimming, drilling, fastening, and structural assembly.
- Experience evaluating welding procedures, welder qualifications, joint preparation, filler materials, shielding requirements, heat input, distortion control, and weld inspection methods.
- Ability to read and interpret complex engineering drawings, GD&T, weld symbols, bills of material, material specifications, and manufacturing requirements.
- Experience assessing tooling and fixture concepts for welding, sheet metal forming, large-structure assembly, and dimensional inspection.
- Experience conducting manufacturing process audits, supplier capability assessments, capacity analyses, and production readiness reviews.
- Experience with First Article Inspection requirements and AS9102 documentation.
- Working knowledge of AS9100 quality management systems and aerospace supplier qualification requirements.
- Experience applying structured root-cause analysis and corrective-action methodologies, including 8D, 5-Why, and fishbone analysis.
- Knowledge of PFMEA, control plans, process capability, statistical process control, measurement systems, and inspection methods.
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional technical teams and supplier improvement initiatives with limited oversight.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to make data-driven technical decisions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical risks and recovery plans to suppliers and senior leadership.
- Ability to manage multiple supplier development projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to travel to domestic and international supplier facilities as required.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.
Preferred qualifications:- Active U.S. government SECRET security clearance at the time of hire.
- Experience supporting aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, advanced aerospace platforms, or defense programs.
- Direct supplier development experience involving large welded airframe structures, sheet metal assemblies, engine mounts, structural frames, or other flight-critical hardware.
- Experience supporting the industrialization and production ramp-up of newly designed aerospace structures and assemblies.
- Working knowledge of aerospace welding standards and specifications, including AWS D17.1 or comparable requirements.
- Experience reviewing welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, welder certifications, and weld inspection documentation.
- Experience with aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, nickel alloys, and other aerospace-grade materials.
- Experience resolving weld cracking, porosity, lack of fusion, distortion, springback, dimensional variation, and assembly fit-up issues.
- Knowledge of nondestructive testing methods such as radiographic, ultrasonic, dye-penetrant, magnetic-particle, and visual inspection.
- Experience with large-scale tooling, weld fixtures, forming dies, assembly jigs, laser tracking, CMM inspection, and dimensional control.
- Experience leading supplier recovery efforts involving critical delivery, capacity, manufacturing, or quality issues.
- Experience with lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, value-stream mapping, process capability analysis, and production-flow optimization.
- Familiarity with NADCAP-controlled processes, including welding, heat treatment, nondestructive testing, coatings, and chemical processing.
- Familiarity with FAR, DFARS, ITAR, export compliance, and government contracting requirements.
- Experience working in both prototype and production environments with aggressive schedule and production-rate requirements.
- ASQ Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Welding Inspector, Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt, or another relevant professional certification.
#LD
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
