Senior Supplier Quality Engineer

Purpose

The Senior Supplier Quality Engineer (SSQE) owns quality outcomes, supplier risk posture, and recovery execution for Lincoln Electric’s strategic, high‑impact suppliers. This role acts as the quality decision authority for suppliers that directly affect production continuity, customer experience, regulatory compliance, and total cost of ownership.

This is not an audit or support role. The SSQE is accountable for preventing supplier‑driven disruption, exercising judgment under pressure, and making escalation, containment, launch‑gate, and supplier exit recommendations when risk is unacceptable.

Supplier Mapping & Ownership

Primary Ownership

• Strategic / Tier‑1 suppliers defined by one or more of the following:
• High annual spend (top ~20–25% of supplier spend)
• Direct impact to production continuity (line‑down risk)
• Sole‑source or constrained‑capacity suppliers
• Safety‑critical, regulatory‑critical, or customer‑visible components

Secondary / Oversight Role

• Regional or global suppliers with multi‑plant exposure

• New suppliers through APQP and first production approval

Explicit Exclusions

• Commodity, low‑risk, fully qualified suppliers with stable performance

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise & Risk Ownership

• Act as quality decision authority for assigned suppliers, including:

• Stop‑ship and controlled release decisions
• Deviation approval
• Supplier exit and resourcing recommendations

• Lead supplier risk assessments covering process capability, capacity, financial health, and geographic exposure
• Define and drive mitigation plans aligned with Global Sourcing strategy

APQP Leadership & Launch‑Gate Authority

• Lead and govern APQP and PPAP for strategic suppliers and high‑risk launches
• Approve or block launch readiness based on demonstrated capability, not intent
• Has authority to delay or stop launches when supplier risk is unacceptable
• Escalate unresolved launch risks to executive leadership with clear business impact

Key Responsibilities (Continued)

Supplier Performance, Escalation & Recovery

• Own supplier quality performance outcomes (PPM, COPQ, OTIF) for assigned suppliers
• Lead cross‑functional escalation and recovery when performance degrades
• Validate root cause and corrective action effectiveness; reject superficial or non‑systemic fixes
• Drive permanent countermeasures (process redesign, tooling changes, error‑proofing, automation)

Sourcing & Commercial Influence

• Serve as primary quality advisor to Commodity Managers for:
• Supplier nomination and award decisions
• Dual‑sourcing and exit strategies
• Translate quality risk into financial impact (downtime, warranty, COPQ, recovery cost)
• Influence sourcing decisions through total cost of ownership, not piece price

Capability Building & Governance

• Mentor Supplier Quality Engineers and define escalation thresholds
• Establish standard work for APQP rigor, audit depth, and supplier recovery

• Act as senior quality representative in cross‑functional and executive reviews

Measures of Success (12–24 Months)

• Reduced severity and duration of supplier‑driven production disruptions
• Sustained improvement in strategic supplier PPM, COPQ, and recovery cycle time
• Predictable, on‑time APQP/PPAP approvals with minimal post‑launch escapes
• Earlier, data‑driven supplier exits or resourcing decisions

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related technical discipline
• 7–10+ years of experience in Supplier Quality, Manufacturing Quality, or Operations Engineering
• Demonstrated experience exercising judgment in supplier escalation and launch decisions
• Strong working knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, SPC, and structured problem solving
• Proven ability to influence sourcing and operations without direct authority