Supplier Quality Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Supplier Quality Engineer

Job Description

This senior, multi-disciplinary Supplier Quality Engineer role serves as a key member of the Quality team and plays a critical, customer-facing position alongside the Quality Manager. Reporting to the Quality Director, the role spans supplier quality, core quality engineering, and advanced quality planning activities, with a strong focus on aerospace and defense programs and direct interaction with prime contractors.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior member of the Quality team, acting as a key point of contact for customers and supporting the Quality Manager in customer-facing activities.
• Lead supplier quality activities, including planning and conducting supplier audits to ensure compliance with aerospace and defense quality requirements.
• Manage supplier nonconformances by investigating issues, documenting findings, and driving effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Issue and manage supplier corrective action requests (SCARs), track responses, and verify implementation and effectiveness of corrective actions.
• Monitor and track supplier on-time delivery (OTD) and batch lot acceptance performance with a target of 95% or higher, and report on supplier performance metrics.
• Support supplier development initiatives to improve quality, delivery, and overall performance, particularly for electronics and aerospace-related components.
• Lead or support transition-to-production activities, ensuring that new products and processes are effectively industrialized and meet quality requirements.
• Review engineering drawings, procedures, and test procedures to ensure they meet customer, regulatory, and internal quality requirements.
• Interpret multi-customer requirement flow-downs and ensure that applicable requirements are correctly implemented in processes, documentation, and deliverables.
• Participate in customer-facing program reviews, such as Critical Design Reviews (CDRs), by preparing quality documentation, presenting quality status, and addressing customer questions.
• Support compliance activities related to DO-178C and DO-254, ensuring that relevant quality and documentation requirements are met for software and hardware in aerospace and defense applications.
• Apply AS9100 quality management system principles in daily work, including process control, documentation, and continuous improvement.
• Utilize APQP methodologies in accordance with AS9145 and support the preparation and review of AS9102 First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs).
• Collaborate with internal engineering, operations, and supply chain teams to resolve quality issues and drive continuous improvement across the value chain.
• Prepare and maintain clear, accurate quality records and reports for internal stakeholders and external customers.
• Travel approximately 25–30% of the time to supplier sites and customer locations for audits, reviews, and quality support activities.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor's degree in a technical or engineering discipline.
• 5–8+ years of quality engineering experience in the aerospace and defense industry in a senior-level capacity.
• Hands-on experience with AS9100 quality management systems, including implementation, maintenance, or auditing of QMS processes.
• Familiarity with AS9145 Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) methodologies.
• Familiarity with AS9102 First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs).
• Proven supplier quality experience, including conducting supplier audits, tracking nonconformances, managing corrective actions, and monitoring performance metrics.
• Experience working with aerospace and defense suppliers, particularly in electronics or related components.
• Customer-facing communication skills, with the ability to interface directly and professionally with prime contractors.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to interpret and manage multi-customer requirement flow-downs.
• Experience supporting compliance activities related to DO-178C and DO-254 or similar aerospace and defense standards.
• Ability to travel approximately 25–30% of the time for supplier and customer engagements.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in a senior quality engineering role with responsibility for both supplier quality and internal quality engineering activities.
• Background in electronics manufacturing or integration within aerospace and defense applications.
• Demonstrated ability to support transition-to-production activities, including readiness reviews and process validation.
• Experience participating in or leading customer program reviews such as Critical Design Reviews (CDRs).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams including engineering, operations, and supply chain.
• Clear, concise technical writing skills for reports, procedures, and customer-facing documentation.

Work Environment

The role operates within an aerospace and defense-focused engineering and manufacturing environment that emphasizes structured quality management and compliance with AS9100 and related standards. The Supplier Quality Engineer spends a significant portion of time in an office and lab or production setting reviewing drawings, procedures, test documentation, and quality records, and participating in program and design reviews. The position requires approximately 25–30% travel to supplier facilities and customer sites to conduct audits, support supplier development, and participate in customer reviews. Work involves regular use of quality management systems, electronic documentation tools, and collaboration with engineering, operations, and supply chain teams in a professional, process-driven environment.

This is a Permanent position based out of Torrance, CA.

The pay range for this position is $100000.00 - $145000.00/yr.

• Broad scope — this engineer will touch every phase of a program's quality lifecycle • Direct exposure to major defense primes • Growth path — Quality Director’s long-term vision includes three distinct sub-departments (Supplier Quality, RMA/Production, Quality Engineering) • DO-178C/DO-254 exposure and training available — valuable for career development in defense electronics • Collaborative, accessible leadership with deep industry expertise • Company has navigated a challenging period and is now on an upswing with a growing program base

This is a fully onsite position in Torrance,CA.

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 16, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on ziprecruiter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.