Supply Chain Engineer

Senior Principal Supply Chain Engineer - HDDThe Supply Chain Innovation Manager partners closely with industry ecosystem, strategic suppliers, and internal cross-functional teams to enable new technologies, reduce total cost of ownership (TCO), and strengthen supplier manufacturing capability, capacity, quality, sustainability, and resilience. This role sits at the intersection of supply chain, engineering, and operations, driving innovation across the supplier ecosystem to support long-term business growth and competitiveness.The ideal candidate combines strong technical acumen with supplier-facing leadership, using data, structured problem-solving, and collaboration to translate emerging technologies into scalable, cost-effective, and resilient supply chain solutions.Key ResponsibilitiesPartner with suppliers to evaluate, pilot, and scale new technologies, processes, and materials that improve cost, performance, quality, and time-to-marketServe as a technical interface between suppliers and internal engineering, manufacturing, quality, and procurement teamsIdentify and drive supplier-led innovation opportunities aligned with product and supply chain roadmapsLead initiatives to reduce total cost of ownership through design-for-manufacturability, process optimization, automation, yield improvement, and lifecycle cost analysisEvaluate trade-offs across cost, quality, risk, sustainability, and scalability to inform sourcing and technology decisionsSupport should-cost modeling and fact-based negotiations through deep technical and process understandingAssess and improve supplier capacity, scalability, and technical readiness to support current and future business demandDrive initiatives to improve supplier operational maturity, including process capability, equipment readiness, workforce skills, and digitalizationPartner with supply chain and operations teams to strengthen supplier resilience, including dual sourcing, risk mitigation, and recovery planningCollaborate with suppliers and internal quality teams to improve process capability, reduce variability, and prevent escapesLead root cause analysis and corrective action for systemic supplier issuesPromote continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, SPC) across the supplier baseSupport supplier sustainability initiatives related to environmental impact, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and responsible sourcingWork closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, procurement, finance, and program management teams to align priorities and executionCommunicate complex technical and supply chain topics clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholdersInfluence to drive alignment and results across organizational boundariesQualificationsRequired QualificationsBachelor's degree in Engineering, Mechanical, Material Science, Electronics, Physics, Chemical, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related technical fieldExtensive experience in supply chain engineering, manufacturing engineering, supplier development, or related rolesExperience working directly with suppliers on technical, operational, or cost-reduction initiativesStrong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven mindsetAbility to travel domestically and internationally as neededPreferred QualificationsMaster's degree in in Engineering, Mechanical, Material Science, Electronics, Physics, Chemical, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related technical field, and MBA.Experience introducing new manufacturing technologies or processes into productionBackground in cost modeling, should-cost analysis, or value engineering