Lead - Supplier Quality

Experience: 7 to 14 years

Qualification: Bachelor's degree (B.E/B.Tech) in Metallurgical, Mechanical, or Automobile Engineering.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Sourcing supplier selections

• Ensure a correct input to the supplier selection process by contributing actively in the relevant activities such as Kick-Off, Quotation & Technical Review, Audits, Q-ratings, PPAP timing and introduction of suppliers.
• Strategic supplier evaluations
• Monitor supplier performance through KPIs and provide relevant data for reviews. Actively contribute to commodity strategy development, including planning strategic audits.
• Conduct special process audits for assigned responsibilities.

Proactive quality assurance

Manufacturability & early industrialization

• Identify potential manufacturability risks connected to product properties such as material, technology, design concept and failure effects e.g. by participation at relevant Product Development/Data collection activities. Use knowledge to frame QA & APQP activities including but not limited to QA classification, PPAP preparation, SPR demands and definition of significant characteristics.
• Securing industrialization result (e.g. milestones, FMEA, SPR, CPK, PPAP evaluation)
• Perform process reviews including SPR from remote or at supplier sites by evaluating results from documentation & activities including but not limited to P-FMEA, Control Plan, Poka Yoke solutions and Capability Data.
• If a supplier in own portfolio is VDA 6.3 audited and an action plan is required, it is Commodity SQA's responsibility to verify that the agreed action plan is implemented.
• Participate in relevant part and/or project reviews such as Part Clinics and AAR Reviews.
• In own area, process both supplier and internal quality assurance & product data in order to act and/or escalate internally and/or to suppliers in case of quality assurance deviations or indications thereof.
• Compile and process relevant PPAP data in order to, with confidence, set appropriate PSW status on PPAP submissions.

Deviation handling

Supplier support & analysis

• Manage own supplier portfolio with individual performance target agreements in line with group and section level targets.
• Actively contribute in Root cause investigations connected to FQ Medium & Heavy cases as well as other agreed escalated symptoms.

Supplier demands & conclusions (e.g. Escalations, Corrective Actions)

• Monitor supplier performance and apply deviation‑handling methods such as escalations or Controlled Shipping Levels (CSL) in cases of non‑conformance or risk.
• Manage corrective action activities connected to FQ Medium & Heavy as well as with Q-team agreed cases originating from proven supplier caused eQ- or eQW reports.

Communication & Documentation

• Document and on demand share findings and highlights from supplier visits and other events.
• Prioritized, process and/or quality improving SCR's.
• On request, present operational topics such as findings from Lessons Learned or case status reports in appropriate forums.
• Report suspicions of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) deviations to immediate manager.

Additional information:

• The role may require more than 50% domestic travel depending on workload.
• Must be flexible to plan and travel on short notice.
• Should demonstrate a learning mindset.
• Must exhibit strong team spirit and integrity.
• Must have experience in Automotive Industry.