Senior Supplier Development Engineer – Manufacturing Readiness

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Perform hands-on manufacturing evaluations for the Department of the Navy's production-acceleration initiatives across the defense industrial sector.

• Assess suppliers’ production rates, quality, delivery, cost, and readiness objectives.

• Review manufacturing processes, equipment, tooling, labor, maintenance, material flow, inspection, testing, and dependencies from lower-tier suppliers.

• Analyze capacity, cycle times, changeovers, equipment availability, scrap, rework, first-pass yield, work in process, process capability, and schedule adherence.

• Identify constraints and validate capacity assumptions through production observation, data analysis, and authorized run-at-rate or capacity-demonstration activities.

• Deploy to critical suppliers experiencing challenges in production, quality, delivery, launch, or capacity.

• Formulate recovery plans that include root causes, corrective actions, assigned owners, resources, dependencies, milestones, escalation paths, and completion evidence.

• Conduct recovery reviews with suppliers, prime contractors, and Government stakeholders.

• Support approved supplier actions and assess effectiveness against agreed-upon measures.

• Identify structural issues that necessitate engineering decisions, capital investments, alternate sourcing, qualification, technical data, workforce development, or Government intervention.

• Evaluate readiness for new product introductions, production transfers, additional shifts, equipment installations, facility expansions, and significant increases in production rates.

• Apply APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, control plans, SPC, MSA, and structured problem-solving methodologies as applicable.

• Assist in readiness gates addressing tooling, equipment, workforce, material, process controls, inspection, testing, qualification, and production documentation.

• Develop improvement alternatives that involve process modifications, standardized work, error-proofing, tooling, maintenance, overtime, shifts, alternate sourcing, and capital equipment.

• Compare implementation timelines, costs, risks, and anticipated production benefits with cost and investment analysts.

• Monitor improvements through completion, installation, qualification, demonstrated capacity, and sustained delivery benefits.

• Coordinate authorized activities with Government program offices, prime contractors, suppliers, engineering, procurement, and quality teams.

• Identify lower-tier and long-lead dependencies and share findings with the TASC supply-chain lead.

• Prepare supplier assessments, recovery plans, capacity analyses, risk registers, site-visit reports, executive briefings, recommendations, and TASC execution records.

• Communicate findings to technical specialists and senior leaders.

• Engage in frequent domestic travel to supplier sites and Government meetings.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial, manufacturing, mechanical, systems, or another relevant engineering discipline; a combination of technical education and substantial hands-on manufacturing experience may be acceptable as per applicable contract and Government requirements.

• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in manufacturing engineering, supplier development, supplier quality, industrialization, production launch, or manufacturing operations.

• Proven track record of successful supplier recovery, new-program launch, production transfer, or production-rate increase.

• Extensive experience in diagnosing and addressing issues directly on the production floor.

• Background in evaluating supplier performance across various manufacturing processes or commodities.

• Strong knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, control plans, SPC, MSA, 8D, Lean manufacturing, standardized work, and error-proofing techniques.

• Demonstrated understanding of capacity, tooling, equipment, labor requirements, process capability, material flow, and production dependencies.

• Experience in developing recovery plans with measurable milestones and validating sustained results.

• Capability to interpret production, quality, schedule, and material data while documenting assumptions and limitations.

• Excellent technical writing, executive communication, and stakeholder-coordination abilities.

• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities concurrently, and travel frequently.

• U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Top Secret security clearance are mandatory.

• Current Top Secret clearance and U.S. citizenship, subject to verification.

• Preferred: extensive experience with automotive OEM or Tier 1/Tier 2 supplier development, launch, or manufacturing.

• Preferred: fifteen or more years of relevant experience.

• Preferred: experience in aerospace, defense, missile, propulsion, or other regulated manufacturing environments.

• Preferred: experience with precision machining, castings, forgings, stamping, metal forming, welding, joining, heat treatment, injection molding, composites, electronics, printed circuit assemblies, electrical harnesses, motors, actuators, electromechanical assemblies, tooling, capital equipment, and complex mechanical assemblies.

• Preferred: Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, ASQ Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Supplier Quality Professional, or similar credential.

• Preferred: experience in translating commercial manufacturing practices into defense program requirements.

🏝️ Benefits

• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance

• ACT1 Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

• Company Paid Life and AD&D Insurance

• Company Paid Short-Term Disability

• Voluntary Long-Term Disability

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

• Health Savings Account (HSA)

• 401K with employer match

• Paid Time Off

• Paid Holidays

• Parental Leave

• Military Leave

• Education, Training & Professional Development

• Voluntary Accidental Injury/Critical Illness/Hospital Care

• Voluntary Pet Insurance, Legal Resources, and Identity Protection

• Periodically work from an ACT1 Federal or client site facility for remote or hybrid positions.