Principal Supplier Quality Engineer

Required Qualifications

• 15 or more years of experience in supplier quality or manufacturing quality for complex electromechanical hardware, with a proven track record of solving technically difficult quality problems at suppliers.
• Deep manufacturing and process engineering knowledge. You understand how parts are made, what drives process variation, and how to identify whether a supplier’s process is actually in control.
• Exceptional audit capability. You conduct audits that go beneath the surface, uncover the real quality risks, and produce findings that drive meaningful improvement.
• Strong first-principles thinking. When you see a quality failure, you work back to the actual root cause, not the nearest plausible explanation.
• Experience with QA specification development and the ability to assess whether a specification is clear, measurable, and correctly implemented at a supplier.
• High proficiency in both English and Mandarin (written, verbal, and reading). You can work directly with Chinese engineers and leadership without translation.
• Comfortable operating autonomously across a portfolio of suppliers. You manage your own priorities, escalate the right things at the right time, and don’t need close supervision to stay effective.
• Firm, fair, and direct with suppliers. You hold a high standard, push back on inadequate corrective actions, and maintain a relationship that is professional and productive even when conversations are hard.
• Willing to travel regularly across APAC. A significant portion of your time will be on-site at suppliers.
• A Master’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline is preferred.