Sr. Supplier Process Engineer

Job Description
Primary Function of Position

Responsible for ensuring suppliers meet ISI requirements for quality, service, delivery, and cost. Drive both suppliers and internal teams to continuously improve both manufacturing and business processes. Evaluate and collaborate on supplier selection with cross functional partners. Support both NPI and ongoing production by engaging with suppliers to improve supplier performance, monitor product and process performance, scale-up production, and work with design and manufacturing teams to implement improvements.

Lead and execute detailed supplier projects to implement changes affecting product quality, cost, capacity, risk mitigation/supply continuity, and integration of new manufacturing technologies. The ideal candidate possesses a broad process experience in metal machining and/or plastic Injection molding and extrusions, and has the skills and experience to assess and develop optimal supplier partners in these categories while mentoring others in this skillset.

• Partner with suppliers to execute cost reductions, capacity improvements, and risk mitigation projects for high severity parts, sole suppliers, or proprietary materials.
• Manage complex supplier changes including manufacturing process changes, design changes, production optimization, facility changes, new equipment qualification, and new line validations.
• Complete part qualification deliverables including First Article, Supplier pFMEA, Process Validations (IQ/OQ/PQ), Inspection Reports, Gage R&R, Process Capability Analysis, and lead, train, and mentor suppliers through the process.
• Participate in supplier selection process: selecting the right process and supplier for the part, considering long term fit, and total cost of ownership.
• Drive suppliers to continually improve their business and manufacturing process performance to meet Intuitive’s requirements for supplier excellence using a collection of best practices in project management, Six Sigma, Lean, SPC and negotiation. Lead these efforts at several suppliers simultaneously, without managerial guidance.
• Own and drive to closure supplier nonconformances from symptom through root cause analysis to corrective action, including Nonconformance Reports and SCAR documentation.
• Drive changes to ISI requirements as necessary, by initiating and managing changes to specifications and drawings through the Engineering Change Order process.
• Develop metrics for supplier part cost, delivery, quality, capacity, and capability, and continually drive for timely achievement of those metrics.
• Provide effective and timely component inventory health information and recommendations to management by creating and delivering data-driven supply base information.
• Review, analyze, and close customer complaints, manufacturing variance requests, and first article inspections by judging risk analyses and justifications, determining corrective and preventive actions k for opportunities with suppliers to eliminate recurrence.
• Effectively prioritize and advance multiple concurrent high priority projects. Effectively integrate and distill communications across multiple teams for cohesive and unified messaging both internally and externally. Create formal networks with key decision makers and serve as external spokesperson for the organization.
• Work with suppliers and ISI New Product Development/Introduction Engineering to:
  • Create product supplier landscapes to determine launch readiness and report to management.
  • Develop supplier ramp readiness plans by judging business risk based on forecast, supplier capacity, quality performance, and process capability.
  • DFM by engaging suppliers early in development cycle to feedback manufacturability improvements in the designs prior to production.
  • Influence and guide Engineering in choosing suppliers by determining selection criteria for preferred suppliers and leading the team effort to evaluate preferred suppliers.
  • Review, analyze and close customer complaints, manufacturing nonconformances, and first article inspections by judging risk analyses and justifications.