Job Description

Job Summary:

• The Supplier Quality Engineer - Technical Specialist concentrates his/her product specific quality and technical skills to develop complex suppliers and products that can meet customer requirements; requires strong partnerships with the external supply base, with supply chain teams and with engineering to achieve results

Key Responsibilities:

• Build strong relationships with all critical partners to improve quality and business outcomes, including: external suppliers, external customers, and internal customers and stakeholders, such as Purchasing, Manufacturing and Engineering; coach and mentor Cummins professionals on how to strengthen the soft skills required to develop effective relationships.
• Support the cross-functional development of external supply base strategies and the cross-functional supplier selection process for any given component; experience and skills will be utilized to support increasingly complex products. Provide manufacturing consultation to external suppliers in order to design a Right First Time manufacturing process that enables conformance to the engineering print, engineering standards and customer specific requirements; experience and skills will be utilized to support increasingly complex products.
• Apply industry common Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) processes, Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) tools, and Cummins specialty tools to develop zero defect components within the external supply base; coach and mentor Supplier and Cummins professionals on how to improve effectiveness of APQP execution; experience and skills will be utilized to support increasingly complex products.
• Embrace continuous improvement in the external supply base by leading complex product and process focused projects that utilize industry proven methodologies, such as lean and six-sigma.
• Conduct external supplier audits in support of supplier risk mitigation, supplier readiness, and supplier performance improvement; coach and mentor Cummins professionals on how to improve auditing effectiveness.
• Lead increasingly complex quality improvement plans within the external supply base in order to improve supplier performance. Ensure resolution of increasingly complex external supplier related quality challenges, by leading root cause analysis, by supporting development of corrective actions and by verifying the effectiveness of corrective actions; coach and mentor Supplier and Cummins professionals on how to improve effectiveness of problem resolution.

Competencies:

• Communicates effectively - Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Customer focus - Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Auditing - Applying auditing skills and techniques and Quality Management Systems knowledge to effectively appraise a manufacturing process for quality and safety risks and non-conformances.
• Interpreting Technical Requirements - Applying knowledge of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing principles and Engineering Standards to correctly interpret the technical requirements of an engineering drawing; Applying knowledge to improve a product’s design for manufacturability and measurability.
• Manufacturing Process Design - Applying knowledge of manufacturing technology (methods, techniques, tools, equipment, etc) to design a Zero Defect manufacturing process that can consistently meet technical and customer requirements.
• Manufacturing Process Validation - Applying core Automotive tools (i.e. DFMEA, PFMEA, Control Plan, SPC, MSA, Source Release and PPAP) to validate that a manufacturing process can consistently meet technical and customer requirements.
• Measurement Process Design - Applying knowledge of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing principles and knowledge of measurement technology (standards, techniques, equipment, etc) to design a measurement system that can consistently meet industry and customer requirements.
• Problem Solving - Solves problems and may mentor others on effective problem solving by using a systematic analysis process by leveraging industry standard methodologies to create problem traceability and protect the customer; determines the assignable cause; implements robust, data-based solutions; identifies the systemic root causes and ensures actions to prevent problem reoccurrence are implemented.
• Quality Influence - Ability to recognize stakeholders, create a forum to professionally extract stakeholder perspectives, drive and engage in constructive conflict, and to influence outcomes in order to ensure Cummins makes a balanced decision inclusive of Quality priorities.
• Quality Standards - Applying knowledge of quality standards, such as ISO9001:2015 and IATF16949, to develop procedures, processes, and external suppliers in a manner that aligns with regulatory requirements.
• Statistical Foundations - Applies statistical tools and technique to influence decision making; leverages understanding of data collection methods, key statistics, graphical and analytical methods to describe process performance, gain insights and drive improvement action
• Supplier Performance Improvement - Improving supplier performance by developing and executing an effective quality improvement strategy that consists of a project team, glidepath, reduction of manufacturing issues and improvement of systemic deficiencies.
• Supplier Quality Project Planning and Execution - Applying Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) skills to develop and execute a quality plan that enables external suppliers to meet customer expectations; Requires facilitating communication and collaboration across cross-functional activities, when a program, initiative, or project concerns external suppliers.
• Values differences - Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.
• Supplier Product Reliability - Ability to evaluate the supplier's product design, supplier's manufacturing process design and product validation process to ensure the supplier is capable to meet reliability expectations.

Education, Licenses, Certifications:

• College, university, or equivalent degree in Engineering or a related technical or scientific subject required
• This position may require licensing for compliance with export controls or sanctions regulations.

Experience:

• Preferably 7 years experience in a Manufacturing or Engineering role in the automotive industry, or a similarly regulated industry.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or above in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Mechatronics, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering, Quality Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Typically 8 or more years of relevant experience in Supplier Quality, Manufacturing Quality, Product Engineering, Process Engineering, or Supplier Development.
• Strong knowledge of supplier quality systems and core quality tools, including:
• APQP
• PPAP
• PFMEA
• Control Plan
• MSA
• SPC and process capability
• 7Step/8D and structured root-cause analysis
• Relevant experience with fuel-system, turbocharger, pump, precision-machined, or other complex mechanical components.
• Solid understanding of precision machining, assembly, cleanliness control, functional testing, leak testing, and critical-characteristic management.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate supplier manufacturing capability, process controls, technical risks, quality systems, and production readiness.
• Experience leading supplier development, new product introduction, localization, capacity expansion, dual-source, or supplier-transfer projects.
• Ability to lead APQP, design and process reviews, source release, PPAP, Safe Launch, supplier audits, and corrective-action activities.
• Strong project management skills, including milestone planning, risk management, action tracking, prioritization, and cross-functional coordination.
• Strong technical problem-solving, data analysis, and decision-making capability.
• Ability to lead complex supplier quality issues involving product performance, dimensional variation, material, manufacturing process, cleanliness, assembly, or test-system concerns.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to influence suppliers and internal teams without direct authority.
• Good written and spoken English, with the ability to lead technical discussions, prepare quality status reports, and communicate effectively with global stakeholders.
• Ability and willingness to travel to supplier, manufacturing, and customer locations based on business needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct supplier-quality or manufacturing experience with one or more of the following:
• Fuel injection systems
• Fuel pumps
• High-pressure fuel pumps
• Fuel injectors
• Common rail or fuel delivery components
• Turbochargers
• Lubrication, coolant, water, or other engine pumps
• Precision valves, actuators, rotating components, or fluid-control products
• Practical knowledge of fuel-system and turbocharger manufacturing processes, such as:
• fety-critical, performance-critical, or high-precision engine components.
• Understanding of technical risks associated with sealing, leakage, pressure, flow, wear, durability, noise and vibration, rotating-component balance, and product cleanliness.
• Experience interpreting engineering drawings, GD&T, material specifications, functional requirements, test standards, and critical product characteristics.
• Experience collaborating with global Engineering, Sourcing, Manufacturing, VPI, Product Quality, and technical specialist teams.
• Experience supporting diesel engines, commercial vehicles, automotive products, power systems, heavy-duty equipment, or industrial applications.
• Experience with international suppliers, global engineering specifications, localization programs, and cross-regional supplier development.
• Certified Quality Engineer, Six Sigma Green Belt/Black Belt, IATF 16949 Lead Auditor, VDA 6.3 Process Auditor, or PMP certification is preferred.

Cummins is an equal opportunity employer. Our policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to race, sex, color, disability, national origin, age, religion, union affiliation, sexual orientation, veteran status, citizenship, gender identity, or other status protected by law.