Supplier Quality Engineer - Senior

Cummins - Bentonville, AR

Full-time - Senior

Hybrid - Bentonville, AR

Machinery Manufacturing

About the position

The Senior Supplier Quality Engineer at Cummins Inc. is responsible for leading supplier development strategies to ensure high-quality components and products that meet customer requirements. This role emphasizes building strong partnerships with suppliers and internal stakeholders, driving continuous improvement initiatives, and applying quality management principles to enhance supplier performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead supplier development strategy and design metrics for supplier performance.
• Carry out supplier validation audits, APQP, and supplier support.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to define process parameters and ensure effective supplier process capability.
• Support the supplier approval process by assessing manufacturing, technology capabilities, and health, safety, and environmental risks.
• Lead new product launches to ensure supplier capability aligns with required quality standards.
• Manage the root cause analysis and corrective actions for supplier quality issues.
• Conduct on-site supplier visits for root cause analysis and verify corrective actions.
• Review supplier quality data to identify process improvement opportunities.
• Collaborate with suppliers to create corrective action plans addressing process failures.
• Promote continuous improvement techniques, such as Lean, Six Sigma, and FMEA, to suppliers.
• Manage Design and Process FMEA's development and refinement.
• Oversee Supplier Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and monitor customer and supplier PPM, problem-solving, cost recovery, and warranty indicators.
• Lead supplier quality audits to ensure compliance with Quality Management Systems (TS16949/ISO9001).
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders to ensure optimal performance.
• Participate in cross-functional teams in new product development and changes to existing products.
• Manage Zero Defect Manufacturing (ZDM) check sheets, SQSW, and SOPs for systems.

Requirements

• Minimum 15+ years of experience in a manufacturing or engineering role within the automotive or a similarly regulated industry.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, or Instrumentation.
• Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.
• ISO/IATF Lead Auditor certification or equivalent.
• Proficient in APQP, PPAP, MSA, Six Sigma, problem-solving tools, and auditing skills.
• Strong understanding of EMS, controllers (ECM, PSO, PCC, ECU, BMC), telematics, and current transformers.

Nice-to-haves

• Leadership & Team Management: Strong leadership and team management skills with the ability to manage cross-functional teams.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, adaptable to different audiences.
• Strong problem-solving abilities using systematic analysis and industry-standard methodologies.
• Experience in continuous improvement using Lean, Six Sigma, and other tools to optimize processes.
• Proficient in interpreting technical requirements, including Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, Engineering Standards, and manufacturing process design.
• Ability to apply auditing techniques and quality management systems to evaluate supplier processes for risks and non-conformance.
• Proven experience in applying APQP skills to external suppliers to meet customer expectations.
• Knowledge of statistical tools and techniques to analyze data, describe process performance, and drive improvements.

Benefits

• Flexible work model
• Global opportunities for career development
• Inclusive workforce culture