Supplier Development Engineer

Supplier development engineers assist in the selection, qualification, maintenance, and development of suppliers. As such, when you work as a supplier development engineer, you will be required to help develop a partnership with suppliers and give training and support to decrease the risks associated with non-conforming goods.

In addition, you’re to oversee cost modeling operations and assist in the establishment of target costs. You will also manage product costs to meet targets while maximizing value. Being a leader, you’re the key communicator when it comes to collaborative product and process development.

What does a Supplier Developent Engineer do?

The job of a supplier development engineer is to source, negotiate, and buy goods, services, and materials in order to meet an organization’s operational requirements. You will supervise teams in developing new supply sources to improve the company’s cost competitiveness.

Typical duties include researching entrepreneurial companies to identify potential suppliers and sources, assessing new and existing supplier capabilities to meet cost, product, capacity, and quality, and driving improvements using lean methodologies. You will also perform benchmarking studies to determine future trends and best practices.

As a supplier development engineer, you must be vast in manufacturing procedures, quality processes, and engineering discipline. You also need interpersonal skills as you’ll be working with others.

Quality Improvement

Supplier development engineers develop inspection methods to analyze product quality. They in turn Improve product quality by making recommendations for change.
Team Player

These engineers work together with relevant teams and departments to improve products. They also brainstorm ideas with others to create solutions for identified problems.

Analyze & Strategize

These engineers formulate a strategic plan to increase productivity in the business. They also must document results and findings after inspections are carried out.
Standards Knowledge

They implement a working system to ensure conformity and accuracy in the production process. These engineers ensure products adhere to company and industry standards.

Supplier Performance Engineer

Supplier performance engineers play an important role in the design and development of software programs and application systems. Their job is to anticipate, identify, and then eliminate or mitigate any potential issues that would affect performance and negatively impact user experience. They are involved in the entire development cycle, often working closely with developers, technical analysts, and other units. They perform programming, testing, and troubleshooting tasks, and use a variety of test and analysis tools and programs.

Lead Supplier Quality Engineer

The lead supplier quality engineer will be a key member of the Supplier Quality organization. In this role, you will manage supplier quality activities. You will be the technical focal point to coordinate supplier quality activities with other GE internal cross-functional teams including the Sourcing, Materials Management, Manufacturing, and Engineering functions while interfacing with suppliers to drive adherence to quality procedures, product drawings and specification requirements.

Salary

Supplier development engineers earn an average yearly salary of $88,000.

Starting-level

Starting-level supplier development engineer earnings begin at:

$33 per hour

$68,000 per year

Senior-level

Senior-level supplier development engineer earnings begin at:

$48 per hour

$100,000 per year

Mid-level

Mid-level supplier development engineer earnings begin at:

$42 per hour

$88,051 per year

Top-level

Top-level supplier development engineer earnings begin at:

$54 per hour

$112,000 per year

Junior-level

Junior-level supplier development engineer earnings begin at:

$37 per hour

$77,000 per year

These are 2021 national salary averages and may fluctuate based on location.

Supplier development engineers work in a team environment as a key resource for the component teams to develop new supply sources to improve cost competitiveness and be the conduit between the company and the supplier. Knowledge of the shop floor/operations is important.

The position requires breadth of technical experience across multiple programs and products, both electrical and mechanical, working directly with suppliers daily, influencing / working closely with the sourcing commodity leadership teams, quality and NPD. The successful candidate should be able to effectively communicate with senior management, have a big picture strategic mindset, handle multiple priorities, influence, and solve complex problems.

How to Become a Supplier Development Engineer?

A bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field is often required for the job of a supplier development engineer’s with most companies expressing a preference for a master’s degree. Supplier development engineers usually study business, mechanical engineering, or industrial engineering.

A successful track record working as a quality engineer is also often required by hiring managers. Other valuable skills include a high proficiency in computer technology including Microsoft Office applications and strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Typical Qualifications:

High proficiency in computer technology and systems operations
Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office applications
In-depth understanding of industry market trends and conditions
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Similar Careers

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Project engineers are responsible for planning and overseeing projects to ensure they are completed in a timely fashion and within budget.

Sources:

Canva.com, 2022 | Glassdoor.com, 2022 | Honeywell.com, 2022 | Lensa.com, 2022 | Zippia.com, 2022

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