Supplier Development Engineer

POSITION SUMMARY:The Supplier Development Engineer (SDE) is responsible for improving NFI Group Supplier Performance to a new standard; this includes New Coach Launches, Supplier Resourcing, Supplier Audits, Supplier Continuous Improvement activities, and current production. SDE will support Production, Quality, Engineering, Strategic Sourcing/Commodity Management, and Advanced Purchasing in initiatives to take Supplier Performance to a new level that is consistent with NFI Group’s brands, growth, and market leadership position.The SDE is also responsible for Supplier Development in support of the NFI Group Supply Management initiatives. Those initiatives include supplier quality and delivery improvement, supplier assessment/selection, supplier readiness, and eliminating waste in the supply chain.This role involves 50% to 75% travel.PRINCIPLE ACCOUNTABILITIES:Ensure Suppliers meet the highest quality standards that result in a competitive advantage to NFI Group and its subsidiaries, escalating issues and interacting with supplier leadership when necessary.Own Supplier Quality Focus and Supplier Risk Management processes through Top Supplier Focus Meetings focused on fixing and/or eliminating Suppliers causing Operations the greatest problems. This will be accomplished through systematic, data-driven processes that ensure corrective actions are in place through documented Supplier Quality Improvement Plans. Success will be measured by improved Supplier Quality and Delivery Performance Metrics.Interface with Operations, Quality, Production Control, Purchasing Managers, Sourcing Managers, Project Managers, and Engineering for the development and release of Best-in-Class Suppliers that support Commodity Strategies.Play a crucial role in monitoring Supplier Scorecards, driving suppliers to achieve their performance goals by assisting them to enhance their internal processes and controls.Help maximize Design for Manufacturability by leveraging Supplier knowledge and capabilities through Supplier involvement in product design.Through frequent communication, help drive consistency of quality metrics throughout NFI Group locations.Drive rigorous adherence to processes; including Technical Supplier Reviews, reviewing critical characteristics, Control Plans, Work Instructions, and pass-through characteristics, prior to FAI/PPAP submission and release.Provide support to Quality/Operations in Supplier improvement initiatives by utilizing Supplier Quality Improvement processes (3rd party-controlled shipping, process audits, problem resolution (8D/SCANs), Supplier Conferences, etc.).Provide assistance to Suppliers in order to meet and/or exceed NFI Group’s expectations and requirements as stated in the Supplier Manual.Report summary status of Supplier Quality Performance Metrics to Leadership including: Incidents (NCP’s), Quality Rejects, PPM, On-Time Delivery, and Scorecard Performance.On-site support at Suppliers to resolve performance issues (Quality and Delivery) and to improve their systems until recovery is achieved.Validate supplier capacity and conduct constraints management as required by the business.KNOWLEDGE/SKILLSBachelor’s in Engineering or related field;5-7 years of professional experience working with quality management systems and continuous improvement methods & tools;Strong manufacturing and production process systems experience required;Demonstrated experience in problem solving and root cause corrective action (RCCA) methodology;Demonstrated experience in Supplier Audits;Knowledgeable and hands-on experience in the application of Lean and Six Sigma (or alternative advanced problem-solving methods) including: Value Stream Mapping, Control Plans Sampling Plans, Kaizen, 5S, Statistical Analysis, SMED, 5 Why’s, Root Cause Analysis, Error Proofing, Cause and Effect Diagrams, Pareto Analysis, etc.Demonstrated leadership in Supplier Risk management;Knowledge and application of AIAG quality tools (PPAP, FMEA, SPC, MSA, etc.);Solid interpersonal communication skills needed to communicate to all levels of NFI Group and with leaders at Supplier organizations;Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint;CORE COMPETENCIESAction Oriented:

Enjoys working hard; is action-oriented and full of energy for the things he/she sees as challenging; not fearful of acting with a minimum of planning; seizes more opportunities than others.Customer Focus:

Is educated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.Interpersonal Savvy:

Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.Perspective:

Looks toward the broadest possible view of an issue/challenge, has broad-ranging personal and business interest and pursuits; can easily pose future scenarios; can think globally; can discuss multiple aspects and impacts of issues and project them into the future.Process Management:

Good at figuring out the processes necessary to get things done; knows how to organize people and activities; understands how to separate and combine tasks into efficient workflow; knows what to measure and how to measure it; can see opportunities for synergy and integration; can simplify complex processes; gets more out of fewer resources.Problem Solving:

Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; probes all fruitful sources for answers; can see hidden problems; is excellent at honest analysis; looks beyond the obvious and does not stop at the first answers.Decision Quality:

Makes good decisions based upon a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment; sometimes with incomplete information and under tight deadlines and pressure.Conflict Management:

Steps up to conflicts, seeing them as opportunities; reads situations quickly; good at focused listening; can hammer out tough agreements and settle disputes equitably; can find common ground and get cooperation with minimum noise.Drive for Results:

Makes decisions in a timely manner, sometimes with incomplete information and under tight deadlines and pressure; able to make a quick decision.Functional/Technical Skills:

Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills to do the job at a high level of accomplishment.

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