Full job descriptionSupplier Quality Engineer
Darlington - This is an almost fully remote role
6-12 Month Contract

Sector: Engineering & Advanced Manufacturing (Automotive / Heavy Industrial)

We are seeking a Supplier Quality Engineer to champion our supplier development, APQP/PPAP processes, and cross-functional engineering partnerships across our Europe region (focusing on Global 7 Activities). Sitting at the critical intersection of Purchasing, Manufacturing, and Engineering, you will play a vital role in preventing quality issues before they happen and solving them instantly when they do.

The Role:
As our Supplier Quality Engineer, you will combine your technical problem-solving skills with a partner-first mindset to elevate our supply base. Your day-to-day will split between proactive engineering planning and high-impact, hands-on quality resolution.

Key Responsibilities:
*Work seamlessly with VPI program leads to issue APQP projects to suppliers. Manage monthly metrics, update the tracker, and lead formal performance reviews.
*Act as the first line of defense for build quality issues. Collaborate with internal quality leads to investigate emerging issues, establish immediate containment/sorting fixes, and align with suppliers on long-term resolution.
*Own quality FIRGs (steps 3–7) and drive robust root-cause analyses to closure in the RV&S system.
*Conduct thorough supplier audits to mitigate supply chain risks, evaluate supplier readiness, and establish structured performance improvement plans.
*Partner with suppliers to validate that their manufacturing processes are structurally capable of perfectly aligning with engineering prints, industry standards, and customer specs.

Skillset & Experience Required
*Proven experience in a Supplier Quality Engineering or similar quality manufacturing environment.
*Deep, practical knowledge of industry-standard automotive/industrial quality frameworks: APQP, PPAP, and AIAG tools.
*Strong competency in leading structured problem-solving, root-cause analyses, and corrective action implementations.
*Ability to act as a trusted technical bridge between external suppliers and internal purchasing/engineering teams.
*Proficiency in tracking and generating technical quality reporting metrics.

Desirable:
*Experience working within global frameworks or supporting the European region.
*A background utilizing Lean and Six-Sigma continuous improvement methodologies.
*Familiarity with internal tracking tools like CQMS and RV&S systems.