Sr. Supplier Quality Engineering Manager in Dayton, Minnesota at States Manufacturing Corporation

Job Summary:

The Senior Supplier Quality Engineering (SQE) Manager is responsible for establishing, leading, and maintaining the Supplier Quality function supporting low and medium voltage switchgear products. This role provides direction and oversight for supplier quality systems, supplier development, and risk management activities to ensure product safety, regulatory compliance, and business continuity.

The Senior SQE Manager builds and leads the SQE organization, partners closely with Supply Chain and Engineering leadership, and ensures supplier quality considerations are integrated early into sourcing, design, and change decisions.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Establish and lead the supplier quality strategy aligned with product safety, regulatory compliance, and business objectives
• Establish governance models defining decision authority, escalation thresholds, and accountability across supplier quality activities
• Ensure supplier quality systems support applicable UL, IEC, and ISO 9001 requirements using a risk-based approach

• Work closely with Strategic Sourcing and Supply Chain leadership to qualify and approve new suppliers
• Ensure supplier quality assessments and risk evaluations are completed prior to supplier award, alternate sourcing, or supplier transitions
• Provide supplier quality and risk input to sourcing trade-off decisions

• Establish supplier segmentation models based on quality, safety, and business risk
• Establish and maintain supplier scorecards and performance metrics
• Lead supplier corrective action and improvement efforts to reduce recurring quality issues and improve long-term capability

• Establish expectations and requirements for supplier APQP and PPAP proportional to product and process risk
• Ensure suppliers develop and maintain effective PFMEAs, control plans, and validation activities
• Ensure quality requirements are maintained through design changes, material substitutions, and supplier transfers

• Establish and maintain supplier audit processes focused on system and process capability
• Ensure supplier risk assessments address electrical safety, insulation integrity, thermal performance, and mechanical reliability
• Support internal, customer, and regulatory audits related to supplier quality

• Build, lead, and develop the Supplier Quality Engineering team to support current and future business needs
• Ensure SQEs are trained, prepared, and
• empowered to make independent, risk-based quality decisions
• Work collaboratively with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Program Management to prevent supplier-driven risk

Required Qualification:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field
• 10+ years of experience in Supplier Quality, Quality Engineering, or Manufacturing Quality
• 5+ years of quality or engineering leadership experience
• Strong working knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, supplier audits, and corrective action systems
• Experience supporting electrical or electromechanical products

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in switchgear, transformers, or power distribution equipment
• Knowledge of UL and IEC standards
• Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or Six Sigma certification
• Experience working with global suppliers
• Strong leadership and accountability
• Risk-based decision making
• Strategic and analytical thinking
• Clear, effective communication
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Results-driven execution

Travel Expectations:

• Up to 35% travel to suppliers

Benefits:

• PTO/ESST
• Paid holidays
• $100 individual deductible and $300 family deductible health insurance
• Paid Weekly
• Vision and Dental Insurance
• 401K / Life Insurance / STD

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