Supplier Development Engineer - Breakers, Supply Chain Management

What you’ll do:

Supplier Development & Capability Improvement
o    Lead structured supplier development activities to identify and close manufacturing, process, capacity, and operational capability gaps. Establish development plans with clear objectives, actions, owners, timing, and measurable outcomes.
Manufacturing & Process Capability
o    Assess supplier manufacturing processes and drive improvement using process capability analysis, Lean methodologies, structured problem solving, material flow, process controls, and applicable advanced quality tools.
o    Assess supplier capability and manufacturing controls for circuit breakers and protection devices, with specific emphasis on bi-metal materials and thermal trip systems, including material composition and properties, strip thickness, forming and dimensional controls, joining processes, thermal response and calibration, magnetic trip components, contacts and operating mechanisms, insulation systems, electrical and mechanical testing, traceability, process validation, and change management to ensure consistent protection performance and robust, repeatable, and compliant manufacturing processes.
Capacity & Scalability Readiness
o    Assess supplier production-rate readiness and capacity against current and future business requirements. Identify constraints and risks and drive mitigation, recovery, or expansion plans to demonstrate sustainable capacity.
Growth, Launch & Transfer Readiness
o    Proactively assess and develop supplier readiness to support business growth, new product introductions, supplier transfers, localization, volume increases, and capacity expansions. Identify supplier risks early and drive mitigation actions before they impact operations.
Technical Supplier Recovery
o    Lead the supplier-development workstream when supplier quality, delivery, or operational performance issues are driven by deeper manufacturing, process, capacity, or systemic capability gaps. Partner with the SQE and appropriate cross-functional resources while maintaining defined responsibilities through the RASIC.
Supplier Assessment & Risk Identification
o    Participate in Supplier Site Assessments and other risk-based supplier assessments as required. Evaluate manufacturing capability, operational maturity, process controls, capacity, and readiness, and drive supplier-development actions resulting from identified gaps.
APQP & Supplier Readiness Support
o    Support APQP and supplier-readiness activities by evaluating manufacturing capability, capacity, scalability, operational risks and driving development actions within the SDE scope.
Continuous Improvement & Problem Solving
o    Coach and support suppliers in structured problem solving, Lean, 8D, root-cause analysis, process capability, material management, and other applicable methodologies to achieve sustainable performance improvement.
Cross-Functional Execution
o    Partner with Supplier Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations, COE, and other stakeholders in accordance with established standard work and RASIC responsibilities. Support critical supplier situations based on business risk and technical need.
Verification & Sustainability
o    Establish measurable success criteria for supplier-development engagements. Verify that development objectives have been achieved, improvements are effective, and capability is sustained before closing the development activity. Works directly with suppliers where Quality or Delivery performance, or business risk demands robust corrective action and improvement. Utilizes expertise and a wide range of tools to identify and lead improvement actions including Problem Solving, Auditing, Material Management, and Load & Capacity planning.

Qualifications:

Required (Basic) Qualifications:
•    Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality or other related technical discipline from an accredited institution.
•    Minimum of five (5) years experience in Supplier Development, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or other related field.
•    Experience with circuit breakers, thermal-magnetic protection devices, or related electromechanical components.
•    Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any "CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc.".
•    No relocation benefit is being offered for this position. Only candidates within a 50-mile radius of Beachwood, OH – Charlotte, NC – Detroit or Jackson, MI – Menomonee Falls, WI – Moon Township, PA – Peachtree City, GA – Raleigh, NC will be considered. Active-Duty Military Service member candidates are exempt from the geographical area limitation.  

Preferred Qualifications:
•    Master’s degree from an accredited institution.
•    Lead Auditor qualification.
•    Lean / Six Sigma certification.
•    Experience with supplier transfers, NPI, capacity expansion, and industrialization.
•    Experience working across multiple sites, regions, and cultures
•    Experience with APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, MSA, SPC, and structured problem-solving methodologies.
•    Experience with capacity planning, industrialization, and production readiness assessments.

Additional Information:

•    Demonstrated knowledge of bi-metal materials and thermal trip systems, magnetic trip components, contact materials and assemblies, springs and operating mechanisms, molding and insulation systems, joining and fastening processes, calibration and adjustment, critical dimensional and process controls, electrical and mechanical testing, temperature-rise and trip-performance testing, process validation, traceability, and manufacturing process controls.
•    Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes and supplier-development methodologies.
•    Knowledge of Lean / Continuous Improvement methodologies.
•    Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills.
•    Ability to influence and lead supplier improvement without direct authority.
•    Ability to lead cross-functional activities across multiple sites and functions.
•    Demonstrates strong technical and business judgment when assessing supplier risk.
•    Works independently and effectively in supplier-facing environments.
•    Builds effective relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
•    Demonstrates urgency appropriate to business risk while maintaining structured problem solving.
•    Communicates complex supplier issues clearly to technical, operational, and leadership audiences.
•    Demonstrates strong project-management and execution discipline.
•    Able to prioritize multiple supplier-development activities based on business impact and risk.
•    Comfortable working in a matrix organization with cross-functional accountability.
•    Significant supplier-site travel may be required, up-to 60%. 

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