Principal Supplier Quality Engineer

Job Description:

We are seeking an experienced leader to drive Supplier / Manufacturing Quality Engineering to anchor our global supplier quality efforts across both Astera Lab’s semiconductor, board-level products, optical products and rack-scale system products. In this role, you will drive leading supplier quality across key manufacturing partners including IC fabs, OSAT’s, optical product suppliers, rack-scale system product suppliers, and PCB/PCBA vendors.  You will also work closely with the customers to understand their quality needs and resolve issues related to product quality. Moreover, you will lead cross-functional teams to drive various quality initiatives to ensure that the products meet customer expectations and quality standards.  A strong foundation in supplier quality engineering and customer quality engineering, uniquely paired with experience in advanced data analytics for predictive quality, risk assessments, and product quality analytics will be highly valuable to this role.

Responsibilities:

Supplier Quality Management

• Drive supplier quality engineering activities at manufacturing partners, including failure analysis, root-cause identification, corrective actions, and verification of sustained closure.

• Lead containment, escalation, and recovery actions for supplier-driven quality excursions.

• Conduct regular focus line audits at key suppliers to verify process discipline, control plan adherence, corrective actions, and execution against quality expectations.

• Nurture winning partnerships across all our strategic manufacturing suppliers: semiconductor wafer fabs, advanced packaging & test (OSAT), boards & assemblies (PCB / PCBA / SMT), substrates / interposers, rack-scale system products, optical products, probe cards, and passive components.

• Develop robust supplier selection and onboarding processes in collaboration with Design, Procurement, Business & Engineering Operations teams.

• Define, build, and manage the systems to collect the data (KPI’s) needed to track supplier performance and drive continuous improvement.

• Audit to assess the effectiveness of supplier process controls, manufacturing capabilities, and overall quality management system.

• Coach suppliers by sharing your deep manufacturing experience and knowledge. 

• International travel as needed, potentially on short notice. There is no minimum amount but prepare to accommodate up to 50%.

Customer Quality Management

• Work directly with regional customers to investigate and resolve supplier-related and other related quality issues, provide status updates, and coordinate cross-functional closure.

• Handle customer quality issues using tools such as 8D, 5-why, and FMEA.

• Manage customer messaging and provide timely status updates to customers.

• Work on customer questionnaires on environmental compliance such as FMD, REACH and RoHS.

• Handle RMA requests and other technical requests from the customers.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key customers.

Advanced Data Analytics

• Create data collection methods to enable product and supplier advanced data analytics needed for monolithic, chiplet, and board products.  Data sources will include manufacturing inline controls, production test (including data collection from advanced embedded agents), and failure analysis activities.

• Leverage data into quality models & methods to predict product quality issues and supply chain risks.

• Experience with AI/ML tools is a plus; ability to work with technical partners on model development is key.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Interface with R&D, NPI, product engineering, ops and other engineering teams to provide supplier and customer input into product design and DFX.

• Support early supplier involvement and ensure quality requirements needed for manufacturability & testability are achieved, and learnings are propagated appropriately to other products in production & development.

• Represent supplier quality and customer quality as needed in line failure reviews, excursion management, material reviews (MRB), and CAPA processes.

• Partner with engineering and manufacturing teams to conduct quarterly engineering reviews, evaluate supplier changes (PCN), and assess supplier risks.

• With engineering engagement, lead quality audits, and corrective action activities using tools such as 8D, 5-why, and FMEA.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering or equivalent experience.

• 8+ years of career progression in supplier quality engineering in the semiconductor, rack-scale system, optics, and/or board-level electronics industry.

• 3+ years direct experience working embedded within a high volume advanced manufacturing operation in an engineering role.

• Experience with supplier development in Asia with global manufacturing supply chains.

• Experience interfacing with customers to handle customer quality issues, customer audits, RMA requests and other technical requests.

• Experience serving as a direct interface with the customer with strong expertise to analyze and resolve product quality issues effectively and efficiently

• Six Sigma or ASQ certification a plus

Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of IC fabrication, packaging (including chiplet), test processes, board assembly (SMT) and testing, rack-scale system product manufacturing and testing, and optical product manufacturing and testing.

• Familiarity with reliability qualification methodologies in the application of IPC, Telcordia, JEDEC requirements.

• Proficiency with quality engineering tools (FMEA, APQP, PPAP, SPC, OE, etc.).

• Experience using analytics tools (e.g., JMP, SQL, Excel) to support quality insights. Exposure to AI/ML frameworks is a plus, but not required.

• Strong project management and problem-solving skills, and capable of working independently as well as part of a team

• Excellent communication and soft skills are essential.  

• Fluent in English and Mandarin

We know that creativity and innovation happen more often when teams include diverse ideas, backgrounds, and experiences, and we actively encourage everyone with relevant experience to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities.