Supplier Quality Engineer

Amarr, a part of ASSA ABLOY and one of North America’s leading garage door manufacturers, is seeking a Supplier Quality Engineer to join our Supply Chain organization in Lawrence, Kansas.

In this role, you will partner with Strategic Sourcing, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and our supply base to improve supplier quality, cost competitiveness, and overall performance. You will support new and existing products, develop supplier capabilities, lead structured problem-solving activities, and help identify and implement Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VAVE) opportunities.

This position is ideal for an engineer who enjoys working cross functionally, engaging directly with suppliers, and turning technical and manufacturing challenges into measurable business improvements.

What You Will Do

Supplier Quality & Performance

• Monitor and improve supplier performance using key metrics including DPPM, Cost of Poor Quality (CoPQ), supplier quality events, audit performance, and corrective-action effectiveness.
• Analyze supplier performance data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Lead supplier containment, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and verification of long-term corrective actions.
• Partner with suppliers to improve manufacturing processes, process controls, quality systems, and overall capability.
• Support resolution of supplier-related issues identified through incoming inspection, manufacturing, assembly, testing, or field performance.
• Develop and manage Supplier Quality Improvement Plans for suppliers requiring focused improvement.

Supplier Development

• Partner with Strategic Sourcing and Category Management teams to develop and strengthen preferred and partner suppliers.
• Conduct supplier capability assessments, technical reviews, process audits, quality-system audits, and sustainability audits.
• Develop supplier improvement roadmaps and drive actions to timely closure.
• Participate in supplier selection by evaluating manufacturing capability, quality systems, capacity, technical capability, risk, and continuous-improvement potential.
• Support supplier consolidation, resourcing, supplier transfers, and other strategic sourcing initiatives.
• Provide supplier coaching and training in areas such as APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, SPC, MSA, process capability, risk assessment, and structured problem solving.

New Product Introduction / APQP / PPAP

• Lead supplier quality activities supporting new product introductions, product revisions, supplier changes, and manufacturing process changes.
• Manage supplier APQP and PPAP activities for new and revised purchased components.
• Review supplier Process Flow Diagrams, PFMEAs, Control Plans, capability studies, measurement-system analyses, and related quality documentation.
• Partner with Engineering and Strategic Sourcing to identify supplier and manufacturing risks early in the product-development process.
• Ensure suppliers demonstrate appropriate quality, capability, capacity, and production readiness prior to launch.

Value Analysis / Value Engineering – VAVE

VAVE is an important component of this position. The Supplier Quality Engineer will work with suppliers and internal cross-functional teams to improve value while maintaining or improving product quality, reliability, safety, and customer performance.

• Proactively identify and develop VAVE opportunities within the supply base.
• Engage suppliers in generating improvement ideas involving materials, manufacturing processes, product design, specifications, packaging, standardization, part consolidation, and waste reduction.
• Facilitate supplier VAVE workshops and structured idea-generation activities.
• Partner with Engineering, Strategic Sourcing, Manufacturing, and Quality to evaluate VAVE concepts for technical feasibility, risk, cost impact, and implementation requirements.
• Support should-cost and cost-driver analysis to identify opportunities for product and process optimization.
• Develop VAVE business cases that consider potential savings, implementation costs, technical requirements, validation needs, risk, and timing.
• Coordinate testing, validation, PPAP, and implementation activities associated with approved VAVE changes.
• Maintain a pipeline of supplier VAVE opportunities from idea generation through validation and implementation.
• Encourage suppliers to proactively bring innovation, cost-reduction, and value-improvement ideas to Amarr.

How Success Will Be Measured

• Supplier DPPM
• Supplier Cost of Poor Quality
• Supplier quality events
• Corrective action closure and effectiveness
• Supplier audit performance
• APQP / PPAP execution
• New product launch supplier performance
• Supplier improvement results
• VAVE opportunity pipeline
• VAVE projects implemented
• Validated annualized savings
• Supplier generated VAVE opportunities

What You Bring

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Statistics, Manufacturing Management, or a related technical discipline.
• Knowledge of manufacturing and production processes.
• Knowledge of quality-management and quality-control methodologies including APQP, PPAP, Process Flow Diagrams, PFMEA, Control Plans, SPC, MSA, process capability, and risk analysis.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively across functions and organizational levels.
• Ability to influence suppliers and internal stakeholders in a matrix organization.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills.
• Self-motivated with the ability to lead improvement initiatives and drive actions to completion.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with two or more of the following manufacturing technologies is preferred:

• Steel and fabricated metal products
• Aluminum extrusions
• Injection molding
• Die casting
• Glass
• Hardware and mechanical components
• Packaging

Additional preferred experience includes:

• Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and continuous-improvement methodologies
• Supplier development
• Should-cost analysis
• Value Analysis / Value Engineering
• Design for Manufacturability (DFM)
• Design for Assembly (DFA)
• Cost-driver analysis
• Supplier-led productivity and cost-reduction programs
• Professional certifications in Quality, Lean, Six Sigma, Supply Chain, VAVE, or related disciplines

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Amarr is an E-Verify participant.