Supplier Development Engineer

About us:  At Plexus, our vision is to help create the products that build a better world.  Driven by a passion for excellence, we partner with leading Aerospace/Defense, Healthcare/Life Sciences and Industrial companies to design, manufacture and service some of the world’s most transformative products, including advanced surgical systems, diagnostic instruments, healthcare imaging equipment, mission critical aerospace systems, and electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions. Visit Plexus.com to learn more about our unwavering commitment to our vision. 

When we invest in our people, we invest in building a better world. 

With a vision rooted in the wellbeing and inclusive engagement of our team members, our customers, their end users and our communities, people are the heart of what we do and who we are. It is our values that unite us and guide us in everything that we do, including how we operate, behave and interact to foster a workplace where every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute their best.  

Our values include: Growing our People, Building Belonging, Innovating Responsibly, Delivering Excellence and Creating Customer Success. 

As a team member, you will engage in impactful work through global collaboration and the use of emerging technologies, join an inclusive culture where every team member is valued and working toward a greater purpose, and be empowered to reach your full potential through various development programs designed to accelerate your growth. 

Plexus offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support team members' wellbeing, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, retirement savings, and opportunities for professional development. We also prioritize work-life balance and offer a variety of perks to enhance the team member experience.  For more information, visit our US benefits website at usbenefits.plexus.com. Our commitment to pay range transparency fosters an equitable workplace, where everyone can feel valued. The annual compensation range for this position is stated below. The salary offered within this range will be based upon the geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level. Salary Range:

Purpose Statement:  The Supplier Development Engineer is responsible to drive the organization's Zero Defect Strategy and continual improvement into the supply base for both compliance and risk mitigation within operations. This role will represent the supplier quality function to customers, external auditors, and internal teams for all incoming raw material and services. Supplier Quality is a key technical and indirect leadership function that will apply fundamentals of quality in order to influence suppliers in meeting or exceeding expectations.

This role will be manufacturing based at our manufacturing facility located in Neenah, Wisconsin focusing on electrical assemblies.

Key Job Accountabilities:

• Supplier Qualification - Lead supplier qualification as a key member in supplier selection and evaluation teams using a risk based approach. Lead supplier audits applying good auditing practices and our Quality Management System (QMS) in both new programs and on-going management of suppliers.
• Part Qualification - Use purchased product specifications to identify Critical to Quality features and complete part qualification activities using different elements of Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) to flow requirements from Customers into the supply base. Connect part qualification activities into receiving inspection setting both sampling plans and inspection criteria. Represent Supplier Quality in Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) teams and supplier change requests as a key member driving Zero Defect strategies into the supply chain.
• Supplier Management - Lead supplier corrective action activities in multiple levels of the supply chain using non-conforming parts, data trends and supplier audit findings. Analyze data to identify trends and provide suppliers feedback to drive supplier performance improvements. Assist in categorization of suppliers by risk for additional development or auditing activities.
• Engineering expertise - Apply expertise in assigned engineering function to challenge suppliers processes using a risk based approach. The approach includes design reviews, process failure mode and effects analysis (PFMEA), control plans (CP) and statistical process controls (SPC) applied to selected manufacturing technologies.
• Assist in guiding or shaping future Supplier Quality Strategies and support development of supplier quality engineers in both technical growth and supplier quality fundamentals. Apply domain depth to standard operating procedures (SOP), work instructions (WI) and templates to improve standard work and operational rigor within function.

Education/Experience Qualifications:

• Typically requires a Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 2 years of related experience; or equivalent work experience.

Other Qualifications:  

• ASQ Certification preferred (CQE, CQA, CMQOE)     
• Broad understanding of materials, manufacturing technologies and processes

Physical Requirements:  

• Role will support operational teams in a manufacturing environment with required personal protective equipment. Facilities include comfortable temperatures, repetitive low noise level and suitable lighting for required tasks. May require walking, standing and sitting, using a computer, and other office equipment. Direct interaction with people and equipment is event driven and will include activities related to inspecting, qualifying, troubleshooting and improving jigs, fixtures, and manufacturing methods using different types of components or material. Role may require working individually on tasks with a prolonged focus on written material, working collectively as part of a team of various disciplines and backgrounds and working in multiple software systems.

Travel Requirements:  

• Less than 25%

This document does not represent a contract of employment and is not intended to capture every possible assignment the incumbent could be asked to perform.

We are pleased to provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities or special requirements.  If you need an application accommodation, please contact us by email at [email protected]. Please include your contact information and clearly describe how we can help you. This email is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Some offers of employment are contingent upon successfully passing a drug screen and/or background check.