Are you a passionate engineer that likes improving processes, holding suppliers to a high bar, and preventing non-conforming parts? We are seeking a quality engineer to be Oxide’s presence with our supply base as a Supplier Quality Engineer. We’ll empower you to drive change well beyond supplier quality, spanning into including supply chain, design, and manufacturing. You’ll work directly with our suppliers, contract manufacturers (CM), and Oxide’s engineering and operations teams, making sure quality is built into Oxide products long before they reach our customers!
While Oxide is a remote-friendly company, we’ve found that being physically present with our suppliers is essential to building a great product and strong relationships. This role is remote, but requires regular travel to support our supplier base. Travel is primarily focused in the continental United States, but may require limited international travel.
As a Supplier Quality Engineer at Oxide, you will:
Own supplier quality for the entirety of the Oxide product stack, from PCBA components to rack weldments.
Ensure consistent, conforming materials reach Oxide’s CMs through Oxide’s part qualification process, supplier audits, and developing supplier’s knowledge of Oxide requirements and specifications.
Lead process and execution for supplier non-conformances (NCRs), Supplier Deviation Requests (SDRs), Corrective Actions (CARs), change notifications, and supplier quality issues requiring Oxide support. Drive for root cause and implementation of strong corrective and preventative actions.
Lead part qualifications for new and changed parts, including First Article Inspection (FAI) and supporting engineering application testing or production pilot runs.
Work closely with our suppliers’ manufacturing and quality teams to understand manufacturing processes, identify risks, and take preventative actions.
Execute resolution of 8D corrective actions for customer escapes tied to supplier materials and processes.
Plan and perform supplier audits and process assessments for new and existing suppliers.
Perform periodic supplier visits and line walks, collect feedback from supplier and CM production teams, and advocate for continuous improvement.
Review and propose improvement of suppliers’ process control and outgoing inspection plans, as well as our CM’s incoming inspection plans.
Partner with CM Quality functions to track supplier quality performance, rectify underperforming suppliers, and identify root cause.
Work closely with operations, supply chain, and engineering teams to develop, maintain, and sustain supplier quality processes and procedural documentation.
When capable, perform analysis, testing, and communicate proposed solutions to Oxide Engineering teams.
Manage mold and tool life monitoring program, driving tool changes and risk mitigation actions when appropriate
You will thrive in this role if you:
Have deep experience managing suppliers across various commodities, including mechanical rack weldments, plastics, machinings, castings, sheet metal, cables, bare PCB fabs, and other electronics relevant to server hardware (e.g. SSDs, DRAM, CPUs)
Possess a depth of knowledge with the measurement of variable data, attribute features, and gage selection for a variety of manufacturing environments.
Can navigate mechanical and electrical manufacturing processes and tools to present solutions to our suppliers and engineering teams
Are a strong verbal and written communicator. You will be a representative for Oxide with our suppliers and you will be expected to provide concise and respectful communications across multiple levels and functions of our supply base.
Have mastered tools and processes related to supplier quality, such as supplier audits, CARs, PPAPs/FAIRs, control plans, and deviations
Enjoy digging into technical data (schematics, datasheets, drawings, supplier test data) to provide recommendations to suppliers and engineering teams to address quality issues
Are able to balance cost, quality, and time as the situation dictates, adjusting priorities based on risk while driving for all supplied material to meet customer expectations
Have held positions throughout design engineering, manufacturing, and quality, ideally including time working on the supplier side
Possess ASQ (e.g. CQE, CQA) or Six Sigma certifications
Before applying for this role, you should:
Browse our public Requests for Discussion to get a flavor for how we work.
Listen to Hiring Processes with Gergely Orosz to familiarize yourself with the Oxide hiring process.
Check out our blog post on how we do remote hardware development
Listen to some of our hardware-centric episodes of Oxide and Friends. A few recommendations:
Scaling Manufacturing on the challenges of ramping for high-volume production
Tales from Manufacturing: Shipping Rack 1 on shipping our first rack
Mechanical Engineering at Oxide to hear about our mechanical design and how we build quality into our product.