Senior Supplier Engineer

For our production plant in Čačak, Serbia, we are looking, at the earliest possible date, for an experienced Senior Supplier Engineer. The position holder reports to the local Head of Purchasing & SQA, with a dotted line to VP Procurement & Global Tooling, PWO AG, and leads the plant SQA team. This is a hands-on execution role with full ownership of the quality performance of the supplier base supporting the Čačak plant, from sourcing release through launch to serial production.

Your responsibilities:

Ownership of supplier quality performance

• Full accountability for the quality performance of the supplier base supporting the Čačak plant — coil and steel, purchased components, surface treatment, sub-contracted operations and tooling
• Ownership of the SQA KPI set (supplier ppm, 8D on-time rate, PPAP first-pass approval, audit coverage, CoPQ) including monthly reporting and defence in the plant and Group reviews
• Technical and disciplinary leadership of the local SQA team: target setting, competency development and coaching of junior colleagues
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New part and project launch (APQP)

• Representation of Supplier Quality in customer programmes from RFQ and supplier nomination through to SOP, including quality veto in the sourcing decision
• Steering of supplier APQP: timing plans, maturity level assurance (VDA MLA / customer-specific requirements), milestone reviews and escalation with recovery plans
• Execution of run@rate and capacity verifications at supplier premises; release of safe-launch and ramp-up controls
• Final approval decision on PPAP / PSW, special characteristics, requalification and deviation permits

Supplier development, escalation and problem solving

• Leadership of escalations with underperforming suppliers: containment, sorting concepts, controlled shipping levels CS1 / CS2 and on-site task forces
• Enforcement of structured problem solving (8D, 5-Why, Ishikawa), technical assessment of root causes and verification of effectiveness including read-across
• Supplier development programmes: process capability (Cp / Cpk), SPC, poka-yoke and layered process audits at the supplier
• Recovery of quality-related costs together with Purchasing and decision on phase-out or re-sourcing in cases of sustained non-performance

Audits, standards and compliance

• Annual audit planning and personal execution of VDA 6.3 process audits, potential analyses of new sources and re-audits including action tracking to closure
• Assurance of IATF 16949 conformity across the supply base: certification monitoring, sub-supplier control, change management (PCN) and deployment of customer-specific requirements
• Representation of Supplier Quality in customer, system and certification audits at the Čačak plant; support of applicable supply-chain due-diligence requirements and IMDS obligations

Interfaces and collaboration

• Close cooperation with Purchasing / Commodity Management, Plant Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Logistics and Tooling
• Single point of contact for PWO Group SQA and alignment with the SQA teams at other PWO locations
• Deputy for the Head of Purchasing & SQA in supplier-quality-related matters

Your profile:

Education and experience

• Completed university degree (B.Eng. / M.Eng. or equivalent) in mechanical, industrial, manufacturing or materials engineering — mandatory
• At least 7 years in automotive quality, of which 3 to 5 years in supplier quality assurance at a Tier-1 supplier or OEM
• Proven track record in serial launches and in the turnaround of underperforming suppliers, including leading a team or cross-functional task forces

Technical and methodological competence

• Sound process knowledge of metal forming (stamping, deep drawing, progressive dies), welding, surface treatment and assembly
• Confident command of the automotive core tools: APQP, PPAP / PSW, AIAG-VDA FMEA, MSA, SPC, control plans and 8D
• Certified VDA 6.3 process auditor and / or IATF 16949 lead auditor — mandatory or to be obtained within six months; Six Sigma Belt an advantage
• Good working knowledge of SAP (QM / MM), MS Office and supplier portal / SRM systems; confident reading of drawings and GD&T

Languages

• Fluent English at a minimum of level C1 — mandatory; working language with the German headquarters, our customers and the global supply base
• Serbian at native or business-fluent level; German language skills are a welcome additional asset

Personal profile

• Assertive, resilient and execution-driven: presence at the supplier and on the shop floor rather than administration from the desk
• Structured, analytical and data-driven, with a strong sense of ownership and intercultural competence in an international matrix organisation
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally (approx. 30 %), including supplier locations, PWO Group sites and customer locations as required