Core Supplier Technical Assistance (STA) Engineer – Interiors

Responsibilities

Supplier Industrialization & Launch Management

• Lead supplier industrialization planning and commodity business plan development for high-complexity interior commodities.
• Support suppliers throughout program launch preparation and manufacturing readiness activities.
• Ensure suppliers achieve manufacturing readiness aligned to program timing and quality objectives.
• Lead manufacturing feasibility assessments for new parts, new technologies, and high-risk commodities.

Manufacturing Feasibility & Risk Assessment

• Partner with Technical Experts and regional teams to evaluate manufacturing feasibility and readiness.
• Identify manufacturing risks and develop mitigation plans.
• Conduct supplier sourcing risk assessments and recommend corrective actions.
• Collaborate with Product Development teams to resolve feasibility concerns related to product design and engineering specifications.

Supplier Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor supplier quality performance and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Develop and implement robust manufacturing quality control strategies.
• Support supplier corrective actions related to quality, capacity, and manufacturing issues.
• Drive global lessons learned activities and recurrence prevention efforts.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Purchasing, Supply Chain, Product Development, and STA teams to ensure sourcing for quality.
• Provide manufacturing process expertise for outsourced components and assemblies.
• Coordinate manufacturing assessments, quality metrics, pass-through characteristics, and supplier capability evaluations across cross-functional teams.
• Support development and maintenance of manufacturing standards for interior commodities.

Technical Manufacturing Support

• Provide technical guidance related to interior manufacturing processes, including:  
  • Injection Molding
  • Foam in Place
  • Vacuum Forming
  • In-Mold Graining (IMG)
  • In-Mold Grain Lamination (IMGL)
  • Painting
  • Press Bonding
  • Welding
  • Stamping
  • Assembly Operations

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in: 
  • Manufacturing Engineering
  • Supplier Quality
  • Supplier Development
  • Industrialization
  • Production Launch Support
• Experience conducting manufacturing feasibility assessments and supplier risk evaluations.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes, preferably within interior commodity production.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written English communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across global and cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or Master's Degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Electrical Engineering.
• Advanced expertise in interior commodity manufacturing processes.
• Experience supporting global suppliers and international manufacturing operations.
• Knowledge of automotive quality systems, launch readiness, and supplier development methodologies.
• Experience driving continuous improvement initiatives and manufacturing excellence programs.