DESCRIPTION Project Kuiper is an initiative to increase global broadband access through a constellation of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Its mission is to bring fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world. Project Kuiper will help close the digital divide by delivering fast, affordable broadband to a wide range of customers, including consumers, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations operating in places without reliable connectivity.
The Kuiper team is seeking a highly skilled and detail-oriented Supplier Quality Engineer with a focus on machined parts. We are looking for a technically proficient individual with a deep understanding of machining processes, quality control methods, and industry standards to ensure the production of high-quality, reliable machined parts that meet the demanding requirements of the aerospace industry.
The successful candidate will possess comprehensive knowledge of material properties, including tensile strength, yield strength, hardness, and fatigue resistance, and the ability to ensure compliance with these requirements through effective supplier management and quality control processes. Experience with heat treatment processes, such as annealing, quenching, and tempering is preferred.
Additionally, this role requires proficiency in evaluating geometric tolerances, such as flatness, parallelism, concentricity, and perpendicularity, to guarantee the proper fit and function of machined components. Expertise in cleanliness and contamination control, as well as non-destructive testing methods like ultrasonic, magnetic particle, and liquid penetrant testing is a plus.
The role also demands a strong emphasis on traceability and documentation, including material certifications, process records, and inspection reports, to maintain compliance with industry standards and regulations. Familiarity with specialized coatings, surface treatments, and design for manufacturability principles is highly desirable to enhance properties like wear resistance, corrosion resistance, lubricity, and cost-effective production.
Key job responsibilities
- Collaborate with suppliers to establish quality control processes and procedures for machined parts.
- Conduct supplier audits and evaluations to assess their capabilities and compliance with quality standards.
- Review and approve supplier documentation, such as control plans, process flows, and inspection reports.
- Own and lead Kuiper supplier quality management activities, including requirements definition, qualification, production process validation, receiving/source inspection, CAPA, metrics reporting, and continuous improvement.
- Guide product development teams on supplier selection, assessment, audit, and development decisions.
- Influence supplier selections and engineering design decisions to factor sustainable quality.
- Influence supplier investments to reduce risk and improve delivered quality of components.
- Establish and monitor supplier mechanisms for verifying production processes remain in control.
- Ensure compliance with aerospace industry regulations, customer requirements, AS9100, and ISO9001 standards.
- Partner with the manufacturing quality team to build a cohesive Kuiper Quality System in compliance with AS9100 & ISO9001.
- Analyze quality data and identify areas for improvement in machined part production.
- Provide technical guidance and support to suppliers to resolve quality issues and implement corrective actions.
- Participate in the development and implementation of supplier quality initiatives and continuous improvement programs.
- Travel as needed to accomplish program objectives.
Export Control Requirement:
Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.
A day in the life
The Kuiper Supplier Quality team is driven to develop a vendor base capable of scaling aerospace quality to new volume and cost levels in order to meet end customer needs. This position will join the team at an exciting moment with the opportunity to own quality for key categories and contribute to the design of requirements and systems used across the business. We value data driven decision making, a comfort with ambiguity across multiple simultaneous projects, an ability to earn the trust of our key stakeholders, and delivering results without sacrificing integrity.
- Participates in product development teams as owner of supplier quality system requirements
- Acts with internal customer obsession on behalf of Kuiper production by reducing defect rates and driving root cause analysis
- Builds and enforces implementation of the Kuiper Quality System
- Serves as the face of Kuiper Quality for suppliers communicating expectations, reviewing methods and resolving issues
- Facilitates component quality control as subject matter expert in partnership with receiving and inspection teams
- Owns development and automation of business processes impacting quality
- Splits time between Amazon facilities and visiting supplier operations
- Willingness to travel as needed to support program objectives.
We are open to hiring candidates to work out of one of the following locations:
Redmond, WA, USA BASIC QUALIFICATIONS - Minimum of 5 years of experience in a Supplier Quality Engineering role, preferably in the aerospace, defense, or manufacturing industry with a focus on machined parts and assemblies.
- Strong technical background and knowledge of machining processes, quality control methods, and industry standards for machined parts.
- Experience in conducting supplier audits, evaluations, and quality system assessments.
- Proficient in reviewing and approving supplier documentation, such as control plans, process flows, and inspection reports.
- Strong analytical abilities, problem-solving skills, and attention to detail.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Knowledge of quality management systems, such as AS9100 and ISO9001.
- Willingness to travel as needed to support program objectives.
