Supplier Manufacturing Engineer

System One is seeking a Supplier Manufacturing Engineer based in the Greater Chicago area. This is a home-based role with frequent local travel to supplier sites to provide hands-on manufacturing engineering support, drive process improvements, and resolve production issues impacting quality and on-time delivery. You’ll partner closely with Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain teams to strengthen supplier performance in a highly regulated manufacturing environment.

The ideal candidate will work cross-functionally with Design Engineering, Quality, Sourcing, and Program Management teams while providing direct technical support and oversight to key suppliers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide hands-on manufacturing engineering support to critical suppliers
• Perform proactive supplier oversight to evaluate processes and drive improvements
• Lead root cause analysis (RCCA) and corrective action implementation for nonconformances
• Conduct process audits, PFMEA, control plans, and production readiness reviews
• Support supplier capacity assessments and identify risk areas
• Improve supplier performance related to on-time delivery, yield, and throughput
• Coordinate supplier readiness for source inspections, audits, and customer/regulatory visits
• Partner cross-functionally with internal engineering, quality, and supply chain teams
• Support nonconformance dispositioning and deviation resolution
• Develop and share best practices across supplier and internal teams
• Build strong supplier relationships to enhance communication and execution

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or equivalent hands-on manufacturing leadership experience
• Minimum 5+ years of experience in a manufacturing environment
• Experience in one or more of the following:
  machining, fabrication, welding, testing, winding, or assembly
• Experience working directly with suppliers (preferred)
• Background in nuclear, aerospace, defense, energy, or other regulated industries
• Working knowledge of quality standards such as:
  • 10CFR50 Appendix B
  • ASME NQA-1
  • ISO 9001 / MIL standards
• Ability to read and interpret blueprints, including GD&T (ASME Y14.5)
• Experience with process documentation (procedures, work instructions, routing, etc.)
• Strong problem-solving skills, particularly with tight tolerances and manufacturing deviations
• Excellent communication and organizational skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience performing on-site supplier support and audits
• Lean Manufacturing certification (Green Belt or Black Belt)
• Experience evaluating design changes and their impact on manufacturing processes

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to obtain and maintain DoD Security Clearance