Senior Supplier Quality Engineer

The role

This role ensures quality across Zoox's seating and vehicle interiors supply base, from prototype to production. The engineer works with suppliers on industrialization, tooling, process approval and corrective actions, and drives continuous improvement.

What you will do

• Select suppliers with Engineering, Design and Strategic Sourcing based on capability, capacity and quality maturity
• Run design reviews with suppliers to make seats and interior parts manufacturable
• Lead supplier industrialization from design through production ramp-up, including soft to hard tooling
• Support suppliers with tooling, foam molds, sew fixtures, gauges and process qualifications; approve buy-offs on site
• Drive APQP and support PPAP through start of production
• Own craftsmanship and appearance quality for occupant-facing surfaces and set master and boundary sample processes
• Ensure supplier compliance with seating safety and interior material requirements
• Assess supplier readiness for vehicle builds and manage production risk
• Train suppliers on Zoox quality systems and review part quality documentation
• Lead 8D root cause and corrective action efforts and report supplier quality metrics

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Materials, or a related engineering field
• 8+ years of experience in quality, supplier quality, or manufacturing, ideally in automotive
• Direct experience with seating and/or interior trim commodities and their supply base
• Hands-on experience launching new products (NPI) and creating or improving quality systems
• Experience with injection molding, foam, cut-and-sew, lamination, stamping, welding and electromechanical assembly
• Skilled in Six Sigma, 8D, Pareto analysis, DOE, fishbone and Is/Is-Not problem-solving
• Familiar with process flow diagrams, PFMEA, control plans, SPC, MSA and process capability studies

Nice to have

• Experience with seat safety and regulatory requirements, and seat and trim durability testing
• Experience with soft trim materials and material and appearance approval processes
• Experience with seat comfort and craftsmanship evaluation, including CMF alignment with Design
• Familiarity with seat electronics and mechanisms such as occupant sensors, heaters, motors and recliners
• Experience with tooling and fixture validation
• Certifications such as CQE, ASQ Quality Auditor, or Six Sigma Green/Black Belt

About the company

Zoox is building vehicle seating and interiors for its prototype and production vehicles and works with a supplier base on these parts.