Supplier Development Engineer - NPI Tiger Team
About The Position
Our products don’t move from concept to production by accident—they scale because our suppliers are ready. We are hiring a Supplier Development Engineer to join our NPI "Tiger Team." This is a high-impact, hands-on role designed to lead the launch of new GTI facilities, joint ventures, and critical supplier partnerships. You aren't just auditing from a desk; you are on the shop floor at supplier sites, ensuring manufacturing processes are stable, repeatable, and scalable. Whether supporting a new product launch or stabilizing a distressed supplier, you own the technical success of our external manufacturing partners.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- 7+ years of experience in manufacturing or supplier development engineering within industrial, automotive, or heavy-equipment environments.
- Direct experience with NPI: Proven track record of taking products from prototype through high-volume production launch.
- Shop-Floor Expertise: Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to "roll up sleeves" and troubleshoot on the factory floor.
- Mobility: Ability to travel significantly to supplier sites and GTI facilities during critical launch windows.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in BESS Systems, GenSets, Data Center Infrastructure, or modular construction.
- Deep familiarity with APQP, PPAP, and structured gated product development frameworks.
- Experience managing distressed suppliers or supporting joint-venture manufacturing startups.
- Lean or Six Sigma Black Belt with experience implementing flow and standard work in external environments.
Responsibilities
- Own supplier manufacturing deliverables across all NPI phase gates, ensuring partners meet design maturity, tooling, and capacity requirements.
- Act as the technical authority during supplier readiness reviews; stop the line or gate advancement if manufacturing risks are unresolved.
- Drive accountability for supplier-led APQP/PPAP activities to ensure a seamless transition to production.
- Provide intensive, hands-on support for distressed suppliers to resolve production bottlenecks and quality escapes.
- Lead on-site equipment installation, line setup, and process verification at supplier and joint-venture facilities.
- Conduct First Article Inspections (FAI) and process validations (IQ/OQ/PQ) to confirm manufacturing controls are in place.
- Translate GTI engineering designs into executable manufacturing strategies at the supplier level.
- Lead early production builds at supplier sites to identify "day one" manufacturing issues and drive immediate corrective actions.
- Partner with Design Engineering to influence product architecture through the lens of Design for Supply Chain and manufacturability.
- Work with Sourcing and Quality to validate supplier capability, takt time assumptions, and labor models.
- Serve as the primary technical escalation point for supplier-related production issues during the NPI lifecycle.
- Drive continuous improvement and Lean initiatives within the supply base to improve yield and reduce lead times.
- Validate supplier capacity plans against GTI’s scaling requirements to ensure no "clipping" of production schedules.
- Identify and mitigate risks tied to supplier process complexity, tooling longevity, or sub-tier supply chain gaps.
- Support make/buy decisions by providing technical assessments of external manufacturing capabilities.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
