Staff Supplier Development Engineer - Structures & Welding (R5984)

<div><span data-contrast="auto">Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT&nbsp;aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit&nbsp;</span><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://shield.ai/"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">www.shield.ai</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">. Follow Shield AI on&nbsp;</span><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/shield-ai"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">LinkedIn</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">,&nbsp;</span><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://x.com/shieldaitech"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">X</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">,&nbsp;</span><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/shield_ai"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">Instagram</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">, and&nbsp;</span><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/@Shield_AI"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">YouTube</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;335559685&quot;:720}">&nbsp;</span></div><div><br></div><div>Job Description:</div> <div>&nbsp;</div><h3>What you'll do:</h3><div> <li>Lead the technical development and performance improvement of suppliers supporting welded assemblies, large metallic structures, sheet metal components, and complex structural assemblies.</li> <li>Assess supplier capabilities across welding, sheet metal forming, structural fabrication, machining, assembly, tooling, inspection, and special processes.</li> <li>Conduct supplier capability assessments, manufacturing readiness reviews, process audits, capacity analyses, and onsite technical evaluations.</li> <li>Partner with Strategic Sourcing and Engineering to evaluate and select suppliers capable of meeting technical, quality, cost, schedule, and production-rate requirements.</li> <li>Serve as the primary technical interface between suppliers and internal Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Program teams.</li> <li>Lead supplier industrialization activities, including manufacturing planning, tooling and fixture readiness, process validation, capacity planning, qualification, and production ramp-up.</li> <li>Review engineering drawings, specifications, GD&amp;T, bills of material, weld symbols, material requirements, special-process requirements, and statements of work.</li> <li>Evaluate supplier welding capabilities, including welding equipment, personnel qualifications, weld procedures, process controls, inspection methods, and compliance with applicable aerospace welding standards.</li> <li>Review welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, welder certifications, and nondestructive inspection requirements.</li> <li>Work with suppliers to control weld distortion, residual stress, dimensional variation, heat-affected zones, joint fit-up, and other risks associated with large welded structures.</li> <li>Evaluate sheet metal forming processes such as brake forming, roll forming, stretch forming, hydroforming, stamping, and complex contour forming.</li> <li>Assess supplier tooling strategies for large structures and sheet metal components, including weld fixtures, assembly jigs, forming tools, trim tools, and inspection fixtures.</li> <li>Drive design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly discussions to improve joint design, tooling access, weld accessibility, dimensional control, producibility, cost, and lead time.</li> <li>Lead technical problem-solving involving weld defects, forming defects, springback, distortion, dimensional nonconformances, tooling issues, material variability, and assembly fit-up.</li> <li>Develop and manage supplier technical development plans, production readiness plans, capacity recovery plans, and corrective-action plans.</li> <li>Apply structured root-cause and corrective-action methods, including 8D, 5-Why, fishbone analysis, fault-tree analysis, and other appropriate problem-solving tools.</li> <li>Review and approve supplier manufacturing documentation, including process flow diagrams, manufacturing plans, weld plans, inspection plans, control plans, PFMEAs, work instructions, and qualification documentation.</li> <li>Coordinate First Article Inspection activities in accordance with AS9102 and support the resolution of FAI discrepancies and manufacturing nonconformances.</li> <li>Evaluate supplier production capacity using cycle times, yield, equipment availability, skilled labor, tooling, floor space, material flow, and inspection capacity.</li> <li>Support suppliers through engineering changes, new product introductions, prototype builds, qualification activities, and production-rate increases.</li> <li>Develop measurable improvement plans for suppliers experiencing delivery, quality, capacity, or technical performance issues.</li> <li>Lead onsite supplier recovery efforts and communicate progress, technical risks, and corrective actions to program and executive leadership.</li> <li>Monitor supplier performance trends to identify recurring issues, systemic risks, and opportunities for continuous improvement.</li> <li>Support alternate-source development and risk-mitigation strategies for sole-source, long-lead, and flight-critical structural components.</li> <li>Work with suppliers to implement lean manufacturing, process controls, mistake-proofing, yield improvement, cycle-time reduction, and production-flow improvements.</li> <li>Ensure suppliers comply with applicable AS9100, AS9102, engineering, configuration-control, special-process, and customer requirements.</li> <li>Provide technical guidance and mentorship to less-experienced Supplier Development, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain team members.</li> <li>Travel regularly to supplier locations to conduct assessments, resolve technical issues, and support production readiness and recovery activities.</li> </div><h3>Required qualifications:</h3><div> <li data-renderer-start-pos="4621">Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Welding Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="4794">7+ years of experience in supplier development, manufacturing engineering, welding engineering, supplier quality engineering, or a related technical role within aerospace, defense, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5033">Demonstrated experience developing suppliers and resolving complex manufacturing, quality, capacity, or delivery issues.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5157">Technical experience with one or more of the following commodity or process areas: </li><li data-renderer-start-pos="5243">Large metallic airframe structures</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5281">Welded structural assemblies</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5313">Sheet metal components and assemblies</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5354">Sheet metal forming and fabrication</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5393">Structural frames, supports, mounts, and enclosures</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5448">Complex mechanical and structural assemblies</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5496">Precision-machined structural components</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5540">Tooling, fixtures, and assembly jigs</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5580">Aerospace welding and special processes</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5625">Strong working knowledge of welding processes such as GTAW/TIG, GMAW/MIG, resistance welding, laser welding, or electron-beam welding.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5763">Knowledge of sheet metal manufacturing processes, including cutting, bending, forming, rolling, trimming, drilling, fastening, and structural assembly.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="5918">Experience evaluating welding procedures, welder qualifications, joint preparation, filler materials, shielding requirements, heat input, distortion control, and weld inspection methods.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="6108">Ability to read and interpret complex engineering drawings, GD&amp;T, weld symbols, bills of material, material specifications, and manufacturing requirements.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="6267">Experience assessing tooling and fixture concepts for welding, sheet metal forming, large-structure assembly, and dimensional inspection.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="6408">Experience conducting manufacturing process audits, supplier capability assessments, capacity analyses, and production readiness reviews.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="6549">Experience with First Article Inspection requirements and AS9102 documentation.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="6632">Working knowledge of AS9100 quality management systems and aerospace supplier qualification requirements.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="6741">Experience applying structured root-cause analysis and corrective-action methodologies, including 8D, 5-Why, and fishbone analysis.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="6876">Knowledge of PFMEA, control plans, process capability, statistical process control, measurement systems, and inspection methods.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="7008">Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional technical teams and supplier improvement initiatives with limited oversight.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="7134">Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to make data-driven technical decisions.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="7240">Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical risks and recovery plans to suppliers and senior leadership.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="7402">Ability to manage multiple supplier development projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="7506">Ability to travel to domestic and international supplier facilities as required.</li> <li data-renderer-start-pos="7590">Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.</li> </div><h3>Preferred qualifications:</h3><div> <li>Active U.S. government SECRET security clearance at the time of hire.</li> <li>Experience supporting aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, advanced aerospace platforms, or defense programs.</li> <li>Direct supplier development experience involving large welded airframe structures, sheet metal assemblies, engine mounts, structural frames, or other flight-critical hardware.</li> <li>Experience supporting the industrialization and production ramp-up of newly designed aerospace structures and assemblies.</li> <li>Working knowledge of aerospace welding standards and specifications, including AWS D17.1 or comparable requirements.</li> <li>Experience reviewing welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, welder certifications, and weld inspection documentation.</li> <li>Experience with aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, nickel alloys, and other aerospace-grade materials.</li> <li>Experience resolving weld cracking, porosity, lack of fusion, distortion, springback, dimensional variation, and assembly fit-up issues.</li> <li>Knowledge of nondestructive testing methods such as radiographic, ultrasonic, dye-penetrant, magnetic-particle, and visual inspection.</li> <li>Experience with large-scale tooling, weld fixtures, forming dies, assembly jigs, laser tracking, CMM inspection, and dimensional control.</li> <li>Experience leading supplier recovery efforts involving critical delivery, capacity, manufacturing, or quality issues.</li> <li>Experience with lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, value-stream mapping, process capability analysis, and production-flow optimization.</li> <li>Familiarity with NADCAP-controlled processes, including welding, heat treatment, nondestructive testing, coatings, and chemical processing.</li> <li>Familiarity with FAR, DFARS, ITAR, export compliance, and government contracting requirements.</li> <li>Experience working in both prototype and production environments with aggressive schedule and production-rate requirements.</li> <li>ASQ Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Welding Inspector, Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt, or another relevant professional certification.</li> </div>