Supplier Quality Engineer - Mechanical

Role: Supplier Quality Engineer - Mechanical

Department: New Product Development     Location: Bengaluru, India     Experience: 5-10 Years

Your Team: 

You'll be working with New Product Development — a group that runs on coffee and an infectious passion for building products that have never been built before. Our Flexible Energy Stack consists of the e^pack (battery pack) and e^pump (charging station), which unlock 15-minute rapid charging.

Our philosophy: 

Break. Believe. Build.  

Break stuff, break assumptions, break the thumb rule. 

Believe in the team, the process, and through failures. 

Build fast, build passionately, build to simplify.

Own it like you mean it.

What you’ll own:

The Supplier Quality Engineer – Mechanical is responsible for ensuring the quality, reliability, and process capability of mechanical components and assemblies supplied to the organization. The role will drive supplier quality from new product development through mass production, including PPAP, supplier audits, process validation, problem solving, supplier development, and continuous improvement.

The role requires strong technical understanding of mechanical engineering, manufacturing processes, engineering drawings, GD&T, dimensional inspection, and supplier quality management. The engineer will work closely with Design, VCD, Manufacturing, IQC, and suppliers to prevent quality issues and establish robust supplier processes.

What you’ll do:

Supplier Quality Management

• Own quality performance of assigned mechanical suppliers.
• Monitor supplier KPIs including PPM, rejection rate, line rejection, customer complaints, 8D closure, and repeat issues. Conduct regular supplier performance reviews and drive improvement plans for poor- performing suppliers.
• Lead supplier containment and corrective action for critical quality issues.
• Establish and maintain supplier quality improvement roadmaps.
• Support supplier selection, evaluation, development, and qualification.
• Develop suppliers to achieve consistent quality, process capability, and delivery performance.

Mechanical Product & Process Quality

• Provide technical quality expertise for mechanical components, parts, and assemblies.
• Review engineering drawings, specifications, BOMs, GD&T requirements, material specifications, and engineering changes from a quality perspective.
• Ensure critical-to-quality and special characteristics are identified and effectively controlled.
• Assess and control manufacturing processes such as fabrication, welding, casting, forging, machining, sheet metal, heat treatment, surface treatment, and assembly.
• Evaluate process risks and establish appropriate process controls, inspection methods, and acceptance criteria.
• Drive process capability and quality improvement for critical characteristics.
• Support dimensional inspection and validation using appropriate measuring equipment and inspection methods.

PPAP

• Support and drive supplier PPAP activities from new product development through SOP and mass production.
• Review and approve supplier PPAP deliverables.
• Review and challenge Process Flow, PFMEA, Control Plan, Work Instructions, MSA/GR&R, SPC, capability studies, inspection standards, and PPAP documentation.
• Ensure special characteristics and critical-to-quality characteristics are identified and adequately controlled.
• Conduct supplier Run-at-Rate and production readiness assessments.
• Review and approve PPAP submissions for new and modified mechanical components.

Supplier Process Audit & Development

• Conduct supplier process audits based on IATF 16949, VDA 6.3, customer-specific requirements, and internal standards.
• Conduct manufacturing process audits covering various mechanical manufacturing processes.
• Assess process robustness, process controls, traceability, inspection systems, and operator practices.
• Identify process risks and gaps through manufacturing process audits.
• Develop suppliers through structured improvement plans, technical training, and process improvement.
• Verify implementation and effectiveness of corrective actions through follow-up audits.
• Drive process capability improvement for critical characteristics.

Problem Solving & Failure Analysis

• Lead technical investigation and root-cause analysis of mechanical quality issues.
• Drive effective containment, 8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, RCA, corrective and preventive actions with suppliers.
• Analyze issues related to dimensional variation, machining defects, casting defects, welding defects, fabrication defects, material issues, surface treatment, assembly, and functional performance.
• Use appropriate problem-solving and analytical techniques to identify root causes. Coordinate with suppliers and cross-functional teams to validate root cause and corrective actions.
• Ensure corrective actions are effective and prevent recurrence. Identify systemic improvement opportunities from recurring supplier quality issues.

Incoming Quality & Manufacturing Support

• Work closely with IQC and Manufacturing Quality to establish appropriate incoming inspection requirements.
• Define critical inspection parameters, sampling requirements, inspection methods, and acceptance criteria based on supplier process capability and risk.
• Support production teams in resolving supplier-related quality issues.
• Establish defect standards and limit samples where required.
• Drive reduction of supplier-related line stoppages, production rejections, and quality escapes.

Change & Sustenance Quality

• Review supplier ECR/ECN/PCN changes for potential quality risks.
• Ensure changes related to material, process, tooling, equipment, manufacturing location, or sub-suppliers are appropriately evaluated and validated.
• Ensure changes are validated and approved before implementation.
• Monitor quality performance after supplier/process/material changes.
• Drive continuous improvement projects for chronic supplier quality issues.
• Maintain lessons learned and standardization across suppliers.

What you’ll bring:

• Education qualification
• B.E./B.Tech/Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Production Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related discipline.
• 5–10 years of experience in Supplier Quality / Quality Engineering, preferably in automotive, EV, or similar manufacturing industries.
• Strong hands-on experience in mechanical component manufacturing and supplier quality.
• Good knowledge of multiple manufacturing processes such as fabrication, welding, casting, forging, machining, sheet metal, heat treatment, surface treatment, and assembly.
• Good understanding of engineering drawings, GD&T, dimensional inspection, and measurement systems.
• Experience in supplier quality management, supplier audits, APQP, PPAP, and supplier development.
• Hands-on experience with PFMEA, Control Plan, MSA, SPC, Process Capability, 8D, RCA, and problem-solving tools.

Preferred Experience (Good to Have):

• Experience with VDA 6.3 / VDA 6.5.
• IATF 16949 Internal Auditor / Lead Auditor certification.
• Core Tools certification. Practical knowledge of GD&T and dimensional inspection.
• Experience with CMM, profile projector, height gauge, gauges, and other precision measurement equipment.
• Experience in supplier capability studies and manufacturing process audits.
• Experience with casting, forging, welding, fabrication, and machining suppliers.
• Experience in new product development and industrialization.
• Experience working with global automotive / industrial / construction equipment suppliers.
• Knowledge of material specifications, heat treatment, surface treatment, and metallurgicalrequirements.

What matters to us:

• Quality of work
• Structured problem-solving
• Dissatisfaction with mediocre work
• Ability to multi-task and handle a dynamic working environment
• Resilient attitude to bounce back after failing

About Us:

Exponent is building the energy stack powering commercial EVs in India. Our proprietary battery and charging technology enables safe, reliable 15-minute rapid charging while delivering a 3,000-cycle battery life warranty using standard lithium-ion cells. Today, our platform powers high-utilisation commercial vehicles - from three-wheelers to intercity buses, making electric mobility rapid, more reliable and more affordable than petroleum.

Founded by Arun Vinayak (Founding Partner & Former Chief Product Officer, Ather Energy), Exponent is a 250+ member team of passionate builders solving some of the toughest engineering challenges in energy.

If solving hard engineering problems across mechanics, thermal systems, power electronics, manufacturing, and the charging network, while staying obsessed with customer experience excites you, we'd love to build with you.