Supplier Quality Engineer; Metallurgy

Wolverine Advanced Materials produces and sells performance-critical, specialty elastomer-coated metals used in gaskets for automotive & industrial applications; automotive brake noise insulators and NVH (noise, vibration & harshness) damping solutions for automotive.

Wolverine employs approximately 600 people worldwide and has manufacturing operations in Virginia, Florida, Germany, and China, as well as sales & technical offices in Michigan, Germany, Japan, China, Brazil, and India.

Wolverine Advanced Materials, an entity of Center Rock Capital, is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance materials. Our core competency is in performance-critical, specialty elastomer–coated metals that offer damping and seal-ability solutions in the automotive and gasket industries.

Center Rock Capital is a company where they see potential where others may not look; and as a team we can find the right solution to the right challenge.

Wolverine Advanced Materials (WAM) is seeking a highly experienced Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE) with deep metallurgical expertise to strengthen our metal raw material supply base and drive supplier quality performance across our global manufacturing network.
This is a field-active, supplier-facing technical authority role – not a laboratory position
. This role will operate at the intersection of metallurgical depth and supplier quality execution, combining hands‑on problem solving with structured quality system management (IATF 16949, APQP, PPAP).

This position is located on site in Blacksburg, VA.

• Own supplier quality performance for assigned metal raw material suppliers, including monitoring KPIs (PPM, OTD, SCAR closure rate, audit scores) and driving continuous improvement.
• Manage Supplier Problem Notification (SPN’s) end‑to‑end: initiation, root cause verification, corrective action validation, and effectiveness monitoring.
• Lead or support supplier audits (process audits, system audits) in accordance with IATF 16949, customer‑specific requirements, and WAM internal standards.
• Serve as the primary technical interface between WAM and metal suppliers during quality escalations, containment actions, and customer‑impacting incidents.
• Maintain supplier quality records, corrective action logs, audit reports, and performance dashboards.

• Lead technical investigations and root cause analysis (8D, A3, PDCA) for metal‑related quality issues, including:
• Galvanization and coating layer defects (thickness variation, adhesion failure, flaking, surface defects)
• Mechanical properties out of specification (yield strength, tensile strength, elongation, hardness)
• Surface defects (scratches, pits, roll marks, inclusions, stains, dross)
• Flatness, camber, edge wave, crossbow, and coil deformation issues
• Work directly with steel mills, galvanize rs, and metal service centers to define root causes using metallurgical principles and data‑driven methods.
• Review chemical composition, microstructure, processing routes, and heat treatment records as part of investigations.
• Establish and track corrective and preventive actions to closure, ensuring permanent elimination of recurrence.
• Act as WAM’s subject‑matter expert during customer escalations and warranty claims related to metal raw material quality.
• Lead or support the development and qualification of new metal suppliers for carbon steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel, and aluminum.
• Define technical requirements for raw materials including chemical composition, mechanical properties, surface and flatness criteria, and coating specifications (zinc coating type and mass).
• Manage the PPAP process for new and changed metal sources: part submission warrants, material certifications, dimensional reports, initial process capability studies.
• Conduct APQP activities for new material introductions: supplier selection criteria, DFMEA/PFMEA participation, control plan review, and industrialization milestones.
• Evaluate supplier metallurgical capability, process controls, and quality systems prior to qualification approval.
• Collaborate with Purchasing, R&D,…