Sr. Supplier Quality Engineer

Description

The Leidos Mission Assurance organization is seeking a Senior Supplier Quality Engineer (Sr. SQE) to support the Defense/Land/Aerospace Sector. This position offers the opportunity to join a diverse team dedicated to delivering innovative solutions to complex challenges across defense, aerospace, cyber, space, and commercial markets.

With operations throughout the United States, Leidos provides responsive, cost-effective engineering, scientific, and information technology solutions to government and commercial customers.

The Sr. SQE will support multiple programs, projects, product lines, and suppliers across the Defense/Land/Aerospace portfolio. This role requires the ability to balance competing priorities while ensuring supplier quality performance, compliance, risk management, and continuous improvement across development, production, and sustainment efforts.

Primary Responsibilities.

• Lead supplier quality activities across multiple concurrent programs and projects, ensuring compliance with program requirements, schedules, contractual obligations, and customer expectations.
• Prioritize and coordinate supplier quality initiatives across a diverse portfolio supporting both development and production environments.
• Provide cross-program visibility into supplier performance, quality risks, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives to program leadership and key stakeholders.
• Apply lessons learned, supplier performance data, and industry best practices across programs to improve supplier quality and prevent recurring issues.
• Demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills while serving as a liaison between suppliers, customers, government representatives, and internal stakeholders.
• Interface directly with suppliers and perform supplier quality engineering functions supporting aerospace and defense manufacturing operations.
• Collaborate closely with Procurement, Program Managers, Supplier Program Managers, Program Quality Engineers, Business Area Quality Managers, and Receiving Inspection personnel to resolve supplier quality issues.
• Conduct on-site supplier audits, assessments, capability evaluations, and readiness reviews.
• Perform detailed investigations and root cause analyses of supplier quality issues, identify risks, facilitate containment actions, and drive effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Develop and maintain supplier performance metrics, including nonconforming material trends, defect rates, supplier corrective action responsiveness, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Participate in supplier selection, qualification, and ongoing oversight activities to ensure appropriate quality requirements, Q-note clauses, Statements of Work (SOW), and contractual obligations are effectively flowed down and implemented.
• Review supplier manufacturing processes and collaborate with suppliers to improve process capability, efficiency, quality performance, and value creation.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain and Program teams to monitor and communicate supplier quality performance through detailed reporting and data-driven analysis.
• Review supplier inspection and test documentation, including First Article Inspections (FAIs), source inspection records, material certifications, and test reports.
• Monitor industry and supply chain developments that may impact product quality, availability, or supplier performance and communicate potential impacts to stakeholders.
• Partner with other Supplier Quality Engineers and cross-functional teams to develop organizational knowledge, standardize processes, and share best practices across programs.
• Collaborate with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to evaluate supplier process capabilities and identify opportunities to strengthen and diversify the supply base.
• Support Supplier Quality Analysts in supplier qualification activities, GIDEP evaluations, and other technical assessments.
• Perform additional quality assurance and supplier quality responsibilities as assigned by management.

Basic Qualifications.

• Bachelor's degree with 8–12 years of relevant experience in a manufacturing environment, including at least 5 years of Supplier Quality Engineering experience within an AS9100-certified or similarly rigorous Quality Management System (QMS)

OR

High School Diploma/GED with a minimum of 15 years of manufacturing experience, including at least 5 years in Supplier Quality and/or Quality Engineering within an AS9100 environment or equivalent experience supporting DoD, aerospace, automotive, or other highly regulated manufacturing industries.

• Demonstrated experience supporting multiple projects, programs, or product lines simultaneously within a complex aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or government-contracting environment.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities, balance program demands and effectively communicate with stakeholders across multiple organizations and program teams.
• Experience conducting supplier audits, assessments, capability evaluations, and…