Supplier Quality Manager

Supplier Quality Manager

Position

Purpose:

The Supplier Quality Manager (SQM) is responsible for ensuring that Permobil's production units collaborate with a qualified supply base capable of consistently meeting Permobil's requirements and expectations, thereby supporting the company's ambition to become a business differentiator and achieve true global leadership. As a key leader in strengthening global Supplier Quality Management capabilities, the SQM works proactively to qualify suppliers, support zero‑defect launches of supplied parts, and drive continuous improvement in supplier quality performance.

Acting as a central liaison between suppliers and internal teams—including R&D, Engineering, Sourcing, and Operations—the SQM aligns supplier capabilities with Permobil's design, quality, and regulatory requirements, and ensures robust compliance with the Quality Management System (QMS) and all relevant regulatory standards. The SQM provides both strategic and tactical supplier quality support to site Supplier Quality Engineers and operational teams at production units, leads the development and improvement of supplier quality processes, and oversees the implementation of supplier development and improvement programs.

This role is responsible for supplier qualification, performance monitoring, and the permanent resolution of quality issues, as well as for supporting the effective transfer of product and process requirements to suppliers. By enabling robust design handovers, zero‑defect launches, and continuous improvement in supplier quality performance throughout the lifecycle of supplied components, the SQM plays a critical role in delivering Permobil's sourcing promise to provide a competitive advantage and business differentiation in the marketplace.

• Help maintain and continuously improve a supplier quality system that is compliant with relevant regulatory requirements and ensures high-quality products for Permobil users.
• Take ownership of assigned supplier quality processes, including Approved Supplier List (ASL) maintenance, QMS compliance, audit planning, and supplier re‑evaluations, to support robust quality management across the supply base.

• Plan, perform, and document supplier audits and qualification activities to assess new and existing suppliers' capabilities, processes, and compliance with Permobil's quality and business requirements.
• Conduct regular re‑evaluations of suppliers to ensure ongoing alignment with production, quality, and regulatory needs.
• Lead supplier development initiatives and focused supplier improvement programs with select suppliers.
• Engage directly with suppliers to drive quality performance, implement corrective actions, and share best practices that elevate supplier capabilities and outcomes.

• Lead supplier industrialization activities to ensure suppliers are fully prepared for new product introductions and production ramp‑up.
• Implement and oversee safe launch programs, including enhanced monitoring and containment actions, to verify that suppliers can consistently meet all design and quality requirements during critical launch phases and minimize the risk of early production issues.

• Lead and participate in new development projects and change management processes by executing the supplier quality portion of projects, including oversight and execution of the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP).
• Ensure all supplier submissions meet design and quality requirements before production launch or implementation of changes.

• Manage Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs), working collaboratively with suppliers to investigate root causes, define and implement corrective actions, and verify their effectiveness.
• Provide escalation support to site Supplier Quality Engineers (SQEs) and Production Units, including claim handling and resolution of critical supplier quality issues to minimize production disruptions.