Supplier Development Engineer - Electronics (R5480)

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 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 www.shield.ai . Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn , X , Instagram , and YouTube .
Job Description: We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Supplier Development Engineer to join Shield AI, focusing on electrical components/PCBA. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in supplier development, quality engineering, production process improvement, and supply chain management within the aerospace industry. This role is critical in enhancing supplier performance by solving supplier challenges that impact quality/on-time delivery/scaling, supporting the onboarding of suppliers to new designs, and delivering on our mission to deliver affordable and autonomous mass at scale.

What You'll Do:

• Process Improvement: Audit and embed into core supplier processes to understand improvement opportunities to cost, lead-times, and quality
• Identify and resolve manufacturing defects, process inefficiencies, and quality issues in SMT assembly, such as solder paste application, component placement, reflow soldering, and automated optical inspection (AOI)
• Conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective actions for production failures, utilizing tools like PFMEA
• Ensure adherence to industry standards (IPC-A-610, J-STD-001)
• Quality Assurance: Conduct on-site audits to root cause supplier quality issues or performance challenges
• Supplier Development: Assess and improve supplier capabilities, ensuring alignment with engineering and operational priorities.
• Engineering Technical Support: Provide technical guidance to suppliers on part specifications, manufacturing processes and standards, and quality measures
• Supplier Performance Monitoring: Track and analyze supplier performance metrics, including delivery, quality, and cost. Implement corrective actions and continuous improvement plans as necessary.
• Risk Management: Identify and mitigate risks within the supply chain to ensure uninterrupted production and delivery of components
• New Product Introduction (NPI): Support the introduction of new products by ensuring suppliers meet all quality and delivery requirements during the development phase

Required Qualifications:

• Hands on experience with SMT (Surface Mount Technology) and PCBA
• Knowledge of industry standards (IPC-A-610, J-STD-001)
• ability to analyze PCBA drawing and critical features on electronic assemblies
• Ability to travel to domestic and international suppliers ~50%+ of time

Preferred Qualifications:

• M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent.
• Problem solving skills including root cause investigation and failure analysis
• Leadership experience on a cross-functional project team (e.g., engineering, supply chain, production)

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