How To Become A Supplier Quality Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a supplier quality engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

A supplier quality engineer ensures that the products and materials received from suppliers meet quality standards. They work with suppliers to establish metrics and monitor performance, identifying and addressing potential quality issues. Supplier quality engineers collaborate with internal production and engineering teams to meet customer expectations. This involves developing and implementing quality control procedures, conducting audits, analyzing data, and continuously optimizing supplier performance. Overall, a supplier quality engineer maintains product quality and customer satisfaction.

ScoreSupplier Quality EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.5

Avg. Salary $83,182

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 11.66%

Black or African American 4.67%

Hispanic or Latino 11.48%

Unknown 3.94%

White 68.08%

Gender

female 19.52%

male 80.48%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a supplier quality engineer?

Pros

Good compensation and benefits package
Opportunities for career advancement and growth
Exposure to various regulatory requirements and standards
Opportunity to travel for supplier audits and inspections
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with constantly changing priorities

Cons

Pressure to meet tight deadlines and deliverables
Exposure to legal and financial risks associated with supplier quality issues
Frequent travel may be required, leading to work-life balance challenges
Constant need for adaptation and problem-solving in response to changing supplier performance or quality issues
Potential for stress due to the importance of the role in ensuring product safety and compliance

Key steps to become a supplier quality engineer

Explore supplier quality engineer education requirements

Most common supplier quality engineer degrees

Bachelor's

67.7 %

Master's

15.2 %

Associate

13.1 %

Start to develop specific supplier quality engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Sigma	6.25%
ISO	5.77%
PPAP	4.99%
Product Quality	3.95%
SPC	3.86%

Complete relevant supplier quality engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New supplier quality engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a supplier quality engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real supplier quality engineer resumes.

Research supplier quality engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage manufacturing processes to ensure compliance with TS16949 and ISO9001 requirements.
Lead a team of cross function business units into defining a new PCB fabrication spec.
Lead the effort with all quality engineers to collect all code coverage during a full regression pass.
Program manage inter-departmental NPI activities.

Prepare your supplier quality engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your supplier quality engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a supplier quality engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable supplier quality engineer resume templates

Build a professional supplier quality engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your supplier quality engineer resume.

Apply for supplier quality engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a supplier quality engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do supplier quality engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Supplier quality engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2021

Pros

Defined Quality test procedure validated test components and planned integration tests for leading parts manufacture for industry. • Prepares and maintained important company quality control documentations such as quality manuals quality procedure, quality standards and quality assurance • Prepared the final inspection report before the dispatched for the machining process • Resolved machining department complaints, took preventive measure to prevent future complaints and clearly, documented all feedback, Mechanical Engineer for Third Party Inspection jobs in Baroda • Typically deals with several problems of the same time

Cons

Yes