Sr. Supplier Quality Engineer

Description:

VAST Data is looking for a Senior Supplier Quality Engineer responsible for working with Vast’s partners to ensure HW suppliers  develop and implement world class supplier quality programs.

This is a great opportunity to be part of one of the fastest-growing infrastructure companies in history, an organization that is in the center of the hurricane being created by the revolution in artificial intelligence.

VAST Data is the data platform company for the AI era. We are building the enterprise software infrastructure to capture, catalog, refine, enrich, and protect massive datasets and make them available for real-time data analysis and AI training and inference. Designed from the ground up to make AI simple to deploy and manage, VAST takes the cost and complexity out of deploying enterprise and AI infrastructure across data center, edge, and cloud.

Our success has been built through intense innovation, a customer-first mentality and a team of fearless VASTronauts who leverage their skills & experiences to make real market impact. This is an opportunity to be a key contributor at a pivotal time in our company’s growth and at a pivotal point in computing history.

The Role

We are looking for a highly skilled and data-driven Senior Supplier Quality Engineer to join our Operations team. This role will closely work with Hardware Engineering, Customer Support, Manufacturing Engineering and Procurement to drive alignment of our quality roadmap and key initiatives. You will be responsible for analyzing failure data, driving root cause analysis with suppliers, and leading projects to improve product quality and their manufacturing processes. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical skills with a deep rooted structured problem-solving background and show proven experience in closed loop failure analysis resolution and supplier quality metric tracking.

Key Responsibilities:

• Hardware & Electronics Knowledge: Understanding of PCB, components, connectors, cables, and system-level hardware
• Failure Analysis & Root Cause Investigation: Analyze failure data from various sources (e.g., testing, production, field data) to identify trends, patterns, and root causes of hardware failures in our data storage products.  Quality tools and methodologies
• FMEA (Failure Modes & Effects Analysis)
• 8D / RCCA (Root Cause Corrective Action)
• ​​Supplier Relationship Management: Ability to influence, negotiate, and drive accountability with suppliers
• Process Improvement & Projects: Lead projects to design, implement, and validate improved testing protocols, manufacturing processes, and quality assurance measures to prevent future failures.
• Reporting & Documentation: Create and maintain detailed failure analysis reports, root cause analysis documents, and process improvement plans. Present findings and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Quality Metrics & KPIs: Develop, track, and report on key quality metrics (e.g., defect rates, yield, reliability) to monitor product quality and identify areas for improvement.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work with customer support, engineering, and quality teams to ensure alignment on quality goals and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Supplier Audits - Lead quality audits at supplier sites as needed to ensure supplier quality practice.
• Project Management: Coordinating supplier corrective actions and monitoring closure on time

Qualifications:

• Experience: 5+ years of experience as a Quality Engineer, Process Engineer, or similar role, preferably with experience in x86 based hardware platforms, particularly in the data storage or related industries.
• Technical Expertise: Strong background in hardware quality assurance, failure analysis, and data-driven decision-making. Familiarity with tools like Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and statistical process control (SPC).

Preferred Skills:

• Proficient in data analysis tools (e.g., Excel, Python, R, or other statistical software).
• Experience working with hardware product design, testing, and manufacturing processes.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Excellent communication skills to present complex data and solutions to non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience in the data storage or electronics industry.
• Knowledge of Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, or similar quality frameworks.
• Supplier Audit Skills: ISO 9001, IATF 16949, ISO 13485 (if applicable), and process audits
• Problem-Solving Tools: 5 Whys, Fishbone (Ishikawa), DMAIC
• Education: A Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Electrical engineering, Mechanical engineering, Manufacturing engineering), Computer Science or a related technical field. Advanced degrees are a plus.