HIRE TALENT  /  MEP & ENGINEERING  /  SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER
Supplier Development & Supplier Quality Recruiting

Hire Supplier Development Engineers

Hire Supplier Development Engineers — sometimes titled Supplier Quality Engineer or Supplier Readiness Engineer — who make an aerospace and defense supply base deliver: supplier audits against AS9100 and NADCAP, PPAP and First Article Inspection to AS9102, capacity and rate-readiness assessments, root-cause corrective action that actually closes, and onboarding of machine shops, castings houses and composites suppliers under DFARS and ITAR flow-down. Audit findings and rate-readiness outcomes reference-verified.

Hire Supplier Development Engineers →How it works
Supplier Development Engineer - iRecruit.coExample profile
Kevin L.
Vetted Specialists
MEP & Engineering
Supplier Development Engineer
ASQ CQE · AS9100 Lead Auditor · Six Sigma GB
Sectors
Aerospace and defense supply chains
Defense-tech and space manufacturing, launch vehicles, munitions, UAS, satellite buses, gigafactory and robotics suppliers
Role scope
Audit, qualify, ramp
Supplier audits, PPAP/FAI, capacity and rate readiness, SCAR/8D, machine shop and composites onboarding, DFARS/ITAR flow-down
Geography
US-wide
Industrial, defense and mission-critical network
Placement warranty
Replacement guarantee
Every model, every placement
How It Works

Hire Supplier Development Engineers in 3 steps

A structured process for the hire that stands between your build plan and a supply base that cannot hold rate — where an unaudited machine shop ships out-of-tolerance housings for three months, a First Article gets waived to make a milestone, and the escape is found at vehicle integration instead of at the supplier’s CMM.

Step 01

Talk to our team

30-minute call. Align on commodity mix (machined, cast, forged, composites, harness, PCB, additive), supplier count and geography, quality system (AS9100, NADCAP, ISO 9001, MIL-STD), rate targets and ramp timeline, PPAP or AS9102 FAI regime, ERP and QMS stack, DFARS/ITAR exposure, how the seat splits work with Sourcing and Quality Engineering, travel expectation, and start date.

Step 02

Review hand-selected talent

Within 2 weeks we introduce 3–5 Supplier Development Engineers with verified audit, qualification and ramp history on comparable commodities — suppliers they onboarded, FAIs they approved, rate readiness they signed off, corrective actions they closed. References from supplier quality managers and supply chain directors included.

Step 03

Hire with confidence

Every placement carries a replacement guarantee. If the hire fails within the warranty window, we run a no-fee replacement search.

Why iRecruit.co for Supplier Development Engineer Hires

What makes our Supplier Development Engineer shortlist different

A Supplier Development Engineer at a rocket factory or a missile-component plant spends Monday in a five-axis machine shop reviewing a CMM report against a 0.0005-inch true-position callout and Thursday walking a composites layup room checking autoclave cure logs. Generic quality recruiters screen for the word AS9100 on a resume; we screen for suppliers that went from rejected to rate-ready under the candidate’s ownership.

01

Audit and qualification history verified

Every candidate has documented supplier audits they led — AS9100 and ISO 9001 system audits, NADCAP special-process reviews (heat treat, NDT, chemical processing, welding, composites), process-capability studies (Cpk on key characteristics), and the approved-supplier-list decisions that followed. We confirm findings, closure rates and qualification outcomes with the supplier quality manager who owned the ASL, not just the resume.

02

PPAP, FAI and rate-readiness depth

Reference-verified ownership of PPAP packages and AS9102 First Article Inspections: ballooned drawings, control plans, PFMEAs, MSA/gauge R&R, material and special-process certs, and the disposition calls that held. Plus rate-readiness assessments — capacity models by machine and shift, tooling and fixture status, workforce plans, and the sign-off that a supplier can hold 40 units a month, not 4.

03

Corrective action that closes

Verified SCAR and 8D ownership with containment, root cause (Ishikawa, 5-Why, DOE where warranted), permanent corrective action, and effectiveness checks confirmed by reference — along with the ability to onboard a two-shop-floor machine shop or a small composites house that has never seen DFARS 252.225, ITAR flow-down, counterfeit-parts controls (AS5553 / AS6174) or CMMC requirements and get them compliant without shutting down their deliveries.

Meet Vetted Supplier Development Engineers

The caliber of Supplier Development Engineer you’ll interview

Every candidate is credential-verified, reference-checked, and matched to your supply base and commodity mix. Anonymized examples below reflect real placement profiles.

Vetted SpecialistsFemale Supplier Development Engineer - launch vehicle factoryExample profile

Andre W.

Senior Supplier Development Engineer, Structures
  • Owned 38 machined and additive suppliers for a launch vehicle program — took 11 shops from new-source to rate-ready through AS9100 audits, capability studies and AS9102 FAI approval in 14 months
  • Cut supplier escapes on flight-critical aluminum and titanium housings 62% by mandating ballooned-drawing control plans and in-process CMM sampling at 6 high-volume shops
  • Led rate-readiness reviews that lifted a sole-source forging supplier from 9 to 30 sets a month, with tooling capex and second-shift plan she costed and defended
AS9102 FAIAS9100 Lead AuditorGD&T (Y14.5)
Vetted SpecialistsMale Supplier Development Engineer - defense hardware plantExample profile

Ricardo P.

Supplier Quality Engineer, Munitions & Missile Components
  • Qualified 22 suppliers of energetic housings, precision castings and cable harnesses under DFARS, ITAR and MIL-STD-1916 sampling for a missile-interceptor production ramp
  • Closed a 71-item SCAR backlog to 4 in two quarters by running weekly 8D reviews at suppliers and rejecting corrective actions with no effectiveness data
  • Built the counterfeit-parts (AS5553) and CMMC readiness checklist that moved 15 small shops onto the approved supplier list without a delivery gap
SCAR / 8DDFARS / ITAR flow-downNADCAP special processes
Vetted SpecialistsFemale Supplier Development Engineer - composites and UASExample profile

Farid A.

Supplier Development Engineer, Composites & Electronics
  • Onboarded 7 composites suppliers (prepreg layup, autoclave and OOA cure, CNC trim) and 4 PCB/PCBA houses for an autonomous aircraft program, with cure-cycle, porosity and IPC-A-610 class 3 requirements flowed into every PO
  • Ran PPAP on 140 part numbers ahead of a 10x rate increase, holding a 96% first-pass FAI approval rate through pre-submittal reviews at the supplier
  • Reduced inbound inspection hours 40% by moving 9 suppliers to certified-supplier status on verified Cpk and dock-to-stock audits
PPAPComposites process auditIPC-A-610
Supplier Development Engineer Specializations

Match the Supplier Development Engineer specialty to your supply base

“Supplier Development Engineer” covers several seats depending on the commodity, the program stage, and whether the role leans toward qualification, quality, or ramp. Below are the specializations we recruit for:

Supplier Development Engineer, Machined & Fabricated
CNC shops, sheet metal, weldments
Hire for this specialty
Supplier Development Engineer, Castings & Forgings
Investment, sand, die; closed-die forgings
Hire for this specialty
Supplier Development Engineer, Composites
Layup, autoclave, OOA, filament winding
Hire for this specialty
Supplier Development Engineer, Electronics & Harness
PCB/PCBA, cable and harness, IPC class 3
Hire for this specialty
Supplier Readiness / Rate Readiness Engineer
Capacity models, ramp sign-off
Hire for this specialty
Supplier Development Engineer, Special Processes
NADCAP heat treat, NDT, plating, coating
Hire for this specialty
New Product Introduction Supplier Engineer
PPAP/FAI on new part numbers
Hire for this specialty
Senior / Lead Supplier Development Engineer
Commodity team, 50+ suppliers
Hire for this specialty
Supplier Quality Engineer (peer)
Escape control, inbound quality
Hire for this specialty
Quality Engineer (peer)
In-house process and product quality
Hire for this specialty
Sourcing Engineer (partner seat)
Should-cost, RFQ, supplier selection
Hire for this specialty
Supply Chain Manager (leader)
End-to-end supply chain ownership
Hire for this specialty

Not sure which Supplier Development Engineer specialty fits?

We’ll help you scope the role on the call — commodity mix, supplier count, quality system, rate targets, flow-down exposure, and how the seat splits work with Sourcing and Quality Engineering.

Hire Supplier Development Engineers →
Vetting Criteria

What we verify on every Supplier Development Engineer candidate

Supplier Development Engineer hires live and die on whether the candidate has walked the supplier’s floor and changed the outcome, not just filed the audit report. Below is what every candidate has documented before you meet them:

Supplier audit ownership

Verified AS9100, ISO 9001 and NADCAP-aligned audits led on site — findings written, closure tracked, and approved-supplier-list decisions made — confirmed with the supplier quality manager who owned the ASL.

PPAP and FAI approvals

Reference-verified PPAP packages and AS9102 First Article Inspections reviewed and dispositioned, including ballooned drawings, control plans, PFMEAs, gauge R&R and special-process certs, with first-pass approval rates the candidate can defend.

Rate-readiness outcomes

Verified capacity and rate-readiness assessments (machine and shift capacity, tooling, workforce, material lead time) with ramp results confirmed against the build plan by reference.

Corrective action and flow-down

Verified SCAR/8D closure with effectiveness checks, plus correct flow-down of DFARS, ITAR, counterfeit-parts (AS5553/AS6174), FOD and CMMC requirements into small machine shops and composites suppliers.

Credentials verified

ASQ CQE, CQA or CSQP, AS9100 or IATF lead-auditor training, Six Sigma Green or Black Belt, GD&T (ASME Y14.5) proficiency, mechanical or manufacturing engineering degree, and ITAR eligibility or clearance status where claimed — all checked.

Compensation alignment

Supplier Development Engineer, Senior and Lead comp bands aligned before finalists are introduced, including travel expectation, bonus and equity terms common at defense-tech and space employers.

FAQ

Hiring a Supplier Development Engineer: frequently asked questions

How long does it take to hire a Supplier Development Engineer?

Time to shortlist is typically 2 weeks from scoping call. Total time to placement (shortlist through offer acceptance) is typically 3–4 weeks. Seats that require ITAR eligibility, an active clearance, 50%+ travel, or relocation to a remote factory can run a week longer.

What does a Supplier Development Engineer cost in 2026?

Most US Supplier Development Engineers in aerospace, defense and space manufacturing land between $95K and $135K base depending on commodity depth, travel load and metro. Senior and Lead seats owning a commodity team or a rate ramp typically run $130K–$165K, and defense-tech and launch employers commonly add equity and bonus. These are market bands; we confirm live market bands during scoping.

How is a Supplier Development Engineer different from a Supplier Quality Engineer?

They overlap heavily and many employers use the titles interchangeably. Where they differ, the Supplier Development Engineer leans forward — new-source qualification, capability building, rate readiness and capacity — while the Supplier Quality Engineer leans toward escape control, inbound quality and SCAR management on an existing base. We scope by responsibilities and recruit both under one search where the seat spans them.

How is this different from a Quality Engineer or Sourcing Engineer?

A Quality Engineer owns in-house process and product quality on your own floor. A Sourcing Engineer picks and prices the supplier — should-cost, RFQ, make/buy. The Supplier Development Engineer makes the chosen supplier capable of delivering to print and at rate. The three seats work as a triad on most defense and space programs.

Do you require ASQ CQE or lead-auditor certification?

No. CQE, CQA and AS9100 lead-auditor training are strong signals and we verify them when claimed, but reference-verified audit outcomes, FAI approval rates and rate-readiness results outweigh certificates. On programs with heavy NADCAP special-process exposure we do weight auditor training more heavily.

Can you find candidates who will onboard small machine shops and composites suppliers?

Yes. Much of the defense-tech supply base is 15-to-80-person shops that have never carried DFARS, ITAR or counterfeit-parts flow-down. We screen specifically for candidates who have taken shops like that from first PO to approved-supplier status without stopping their deliveries, and we confirm it with the shop-facing references.

Do you offer a placement guarantee?

Yes. Every Supplier Development Engineer placement carries a replacement guarantee. Guarantee terms are confirmed in writing at engagement start.

Can you build a full supplier quality or supply chain team?

Yes. Multi-hire builds (Supplier Development Engineers plus Supplier Quality Engineers, Buyers, a Strategic Sourcing Manager and a Supply Chain Manager) route through embedded recruiting or RPO.

Ready to hire

Talk to a supplier development recruiter

30-minute scoping conversation. We’ll review the Supplier Development Engineer role you need — commodity mix, supplier count, quality system, rate targets, flow-down exposure — then recommend the right hire path and start sourcing.

Hire Supplier Development Engineers →
Related: Hire Supplier Quality Engineers  ·  Hire Sourcing Engineers  ·  Aerospace supply chain salary guide
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