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Supplier Development Engineer - NPI Tiger Team

Job DescriptionJob Description

Supplier Development Engineer – NPI Tiger Team

Location: Phoenix, AZ or Goodyear, AZ (Significant Travel Required)
Department: New Product Introduction (NPI)
Employment Type: Full-Time | Exempt

Company Overview
GTI designs, engineers, and manufactures complex modular systems supporting energy storage, power , data center infrastructure, defense, and industrial markets. GTI operates an engineered-to-order environment where disciplined New Product Introduction and supplier performance are critical to scale, cost, quality, and delivery.

Position Overview
Our products don’t move from concept to production by accident—they scale because our suppliers are ready. We are hiring a Supplier Development Engineer to join our NPI "Tiger Team." This is a high-impact, hands-on role designed to lead the launch of new GTI facilities, joint ventures, and critical supplier partnerships.

You aren't just auditing from a desk; you are on the shop floor at supplier sites, ensuring manufacturing processes are stable, repeatable, and scalable. Whether supporting a new product launch or stabilizing a distressed supplier, you own the technical success of our external manufacturing partners.

Key Responsibilities

Supplier Industrialization & Phase Gate Ownership

  • Own supplier manufacturing deliverables across all NPI phase gates, ensuring partners meet design maturity, tooling, and capacity requirements.
  • Act as the technical authority during supplier readiness reviews; stop the line or gate advancement if manufacturing risks are unresolved.
  • Drive accountability for supplier-led APQP/PPAP activities to ensure a seamless transition to production.

On-Site Process Validation & "Tiger Team" Support

  • Provide intensive, hands-on support for distressed suppliers to resolve production bottlenecks and quality escapes.
  • Lead on-site equipment installation, line setup, and process verification at supplier and joint-venture facilities.
  • Conduct First Article Inspections (FAI) and process validations (IQ/OQ/PQ) to confirm manufacturing controls are in place.

Technical Product Launch & DFM

  • Translate GTI engineering designs into executable manufacturing strategies at the supplier level.
  • Lead early production builds at supplier sites to identify "day one" manufacturing issues and drive immediate corrective actions.
  • Partner with Design Engineering to influence product architecture through the lens of Design for Supply Chain and manufacturability.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Scaling

  • Work with Sourcing and Quality to validate supplier capability, takt time assumptions, and labor models.
  • Serve as the primary technical escalation point for supplier-related production issues during the NPI lifecycle.
  • Drive continuous improvement and Lean initiatives within the supply base to improve yield and reduce lead times.

Capacity & Risk Management

  • Validate supplier capacity plans against GTI’s scaling requirements to ensure no "clipping" of production schedules.
  • Identify and mitigate risks tied to supplier process complexity, tooling longevity, or sub-tier supply chain gaps.
  • Support make/buy decisions by providing technical assessments of external manufacturing capabilities.

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
  • 7+ years of experience in manufacturing or supplier development engineering within industrial, automotive, or heavy-equipment environments.
  • Direct experience with NPI: Proven track record of taking products from prototype through high-volume production launch.
  • Shop-Floor Expertise: Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to "roll up sleeves" and troubleshoot on the factory floor.
  • Mobility: Ability to travel significantly to supplier sites and GTI facilities during critical launch windows.

Qualifications

  • Experience in BESS Systems, GenSets, Data Center Infrastructure, or modular construction.
  • Deep familiarity with APQP, PPAP, and structured gated product development frameworks.
  • Experience managing distressed suppliers or supporting joint-venture manufacturing startups.
  • Lean or Six Sigma Black Belt with experience implementing flow and standard work in external environments.