Staff Supplier Development Engineer - Structures & Welding (R5984)
Shield AI · Seattle, WA
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Quality
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 7+ years
- Certification
- Black Belt preferred
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior quality role at Shield AI (aerospace & defense) in Seattle, WA.
- They ask for
- 7+ years · degree required · Black Belt preferred
- Tools it names
- Lean, Root cause, FMEA, Control plans, GD&T, AS9100
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Quality Engineer roles in Washington: typical posted base $100k–$135k.
Median of the low and high ends of 17 live postings that list pay, out of 26 quality engineer openings in Washington, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Washington plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 25 other live quality postings in Washington.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (7+ vs 3+)
Typical $100k–$135k, from 17 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 3+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Root cause 100%
- ✓ Lean 88%
- ✓ AS9100 58%
- ✓ New product launch 58%
- Six Sigma 54%
- ✓ Supplier quality 54%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Stamping, Welding, Capacity planning, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Quality team at Shield AI
We found 1 person at this company and state: 1 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Nick → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Which standards drive the work here: ISO 13485, IATF 16949, AS9100?
- How much of the job is customer complaints versus prevention?
- The posting mentions a Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Shield AI in Seattle
16 other open roles at this site · 1 person we found in quality roles at Shield AI.
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- Head of Aircraft Production (R6147) · Production · Director+
- Head of Aircraft Quality (R6146) · Quality · Director+
- Staff Electrical Specialist - Hardware Test (R6122) · Reliability · Senior
- Engineer I, Quality (R5976) · Quality
Full description from Shield AIAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
What you'll do
- ◆Lead the technical development and performance improvement of suppliers supporting welded assemblies, large metallic structures, sheet metal components, and complex structural assemblies.
- ◆Assess supplier capabilities across welding, sheet metal forming, structural fabrication, machining, assembly, tooling, inspection, and special processes.
- ◆Conduct supplier capability assessments, manufacturing readiness reviews, process audits, capacity analyses, and onsite technical evaluations.
- ◆Partner with Strategic Sourcing and Engineering to evaluate and select suppliers capable of meeting technical, quality, cost, schedule, and production-rate requirements.
- ◆Serve as the primary technical interface between suppliers and internal Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Program teams.
- ◆Lead supplier industrialization activities, including manufacturing planning, tooling and fixture readiness, process validation, capacity planning, qualification, and production ramp-up.
- ◆Review engineering drawings, specifications, GD&T, bills of material, weld symbols, material requirements, special-process requirements, and statements of work.
- ◆Evaluate supplier welding capabilities, including welding equipment, personnel qualifications, weld procedures, process controls, inspection methods, and compliance with applicable aerospace welding standards.
- ◆Review welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, welder certifications, and nondestructive inspection requirements.
- ◆Work with suppliers to control weld distortion, residual stress, dimensional variation, heat-affected zones, joint fit-up, and other risks associated with large welded structures.
- ◆Evaluate sheet metal forming processes such as brake forming, roll forming, stretch forming, hydroforming, stamping, and complex contour forming.
- ◆Assess supplier tooling strategies for large structures and sheet metal components, including weld fixtures, assembly jigs, forming tools, trim tools, and inspection fixtures.
- ◆Drive design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly discussions to improve joint design, tooling access, weld accessibility, dimensional control, producibility, cost, and lead time.
- ◆Lead technical problem-solving involving weld defects, forming defects, springback, distortion, dimensional nonconformances, tooling issues, material variability, and assembly fit-up.
- ◆Develop and manage supplier technical development plans, production readiness plans, capacity recovery plans, and corrective-action plans.
- ◆Apply structured root-cause and corrective-action methods, including 8D, 5-Why, fishbone analysis, fault-tree analysis, and other appropriate problem-solving tools.
- ◆Review and approve supplier manufacturing documentation, including process flow diagrams, manufacturing plans, weld plans, inspection plans, control plans, PFMEAs, work instructions, and qualification documentation.
- ◆Coordinate First Article Inspection activities in accordance with AS9102 and support the resolution of FAI discrepancies and manufacturing nonconformances.
- ◆Evaluate supplier production capacity using cycle times, yield, equipment availability, skilled labor, tooling, floor space, material flow, and inspection capacity.
- ◆Support suppliers through engineering changes, new product introductions, prototype builds, qualification activities, and production-rate increases.
- ◆Develop measurable improvement plans for suppliers experiencing delivery, quality, capacity, or technical performance issues.
- ◆Lead onsite supplier recovery efforts and communicate progress, technical risks, and corrective actions to program and executive leadership.
- ◆Monitor supplier performance trends to identify recurring issues, systemic risks, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
- ◆Support alternate-source development and risk-mitigation strategies for sole-source, long-lead, and flight-critical structural components.
- ◆Work with suppliers to implement lean manufacturing, process controls, mistake-proofing, yield improvement, cycle-time reduction, and production-flow improvements.
- ◆Ensure suppliers comply with applicable AS9100, AS9102, engineering, configuration-control, special-process, and customer requirements.
- ◆Provide technical guidance and mentorship to less-experienced Supplier Development, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain team members.
- ◆Travel regularly to supplier locations to conduct assessments, resolve technical issues, and support production readiness and recovery activities.
Required qualifications
- ✓Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Welding Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.
- ✓7+ years of experience in supplier development, manufacturing engineering, welding engineering, supplier quality engineering, or a related technical role within aerospace, defense, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.
- ✓Demonstrated experience developing suppliers and resolving complex manufacturing, quality, capacity, or delivery issues.
- ✓Technical experience with one or more of the following commodity or process areas:
- ✓Large metallic airframe structures
- ✓Welded structural assemblies
- ✓Sheet metal components and assemblies
- ✓Sheet metal forming and fabrication
- ✓Structural frames, supports, mounts, and enclosures
- ✓Complex
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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.