Quality Specialist II (Supplier Quality Acceptance)

Thermo Fisher Scientific · St Paul, MN

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Level: Specialist
Team: Quality
Base pay: $60k–$80k
Experience asked: 2+ years
Industry: Pharma & life sciences
Posted: 23 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A specialist quality role at Thermo Fisher Scientific (pharma & life sciences) in St Paul, MN.

They ask for: 2+ years
Tools it names: Root cause, CAPA, GD&T, FDA / GMP, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), Supplier quality
Base pay: $60k–$80k

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026

Quality Engineer roles in Minnesota: typical posted base $83k–$141k. This one lists $60k–$80k.

Median of the low and high ends of 33 live postings that list pay, out of 56 quality engineer openings in Minnesota, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

Minnesota plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 55 other live quality postings in Minnesota.

Base pay: About 37% below similar roles
Experience asked: Less than usual (2+ vs 5+)

Skills these teams ask for most

✓ Root cause 57%
✓ Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 43%
Lean 41%
Six Sigma 41%
✓ Supplier quality 39%
✓ CAPA 38%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

Stands out: this posting asks for Automation, Welding, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 2+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Lifts up to 40 lbs

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 Thermo Fisher Scientific
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find 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.
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?
- 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.

Full description from Thermo Fisher ScientificAs posted on their careers site.Show

requirements

and identify gaps or ambiguities requiring clarification.

✓Review supplier work and manufacturing progress against approved drawings, specifications, quality requirements, and acceptance criteria and identify conditions that may affect product quality, acceptance readiness, project schedules, or delivery.
✓Perform or support source inspection, receiving acceptance, in-process verification, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Hardware Acceptance Testing (HAT), validation, and related quality acceptance activities to verify conformance and acceptance readiness prior to shipment, receipt, handover, or release.
✓Review supplier quality documentation and objective evidence required for acceptance, including certificates, inspection records, material documentation, calibration records, test reports, and other applicable quality records for completeness, accuracy, traceability, and conformance to defined requirements.
✓Document inspection results, acceptance status, discrepancies, and supporting objective evidence in inspection reports, logs, ERP/eQMS records, and other required systems, ensuring records are accurate, complete, timely, and traceable.
✓Make objective acceptance, rejection, or escalation decisions within established procedures and delegated authority based on documented requirements, inspection results, objective evidence, and product or quality risk.
✓Identify and document nonconforming conditions when supplier products, processes, documentation, or records do not meet defined requirements.
✓Escalate significant, recurring, high-risk, or potentially systemic supplier quality issues to Supplier Quality and Quality leadership as appropriate.
✓Collaborate with Supplier Quality, Engineering, Operations, Procurement, Project Management, Quality, and suppliers to clarify technical and quality requirements, resolve acceptance issues, and support timely product disposition and acceptance.
✓Clearly communicate acceptance status, discrepancies, nonconformances, deviations, required follow-up, and unresolved quality concerns to suppliers and appropriate internal stakeholders.
✓Provide inspection findings, objective evidence, and technical quality input to support supplier quality reviews, issue resolution, risk assessment, and quality-related project decisions.
✓Maintain professional and effective supplier communication while supporting practical, compliant, and timely resolution of quality issues.
✓Support disposition activities by providing objective inspection evidence and clearly identifying the applicable requirement that was not met.
✓Initiate or support nonconformance, supplier corrective action, and Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) activities, as applicable, including containment, objective-evidence collection, investigation and root-cause analysis support, follow-up, and verification of completed corrective and preventive actions.
✓Support supplier/fabricator readiness by communicating inspection expectations, acceptance requirements, documentation needs, and identified quality concerns prior to or during acceptance activities.
✓Track recurring inspection findings, nonconformance trends, and supplier defects and provide quality data and observations to support supplier performance monitoring and improvement activities.
✓Identify and recommend improvements to inspection methods, acceptance criteria, checklists, work instructions, documentation practices, and qualit

Show full description ↓

Work Schedule

First Shift (Days)

Environmental Conditions

Able to lift 40 lbs. without assistance, Adherence to all Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Safety Standards, Loud Noises (Equipment/Machinery), Office, Standing for full shift, Working at heights

Job Description

How You Will Make an Impact

The Quality Specialist II – Supplier Quality Acceptance supports product quality and supplier performance by independently performing supplier quality acceptance activities for materials, components, fabricated assemblies, and equipment used in single-use bioprocessing and automation systems. This role evaluates product and documentation conformance against approved drawings, specifications, purchase requirements, inspection plans, and quality standards; identifies and documents nonconforming conditions; and supports timely resolution of supplier quality issues. The position applies sound quality judgment, objective evidence, and risk-based decision making while collaborating with Supplier Quality, Engineering, Operations, Procurement, Project Management, and suppliers to .ensure compliant and timely product acceptance, protect manufacturing and customer commitments, and drive continuous improvement in supplier quality performance. This role requires up to 50% travel to supplier and other business locations throughout North America to perform supplier quality acceptance, source inspection, FAT/HAT, and related quality activities.

Day In The Life

•Independently perform supplier quality acceptance activities at supplier sites, receiving locations, and other designated locations using approved engineering drawings, specifications, purchase requirements, inspection plans, quality requirements, and defined acceptance criteria.
•Inspect mechanical and electrical components, fabricated assemblies, and equipment, including stainless-steel vessels, fabricated hardware, electrical enclosures, controllers, wiring, welds, surface finishes, dimensions, workmanship, and other defined product characteristics.
•Select and use appropriate inspection and measurement equipment and methods to verify dimensions, mechanical and electrical characteristics, surface finish, weld quality, electrical connections, workmanship, and other defined product characteristics and acceptance requirements.
•Review and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, Bills of Materials (BOMs), tolerances/GD&T, quality requirements, and acceptance criteria to determine applicable inspection and acceptance