Supplier Quality Engineer

Title: Supplier Quality Engineer

Location: Knoxville, TN

Department: Quality

Job Description:

If you are searching for the best new ideas and share our vision, join us as a Supplier Quality Engineer. This is what you need to know:

Location: Knoxville, TN

Salary: Highly Competitive Plus Benefits

Contract: Permanent, full time

Reporting to: Director of Quality Assurance

Your role in the mission:

Type One Energy is seeking a Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE) to lead supplier qualification, auditing, and performance monitoring activities that ensure purchased materials and services meet all quality, engineering, and regulatory requirements.

This role will be central to ensuring that suppliers are qualified, monitored, and managed to meet our technical and compliance requirements while helping to build and strengthen our supplier quality framework.

The ideal candidate will have the technical depth and professional maturity to operate independently during supplier audits and investigations, while also collaborating closely with internal teams to embed supplier quality into sourcing and procurement decisions.

Responsibilities

• Plan, execute, and document supplier qualification and re-qualification audits in alignment with company and ISO 9001 requirements.
• Evaluate supplier quality systems, processes, and controls to ensure capability to meet specifications.
• Establish, track, and report supplier performance metrics.
• Lead investigations into supplier non-conformances, conducting root cause analysis and driving corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Act as the primary point of contact for supplier quality issues across the company.
• Communicate supplier quality expectations to Engineering, Procurement, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Partner with Procurement to integrate supplier quality requirements into sourcing decisions for critical components.
• Support Engineering in ensuring supplier deliverables meet design intent and quality standards.
• Contribute to the development, rollout, and continuous improvement of supplier quality processes, templates, and documentation under the direction of the Director of Quality Assurance.
• Ensure processes are practical, effective, and scalable as the company grows from prototype to production.
• Ensure supplier management activities align with ISO 9001 and other applicable quality standards.
• Demonstrate proactive supplier quality oversight during audits, customer reviews, and regulatory inspections.

What you’ll need:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, or a related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in supplier quality, quality engineering, or auditing in a manufacturing, aerospace, energy, or high-technology environment.
• Demonstrated experience conducting independent supplier audits and managing supplier qualifications.
• Strong understanding of quality management systems (ISO 9001 or equivalent).
• Hands-on experience with root cause analysis, corrective actions, and supplier issue resolution.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to build strong supplier relationships and influence cross-functional stakeholders.
• Ability to travel to supplier sites as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) or similar professional certification.
• Experience with critical or long-lead hardware suppliers in energy, aerospace, or advanced manufacturing industries.
• Working knowledge of AS9100, ISO 13485, or other regulated quality standards.
• Experience in rapidly scaling organizations or new product introduction (NPI) environments.

We offer:

In addition to a basic salary and yearly bonus, you will also get…

• A hybrid work policy
• Stock options
• Relocation allowance
• Insurance plans
• Retirement options
• And many more great voluntary benefits

Type One Energy applies proven advanced manufacturing methods, modern computational physics and high-field superconducting magnets to develop its optimized stellarator fusion energy system. Our FusionDirect development program pursues the lowest-risk, shortest-schedule path to a fusion power plant over the coming decade, using a partner-intensive and capital-efficient strategy.

Type One Energy is committed to community engagement in the development and deployment of its clean energy technology. For more information, visit www.typeoneenergy.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Equal Opportunity Statement 

Type One Energy is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity, searching for the best new ideas and remaining open to unique perspectives. Therefore, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment independent of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age, or any other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.