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Commonwealth Fusion Systems is seeking a Staff Supply Chain Engineer to lead technical supplier development, quality assurance, and continuous manufacturing improvement for molten salts—a critical component of their fusion energy power plants. This is a high-impact individual contributor role with company-wide technical scope in the R&D supply chain space.
You will partner with suppliers to improve quality, delivery, manufacturing, and inventory performance. Key responsibilities include conducting new supplier audits and reviewing technical quality documentation, performing onsite visits for problem-solving and root cause analysis, and managing quality issues through Non-Conformance Reports (NCRs). You'll support procurement and engineering activities by defining quality and technical requirements, contributing to supplier selection, and managing supplier relationships.
You will develop and implement reliability improvements in designs and manufacturing, provide technical reviews for design efforts (drawings, specifications, material requirements), and collaborate with engineers, subject matter experts, and technicians to solve complex material and processing challenges. You'll act as a change agent—identifying process gaps, articulating solutions, and holding vendors accountable with concrete timelines.
Additional responsibilities include facilitating PFMEA processes and APQP elements, supporting creation of manufacturing instructions for quality-critical characteristics, and physically being onsite at vendors for extended periods during new supplier plant start-ups. You will project-manage the launch of new production lines and plants as the molten salt supply chain scales, utilizing technical skills to challenge and expedite production according to CFS business needs.
You'll interface with production operations, inspection, shipping/receiving, and engineering teams to develop quality signals and processes meeting program reliability goals. You'll lead cross-functional supplier quality failure investigations, identify opportunities for risk reduction and complexity removal in designs and processes, and monitor supplier capabilities for unknown risks.
The role requires adherence to all supply chain policies, procedures, and guidelines, including procurement, intellectual property, and export compliance. You must be willing to travel and work required nights, weekends, or on-call regularly, and work in facilities containing industrial hazards (heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead, high voltage, high current, pressure systems, cryogenics).
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering
- 6+ years of related work experience in manufacturing
- Experience with chemical plants
- Supplier management experience
- Deep manufacturing, industrial engineering, and process expertise with ability to learn new parts and systems quickly
- Ability to perform advanced technical activities: Supplier Assessments & Audits, including Quality Management System knowledge (ISO 9001, AS 9100, IATF 16949)
- Proficiency with specialized quality tools: PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plan, MSA, capacity analysis, and Lean Six Sigma initiatives
- Ability to design, establish, and implement supplier quality improvement processes and procedures
- Ability to teach and educate others with limited subject background
- Creative negotiating skills
- Exceptional communication skills
- Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills
- Ability to prioritize and execute tasks
- Strong customer service skills
- Remarkable problem-solving skills
- Works well under pressure with excellent judgment
- Technical capabilities including knowledge of 2D blueprints and model drawings
- Knowledge of supplier quality processes: production part approval process, advanced product quality planning, first article inspection reports
- Supplier relationship management, coordination, and communication
BONUS:
- Master's degree in Engineering
- Six Sigma Certification (Yellow, Green, or Black)
- Previous experience in a high-growth environment
- Experience managing supply chain activities in tooling, consumables, services, or indirect sourcing
- Experience with assembly teams
