Supply Partner Development Engineer (SPDE)

What You Will Be Doing

As the Supply Partner Development Engineer (SPDE) for Group Trucks Purchasing (GTP) North America, you will be part of the Supply Network Resiliency (SNR) group, you drive and manage performance of your supply base from a QDCF-TSR standpoint. You will be part of a team of supplier development colleagues focused on addressing low performing suppliers that have traditionally impacted Volvo/Mack operations. You will focus on providing strong supplier technical assistance. The supplier concern areas are heavily focused on unhealthy production systems, lack of technical resources, and an inability to find quick and sustainable solutions when production processes become abnormal. Primarily, the mission is to return the suppliers back to health and install a zero tolerance focus at the supplier for impacting Volvo operations or customer satisfaction. Furthermore, when required, the mission is also to support resourcing activities away from troubled suppliers.

You will also promote a strong collaboration between Supplier Development and the rest of NA SNR and GTP. This extends globally thereby capitalizing on global knowledge and competence sharing within SNR.

Our Supply Partner Development (SPD) team is a dedicated group responsible for ensuring that Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) has adequate performance, capacity and flexibility throughout the supply chain. Our function requires developing suppliers, which includes all phases of product lifecycle, from start of production to aftermarket phase. The SDE also assists with supplier delivery crisis situations to mitigate impacts and secure deliveries to the Volvo Group production and aftermarket sites.

Reporting To: Head of Supply Partner Development GTP NA

As Supplier Development Engineer, you are expected to support all activities that ensure a continuous flow of parts supply to our NA Plants. In addition, this role must also attempt to minimize costs to Volvo. During supplier development and technical assistance missions, the engineer must choose the right approach, depth, focus, techniques and lessons learned, in order to properly address situations. Each supplier development opportunity may be unique.

Core responsibilities:

• Able to analyze supplier capacity and supplier investment requests
• Actively engaged with Volvo/Mack suppliers and supply chains
• Ability to accurately assess supplier weaknesses and provide solutions
• Monitor high risk supplier development issues to prevent crisis at our Volvo operations
• Drive and develop supplier problem solving techniques for identified supplier fault issues
• Fix and develop supplier production systems and processes to prevent impact to Volvo operations
• Drive supplier operational excellence
• Set focused priorities to reach objectives
• Work in accordance with the GTP processes, the Code of Conduct and the Volvo Way
• Represent GTP at suppliers and escalate as needed to prevent crisis at our Volvo operations

Competence required for the position:

• Act with strong sense of urgency and commitment
• Able to handle uncertainty and the unexpected
• Able to handle unfamiliar tasks, using previous experiences
• Ability to multitask and manage workload efficiently and effectively
• Ability to drive sense of urgency to suppliers focused on information, communication, and results. Provide direct & actionable feedback
• Be customer focused
• Provide timely information for accurate decisions
• Able to create trustful relations and face reality, surface problems and support finding solutions
• Strong collaboration and leadership skills
• Able to execute in a complex regional organization
• Anticipate bottlenecks, explore contingencies, and provide solutions

What We Are Looking For

• University degree required. Major in engineering or business management or supply chain management preferred
• Supply chain (quality and development) and/or production experience
• Preferably experience from the automotive or heavy commercial truck industry in supplier quality and capacity, manufacturing engineering, supplier development or crisis management
• Strong problem solving, communication and teamwork skills
• Strong accountability and project management for tasks without close supervision
• Ability to prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment
• Customer focused mindset, dedicated to meet external and internal customer expectations
• Desire to work in a collaborative team towards a common purpose
• Strong integrity and creativity
• Flexibility and preparedness to travel with short notice

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.