Job Description
Job DescriptionJoin a Century of Making
For over 100 years, AMACO has advanced the art of ceramics and creative materials—commercializing clays and glazes, and building trusted kilns and potter’s wheels. As a family-owned company and ACMI founding member, we lead with safety, quality, and innovation. We foster a culture where continuous improvement and learning are part of every role.
Role Snapshot
Title: Vendor Quality Assurance Supervisor
Reports to: Director of Operations
Own the external quality lifecycle. You will establish supplier qualification and auditing, oversee incoming inspections, and ensure suppliers consistently meet critical-to-quality (CTQ) standards for AMACO and Brent products. You’ll collaborate across production, procurement, and engineering to resolve issues quickly and sustainably, while building strong supplier partnerships.
Primary Responsibilities
- Supplier Quality System:
- Create and maintain qualification, audit, monitoring, scorecards, and supplier agreements.
- Define incoming inspection plans and teach correct test and measurement methods to teams and suppliers.
- Issue Resolution:
- Act as first point of contact for discrepancies.
- Lead investigations, 8D/root-cause analysis, and corrective actions; escalate to the In-Process Quality Supervisor as needed.
- Collaboration:
- Partner with production to address line issues.
- Work with procurement/engineering on supplier selection and development.
- Implement rapid-response processes to prevent disruptions.
- Continuous Improvement:
- Deploy AMACO and Brent Quality System standards at suppliers.
- Run corrective action systems, supplier Kaizen, and A3 improvement initiatives.
Team Leadership
- Lead supplier quality staff: set goals, manage schedules, and conduct reviews.
- Provide hands-on coaching in quality fundamentals and ceramics best practices.
Performance Metrics
- Lower defect and incoming failure rates tied to suppliers.
- Reduced downtime due to supplier quality issues.
- Improved supplier scorecards (defects, delivery, compliance).
- Timely, effective, and sustained corrective actions.
Qualifications
- BS in Ceramics, Engineering, Materials Science, Industrial Technology, or related; or AS with substantial relevant experience.
- 5–7+ years in supplier quality/quality engineering within manufacturing.
- Experience building a Supplier Quality System from the ground up.
- ISO 9001 expertise; familiarity with IATF 16949, AS9100, or ISO 13485 a plus.
- SPC and statistical tools (Minitab preferred).
- Background creating/documenting standards and translating attribute criteria to numeric limits.
- ASQ CSQP, CQE, CQA, or Lean Six Sigma Green Belt preferred.
- Proven supplier auditing, corrective action, and development results.
Competencies
- Test method mastery, auditing rigor, and supplier quality systems knowledge.
- CTQ application, PPAP, FMEA, and 8D problem solving.
- Influential leadership and confident supplier negotiation.
- Balanced decision-making across quality, cost, and delivery.
- Strong planning, organization, and communication.
Work Setting & Physical Demands
- Extended standing and frequent lifting/heavy lifting; hot and cold environments.
- Regular talking/hearing; frequent standing, walking, hand use, and reaching.
- Occasional sitting, climbing/balancing, stooping/kneeling/crouching/crawling.
- Frequently lift/move 50+ pounds.
- Vision: close, distance, color, peripheral, depth perception, and focus adjustment.
Schedule & Travel
- Full-time, Monday–Friday, 40+ hours/week.
- Occasional evening/weekend work as needed.
- Travel up to 30%.
Accessibility
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.
EEO Statement:
AMACO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind: AMACO is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at AMACO are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the location where we operate. AMACO will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.
Role Flexibility
Responsibilities may shift over time to support business needs; related duties may be assigned without prior notice.
Helpful Experience
- Quality inspection
- Kaizen/continuous improvement
- Root-cause troubleshooting
- APQP
- Supplier management
- SOP development and adherence
- Quality control and data analytics