Supplier Development Engineer

About Vital Lyfe

Vital Lyfe is building modular, desalination systems for off-grid deployment in the most extreme environments on Earth. From disaster zones to defense missions, our hardware helps people generate clean water wherever infrastructure is limited or doesn’t exist. We’re a fast-moving, mission-driven team tackling one of the planet’s most urgent challenges.

Build the supplier network behind a field-deployable water system. Architect quality and reliability into the supply chain from day one and help turn a prototype into a product that can scale anywhere.

- Architect and implement core supplier management systems to ensure traceability, accountability, and quality control

- Develop and scale a high-performing, resilient supplier network aligned with cost, capacity, delivery, and quality targets

- Lead supplier qualification, onboarding, and technical assessments, including DFM reviews, process flow validation, and QMS audits

- Define and enforce technical and quality standards across new product introduction (NPI) and production

- Partner with internal engineering teams to ensure suppliers fully understand and can meet tight part, assembly, and metrology requirements

- Own the lifecycle of supplier issues from non-conformance reports (SDRs) to CAPAs, RTVs, and production quality investigations

- Collaborate directly with vendors to solve recurring issues and drive process-level improvements

- Conduct performance audits and risk reviews, implementing corrective actions where needed

- Provide on-site technical support as needed to ensure supplier processes are dialed for manufacturability, stability, and spec compliance

- Monitor supplier metrics and trend data to proactively mitigate risks and improve operational performance

- Source and evaluate new suppliers with unique capabilities in materials, fabrication, and metrology

- Build and enforce scalable supplier governance and escalation frameworks from scratch

- Thrive in ambiguity build process where none exists, and push for excellence where it does

What You Bring

- A builder’s mindset and a systems-level view of manufacturing

- Experience in supplier quality, NPI, or manufacturing engineering in hardware, climate tech, or industrial systems

- Familiarity with QMS tools and standards (e.g., ISO 9001, PPAP, FAI, Cpk, PFMEA)

- Excellent communication and problem-solving skills in fast-paced, cross-functional environments

- A track record of owning hard problems end-to-end and getting things done under real-world constraints

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