Staff Supplier Quality Engineer - Special Processes

Mainspring Energy is revolutionizing power generation with the world’s most flexible and adaptable local power generation technology, the Mainspring Linear Generator. Commercial, industrial, and utility leaders are choosing Mainspring over traditional options like engines, turbines, and fuel cells to quickly and reliably deliver local power for EV charging, commercial facilities, data centers, and grid-scale operations. 

The Mainspring Linear Generator is fuel flexible, ramps up and down to meet demand, and utilizes a flameless reaction with near-zero NOx emissions. Backed by top-tier investors including Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, American Electric Power, Lightrock, and General Catalyst Mainspring designs, manufactures and delivers its products to customers across the U.S. today, and we’re quickly scaling for international expansion.

Inspired by our vision of the affordable, reliable, net-zero carbon grid, Mainspring is rapidly expanding within the $816B global electricity equipment market, and we’re hiring the best talent to meet growing customer demand around the globe. We welcome a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and talents to bring fresh perspectives and ongoing innovation to our customers.
We are looking to build relationships with people who share our values:
Pragmatic Optimism. Building a new category of world-class power generation requires the optimism of ambition and creativity, balanced with practicality to solve problems efficiently. The challenges that arise are opportunities for growth.
Excellence without Ego. We bring expertise and commitment to creating the best customer experience, from sales to deployment and service, just as we apply deep technical rigor to building and delivering world-class products. We strive for excellence and behave as leaders with the humility to acknowledge our challenges, both collectively and as individual contributors.
Proactive Collaboration. The integration and cross-disciplinary nature of Mainspring’s business requires intentionally seeking out others who bring different skills, perspectives, and priorities. Our culture of inclusion and respect extends beyond our team to interactions with our partners and customers.
More information can be found at www.mainspringenergy.com

Responsibilities

Build and maintain trust-based relationships with assigned suppliers, serving as the primary quality point of contact and representing Mainspring's quality expectations clearly and consistently across cultures and geographies, including APAC and international suppliers as we scale

Own the supplier quality gate from New Product Introduction (NPI) through steady-state production, including control plan development, PPAP review and approval, and process capability studies (Cp/Cpk) for assigned suppliers

Issue and drive closure of Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs) using structured root cause analysis methodology (8D), holding suppliers accountable to corrective action timelines and validating effectiveness

Review and approve material and process deviation requests from suppliers, coordinating with Materials & Process Engineering and Design Engineering as required

Conduct supplier process audits and site visits to assess compliance to control plans, quality system requirements, and Mainspring standards

Own incoming inspection disposition and NCR management for assigned suppliers, making timely and defensible quality decisions to keep production moving

Maintain SPC monitoring and control plan updates in steady-state production, escalating negative trends before they become escapes

Act as subject matter expert and internal resource for the SQE team on special processes, providing guidance on qualification approaches, audit methodology, and deviation disposition

The Ideal Candidate

You have successfully launched into volume production complex components and assemblies using advanced quality planning through product development, prototype into mass production

You can thrive in structured and unstructured environments and are not dissuaded at the prospect of making hard decisions about what is important and urgent against a backdrop of limited resources

You have effectively used your background in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) per ANSI Y14.5 to interpret manufacturing drawings and make independent disposition decisions. You have working knowledge of advanced measurement systems including CMM and laser scanning

You have deep working knowledge of three or more special processes: welding, coating, heat treatment, cladding, thermal spray, electronics/PCBA manufacturing or precision machining at the level of auditing supplier process controls, reviewing process FMEAs, and approving PPAPs. Automotive, aerospace, or industrial power generation background preferred

You have used data collection, analysis, and dashboarding to inform effective decision making

You have a working knowledge of ISO 9001, AS9100 or IATF 16949 quality management system requirements

You have coached or mentored less experienced quality engineers and are comfortable being the person others come to when the problem is hard or the answer is not in the playbook

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, or Materials Engineering, or a related technical field required

Minimum 7–10 years of Supplier Quality Engineering experience, with demonstrated progression into roles with independent ownership of supplier qualification programs

Proven experience as a quality decision-maker on PPAP approvals, deviation dispositions, and Supplier Corrective Action Report (SCAR) closure for complex components or assemblies

Experience coaching or mentoring less experienced quality engineers, formally or informally

Deep working knowledge of at least two special processes (welding, coating, heat treatment, brazing, NDT, or electronics/PCBA) at the level of auditing supplier process controls, not just awareness

Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with Design Engineering, Materials & Process, and Supply Chain to drive quality outcomes without direct authority over those teams

Ability to travel 25–50%, including international travel to APAC suppliers

Does your experience not meet all of our posted requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to positions unless they meet every listed requirement. At Mainspring, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, flexible, and collaborative environment, so if you want to help us transition the world to clean and affordable electricity, and don’t meet all posted requirements for a particular role, we’d still love to hear from you. Mainspring can sometimes be flexible enough to shift responsibilities for the right person, or otherwise identify open or upcoming roles that may better fit your professional background.

In more traditional words, Mainspring Energy, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

This compensation and benefits information is based on Mainspring Energy's estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future. We generally do not negotiate on salary once we have made an offer. The level of pay within the range will depend on a variety of job-related factors that may include location, relevant prior experience and/or education, or particular skills and expertise. New hires joining the company tend to be paid within the starting base pay range noted above, with opportunities to increase pay over time based on development of additional skills, competencies, and company-specific knowledge.