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Supplier Development Engineer Jobs in Kansas (NOW HIRING)

... development, integration, and certification of aircraft electrical systems for commercial and ... System schematics * Supplier requirement documents * System descriptions * Interface Control ...

... development, integration, and certification of aircraft electrical systems for commercial and ... System schematics * Supplier requirement documents * System descriptions * Interface Control ...

You will take ownership of design, development, and optimization tasks, ensuring that solutions are ... Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams (manufacturing, quality control, supply chain, etc ...

You will take ownership of design, development, and optimization tasks, ensuring that solutions are ... Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams (manufacturing, quality control, supply chain, etc ...

Showing results 41-60

Supplier Development Engineer information

See Kansas salary details

$45K

$81.2K

$115.9K

How much do supplier development engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for supplier development engineer in Kansas is $81,240.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $71,300.00 and $92,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some typical challenges that a supplier development engineer may face in their daily work?

Supplier Development Engineers frequently encounter challenges such as identifying root causes of supplier quality issues, aligning diverse vendor processes with organizational standards, and managing timelines for corrective actions. You may also need to work across time zones and cultures if dealing with international suppliers, which requires strong coordination and communication skills. In this role, balancing proactive improvement initiatives with urgent problem resolution is common. Successfully overcoming these challenges contributes directly to smoother production processes, improved product quality, and stronger supplier partnerships.

What is a supplier development engineer?

A Supplier Development Engineer (SDE) is responsible for improving and managing supplier performance to ensure quality, cost, and delivery requirements are met. They work closely with suppliers to implement process improvements, ensure compliance with industry standards, and resolve production issues. SDEs often conduct audits, provide technical support, and collaborate with internal teams to optimize the supply chain. Their goal is to enhance supplier capabilities and drive continuous improvement in manufacturing and procurement.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a supplier development engineer?

To thrive as a Supplier Development Engineer, you need a solid background in engineering, supplier quality management, and process improvement, often supported by a degree in engineering or a related field. Familiarity with quality management systems (QMS), statistical analysis software, and certifications such as Six Sigma or APQP is highly valued. Excellent relationship-building, negotiation, and cross-functional communication skills help drive effective supplier collaboration and problem-solving. These competencies are vital for ensuring suppliers consistently meet quality, cost, and delivery standards critical to organizational success.

What are popular job titles related to Supplier Development Engineer jobs in Kansas? For Supplier Development Engineer jobs in Kansas, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Supplier Development Engineer jobs in Kansas look for? The top searched job categories for Supplier Development Engineer jobs in Kansas are:
Infographic showing various Supplier Development Engineer job openings in Kansas as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 82% Full Time, 14% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $81,240 per year, or $39.1 per hour.

Staff Engineer, Quality Assurance (R5358)

Shield AI

Wichita, KS โ€ข On-site

$110K - $160K/yr

Full-time

Posted 11 days ago


Job description

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BATย aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI's technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visitย www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI onย LinkedIn,ย X,ย Instagram, andย YouTube.ย 

Job Description:

Shield AI is seeking a Quality Engineer to support the development, inspection, execution, and continuous improvement of the X-BAT program. This fast-paced role is responsible for ensuring weapons system hardware, assemblies, suppliers, manufacturing processes, test processes, and final products meet engineering requirements and quality standards.

You will work closely with test operations, manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, program management, and suppliers to identify quality risks, resolve nonconformances, improve processes, and deliver reliable mission critical operations.

What you'll do:
  • Support quality planning, inspections, readiness, and acceptance activities for the weapons system and subsystems
  • Review engineering drawings, specifications, work instructions, inspection plans, and acceptance criteria
  • Develop and maintain quality documentation, including inspection plans, control plans, first article inspections, nonconformance reports, corrective actions, and quality records
  • Lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action efforts for manufacturing defects, supplier issues, test failures, process/procedure failures, and any other quality concerns
  • Support material review board activities, disposition of nonconforming material, and implementation of containment actions
  • Work with manufacturing and engineering teams to build, process capability, and product reliability
  • Analyze quality data, defect trends, performance, and escape rates to identify improvement opportunities
  • Participate in supplier quality activities, including issue resolution, corrective actions, and quality flow-down requirements
  • Ensure compliance with applicable aerospace, defense, customer, and internal quality requirements
  • Promote a culture of safety, compliance, accountability, and continuous improvement
Required qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in science, Engineering, Technology, and Math (STEM), Quality Engineering or related field, or similar experience levels supporting developmental test operations.
  • 5-10 years of experience with developmental and/or operational ground and flight test, unmanned/manned aircraft systems, aircraft integration, or aerospace systems engineering
  • Experience in quality engineering, ground and flight test execution, maintenance, manufacturing engineering, supplier quality, production support, or aerospace hardware
  • Ability to interpret engineering drawings, technical specifications, bills of materials, work instructions, and inspection requirements
  • Proven experience with nonconformance management, root cause analysis, corrective action, trend analysis, and quality documentation
  • Familiarity with inspection methods, measurement tools, and manufacturing processes used in aerospace or complex hardware integration and development test environments
  • Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
  • Ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, manufacturing, test operations, supply chain, and program leadership
  • Maintains liaison with manufacturing, engineering, material management, suppliers to resolve quality problems
  • Detail-oriented approach with a strong commitment to product quality and process discipline
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced ground and flight test environment
  • Willingness to travel and work outdoors at test ranges and other program requirements
  • Overtime and weekend coverage as required
Preferred qualifications:
  • 10+ years of experience with developmental and/or operational ground and flight test, unmanned aircraft systems, aircraft integration, or aerospace systems engineering
  • Knowledge of AS9100, ISO9001, FAA, DoW, and other aerospace and defense quality standards
  • Experience with first acritical inspections
  • Experience supporting protype aircraft, weapon systems, or mission critical aerospace systems
  • Familiarity with configuration management, drawing release processes, and engineering change processes
  • Experience using quality tools such as 8D, 5 Why's, Fishbone diagrams, FMEA, control plans, or process capability analysis
  • Certified Quality Engineer, Six Sigma Green/Black Belt, or related certification
$110,000 - $160,000 a year
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Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
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Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
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Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed toย equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.ย 
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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