Full Description

Korn Ferry has partnered with our client on their search for Principal Supplier Quality Engineer

Principal Supplier Quality Engineer

About Halter At Halter, we’re on a mission to enable farmers and graziers to run the most productive and sustainable operations.

Our customers are using Halter to break free from the time-intensive constraints of conventional farming. Imagine watching 500 cattle stand up and walk calmly towards their next break — no quad bikes, no dogs, no fences. Just a group of cattle moving at their own pace.

People say it looks like magic.

Our customers are revolutionising grazing with Halter. It’s changing lives and transforming an industry.

People join Halter to do meaningful work. By joining us, you’ll solve challenging problems alongside a talented team in a culture built for high performance. Our team out-think, outwork and out-care.

We’re committed to delivering real change in the world. This isn’t easy — and in truth, we love that it’s hard.

Halter is backed by leading global investors including Founders Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners, BOND, DCVC, Blackbird, Promus Ventures, Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck and Icehouse Ventures.

About the Role Principal Supplier Quality Engineer Halter is looking for a Principal Supplier Quality Engineer to provide technical leadership across supplier quality and manufacturing quality for our rapidly scaling hardware organisation.

This is a senior individual contributor role for a highly experienced supplier quality professional who can operate as a technical authority and trusted partner to Engineering, Manufacturing, Procurement and Contract Manufacturing teams.

You will take ownership of the quality performance of critical suppliers and components across Halter’s hardware supply chain, with a particular focus on complex electromechanical products manufactured across Asia.

You will be expected to go beyond identifying quality problems. You will work with suppliers and internal engineering teams to prevent issues, solve complex problems at root cause, strengthen supplier capability and ensure that products are robust enough to perform reliably in demanding on-farm environments.

As a Principal SQE, you will also help shape the way Halter approaches supplier quality as the business scales — establishing robust processes, influencing engineering decisions and raising the technical standard of supplier quality across the organisation.

What Your Day Could Look Like Own Critical Supplier & Component Quality Take technical ownership of quality performance for strategically important suppliers and components. Establish appropriate quality expectations, control plans and performance metrics with suppliers. Assess supplier capability and manufacturing maturity during supplier selection and qualification. Identify potential quality risks early and drive appropriate mitigation plans. Lead Complex Quality Problem Solving Lead rapid, cross-functional investigations into complex supplier and component failures. Partner closely with Design, Manufacturing and Reliability Engineers to identify true root causes. Apply structured problem-solving methodologies including 8D, RCA, FMEA, SPC and process capability analysis. Develop robust corrective and preventive actions that address systemic causes rather than temporary fixes. Make pragmatic, risk-based decisions to protect production while maintaining product quality. Drive Supplier Development Work directly with suppliers to improve manufacturing processes, process capability and quality systems. Identify systemic supplier weaknesses and develop targeted improvement plans. Challenge suppliers constructively when processes, controls or quality outcomes do not meet Halter's expectations. Support suppliers in implementing sustainable corrective and preventive measures. Build strong technical relationships with key suppliers and become a trusted partner while maintaining appropriate quality standards. Support NPI and Product Industrialisation Partner with Engineering and suppliers throughout the NPI, qualification and production ramp-up process. Assess manufacturability and supplier process capability for new components. Establish quality requirements and manufacturing controls before production scale-up. Identify potential failure modes and quality risks before they reach production or the farm. Ensure lessons learned from production and field failures are fed back into product and supplier development. Develop Supplier Quality Standards & Systems Help define and continuously improve Halter's supplier quality processes, standards and methodologies. Develop and implement appropriate quality documentation, inspection plans and process controls. Establish statistical process control and capability requirements for critical processes and components. Conduct supplier audits and drive closure of identified non-conformances. Help build scalable supplier quality practices as Halter expands its global manufacturing footprint. Provide Technical Leadership Act as a subject-matter expert and escalation point for complex supplier quality issues. Coach and influence other SQEs and cross-functional team members through technical expertise rather than formal authority. Share best practices, lessons learned and problem-solving approaches across the organisation. Influence supplier, engineering and manufacturing decisions through data and firstprinciples thinking.

What We’re Looking For Technical & Professional Experience 8+ years of experience in Supplier Quality, Supplier Development, Manufacturing Quality or a closely related engineering discipline. Strong experience working with high-volume, complex hardware manufacturing environments. Experience with electromechanical products and components strongly preferred. Proven experience managing quality across suppliers and contract manufacturers in Asia. Strong understanding of manufacturing processes such as injection moulding, CNC machining, stamping, die casting, SMT/PCBA, assembly, surface treatment or other precision manufacturing processes. Demonstrated experience with NPI, supplier qualification and production rampup. Strong experience in supplier audits, process capability and quality systems. Advanced knowledge of quality methodologies including 8D, RCA, FMEA, SPC, MSA, CAPA and process capability analysis. Experience solving complex supplier and manufacturing problems with a strong focus on permanent corrective action.

Principal-Level Capabilities

We are particularly interested in people who can demonstrate

• Technical Depth
• You understand not only what went wrong, but why the manufacturing process allowed it to happen.
• First-Principles Thinking
• You can break down complex problems, identify the critical variables and focus the team on what actually matters.
• Supplier Influence
• You can influence technically capable suppliers, challenge assumptions and drive meaningful improvements without relying on formal authority.
• Ownership
• You take an issue from problem identification → root cause → corrective action → validation → prevention, rather than handing it off to another team.
• Strategic Thinking
• You can identify recurring patterns across suppliers and turn individual quality issues into systemic improvements.
• Technical Leadership
• You are comfortable being the person others turn to when a supplier or manufacturing problem is technically difficult.

What Success Looks Like

Within this role, success would mean

• Critical suppliers consistently meet Halter's quality and delivery expectations.
• Quality issues are identified and contained before they impact production or customers.
• Root causes are properly understood and permanently addressed.
• Supplier manufacturing processes become more capable and robust over time.
• New products transition into production with fewer quality surprises.
• Halter's supplier quality systems become increasingly scalable as the business grows.
• Engineering, Manufacturing and Procurement teams see you as a trusted technical authority on supplier quality.

What We’re Looking For in Terms of Background

We would consider candidates from a range of complex hardware environments, including

• Smart Hardware / Consumer Electronics / IoT
• Advanced Automotive Electronics & Components
• Industrial Instruments / Sensors / Precision Equipment
• Robotics / Automation / Electromechanical Products
• EMS / ODM / Contract Manufacturing

The specific industry background is less important than demonstrated experience with

• Complex hardware + sophisticated suppliers + manufacturing depth + NPI + supplier quality ownership.

Language & Location Strong written and verbal English communication skills required. Mandarin highly preferred due to the significant supplier ecosystem across China and Asia. Willingness to travel regularly across APAC, potentially 25%+ of the time, depending on supplier and business requirements. Comfortable working across international teams and cultures.

Personal Attributes

You will thrive at Halter if you are

• Highly autonomous and comfortable operating without a rigid playbook.
• Hands-on and willing to get into the details when necessary.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and rapidly changing priorities.
• Curious about how things are designed and manufactured.
• Comfortable challenging suppliers and internal stakeholders when necessary.
• Commercially pragmatic while maintaining high quality standards.
• Energised by difficult technical problems.
• Motivated by building something rather than simply maintaining an existing system.

SE: 510815133