Supplier Development Specialist

Our team at Blackline Safety is growing! As a people-driven technology company, with a mission to make sure every worker returns home safely, we drive innovation, practice resiliency, demonstrate leadership, go the extra mile for our customers, and empower our people to be their best.

The Supplier Development Specialist is responsible for optimizing supplier manufacturing performance following product qualification and production release. This role focuses on supplier process capability, production readiness, capacity validation, yield improvement, and ongoing supplier quality performance.

Working closely with suppliers and internal operations teams, the Supplier Development Specialist drives continuous improvement initiatives through Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen activities, root-cause analysis, and process optimization. The role serves as the primary escalation point for complex incoming quality issues and supports long-term supplier quality and operational excellence.

Reporting to the Supplier Quality Manager, the Supplier Development Specialist ensures suppliers consistently meet Blackline Safety expectations for quality, delivery, capacity, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Supplier Performance Management

• Monitor supplier quality performance, process capability, yield, and defect trends.

• Drive supplier process capability improvements through the implementation of SPC, process monitoring, and continuous improvement methodologies, increasing Cpk performance and reducing process variation.

• Lead complex supplier quality investigations using 8D, root cause analysis, and Lean methodologies, implementing sustainable process improvements that eliminate recurring defects and improve manufacturing performance.

• Drive closure and effectiveness verification of supplier corrective actions.

• Support supplier scorecard development and performance reviews.

• Production Readiness & Capacity Validation

• Lead supplier Run-at-Rate validations to ensure manufacturing capacity and throughput can support current and future Blackline Safety demand requirements.

• Verify supplier readiness to support production demand and future growth requirements.

• Assess manufacturing bottlenecks, process constraints, and risk areas.

• Recommend improvements to increase supplier throughput and stability.

• Yield Improvement & Process Optimization

• Lead yield improvement initiatives at supplier facilities.

• Conduct on-site and virtual process reviews and Kaizen events to eliminate waste and improve efficiency.