Senior Manager Quality & Mission Assurance

We are looking for a seasoned quality leader to build and run our Quality Assurance function in a defense and aerospace environment. As Senior Manager of Quality Assurance & Mission Assurance, you will own the day-to-day execution of our Quality Management System, lead a team of quality professionals, and serve as the primary interface with program management, engineering, manufacturing, and DCMA representatives.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who has implemented quality systems, driven compliance programs, and managed teams in high-stakes hardware environments. You will be expected to establish the standards, processes, and culture that ensure we consistently deliver quality products to our customers — and that our organization is always audit-ready.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Team Leadership

• Lead and develop a team of quality engineers and inspectors, setting clear expectations and driving accountability

• Provide hands-on coaching, training, and mentorship on quality standards, tools, and procedures

• Manage workload allocation across the team to support program schedules and priorities

• Report program quality status to senior leadership and program management on a regular cadence

Mission Assurance & Program Quality

• Assure quality, risk management, safety, reliability, and maintainability across programs, subcontractors, and suppliers in accordance with contractual requirements

• Assess program performance and risks; determine and deploy resources to ensure mission assurance objectives are met

• Maintain comprehensive quality metrics and dashboards, incorporating customer and employee feedback to assess performance and drive decisions

• Collaborate with program managers, engineering leads, and DCMA representatives on scheduling, operational decisions, and contractual clarifications

Product & Integration Quality Engineering

• Partner with manufacturing engineering, production, and design engineers to support the quality of production processes for components such as sensors, PCBAs, cables, wiring harnesses, actuators, machined parts, and structures

• Work cross-functionally to define and execute product build and inspection requirements that meet customer quality standards

• Lead the Non-Conformance Review (NCR) process: contain defects, drive corrective actions, and manage KPIs.

• Lead Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations, manage Material Review Board (MRB) activities, and own containment strategies for prototype and production builds

• Support incoming inspection processes, integration quality documentation, planning, and effectiveness metrics

  QMS, Compliance & Audit Readiness

• Ensure all QMS and AS9100 practices are implemented, maintained, and followed across the organization

• Develop the organization to a continuous state of audit readiness for internal, customer, and third-party audits

• Oversee quality inspections of incoming materials, in-process components, and finished products

• Maintain and update quality documentation including inspection plans, reports, control charts, and standard operating procedures (SOPs)

• Drive the development and maintenance of End Item Data Packages (EIDPs)

• Ensure compliance with all applicable quality certifications and regulatory standards

Continuous Improvement

• Support the implementation and execution of Continuous Improvement programs across manufacturing and engineering

• Identify recurring quality issues and champion cross-functional resolution to root cause and corrective actions

• Support the development of inspection systems and quality planning in partnership with development engineers

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of quality assurance/engineering experience in defense, aerospace, or a similarly regulated hardware environment

• 3+ years managing or leading a quality team, with direct supervisory responsibility

• Hands-on experience implementing and maintaining AS9100-compliant QMS

• Demonstrated experience with NCR/MRB processes and RCCA methodologies (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, or equivalent)

• Familiarity with DCMA oversight processes and experience interfacing with DCMA representatives

• Strong working knowledge of hardware quality disciplines: incoming inspection, in-process inspection, integration quality, and acceptance tes