Senior Quality Engineer - 21419

Senior Quality Engineer - Defense Search

OVERVIEW

Are you looking for a new career opportunity with an exciting Defense/Aerospace company?! Then we've got the right team for you! In this role, you're responsible for the duties listed below.

Immediate opening for a Senior Quality Engineer in Arleta, CA who possesses:

• 5+ years of Quality Engineering experience within an aerospace precision machining environment
• 3+ years of experience leading Root Cause and Corrective Action activities
• Strong knowledge of precision machining and metal manufacturing processes
• Strong GD&T knowledge with the ability to interpret complex engineering drawings and specifications
• Experience with AS9102, APQP/PPAP, FMEA, Control Plans, Gage R&R, and corrective action systems
• ASQ, AS9100 Internal Auditor, Six Sigma, or Lean certifications a plus

FULL DESCRIPTION:We are seeking an experienced Senior Quality Engineer to support quality engineering, corrective action, nonconforming material, inspection, supplier quality, audit readiness, and continuous improvement activities within an aerospace precision machining environment. This highly technical role will serve as a senior resource within the Quality organization and work closely with Production, Engineering, Supply Chain, Account Management, suppliers, and customers. The ideal candidate will bring extensive aerospace machining experience, strong Root Cause and Corrective Action expertise, advanced GD&T knowledge, and hands-on familiarity with metal manufacturing processes and AS9100 quality requirements.

The selected candidate will be responsible for:

• Managing and supporting Root Cause and Corrective Action activities
• Leading investigations involving nonconforming materials, customer returns, supplier issues, and manufacturing quality concerns
• Serving as an active member of the Corrective Action Board
• Maintaining corrective action records and action logs
• Responding to internal and customer corrective actions
• Managing supplier corrective actions and follow-up activities
• Evaluating nonconforming material and determining appropriate disposition and corrective actions
• Serving as a Material Review Board member and supporting MRB dispositions
• Reviewing and completing customer return evaluations and dispositions
• Serving as a customer and supplier point of contact for quality-related concerns
• Working directly with suppliers to understand nonconformances, process limitations, inspection methods, and potential root causes
• Coordinating supplier rework and reprocessing requirements
• Establishing inspection and documentation expectations for reworked material
• Monitoring supplier turnaround commitments and quality performance
• Maintaining quality logs, corrective action records, NC trend data, and Cost of Poor Quality metrics
• Performing first article, in-process, first piece, receiving, and final inspections as needed
• Supporting calibration, rejection investigations, and customer return investigations
• Interpreting engineering drawings, diagrams, formulas, and technical specifications
• Participating in APQP and PPAP package generation
• Supporting FMEA, Control Plans, Gage R&R, and process flow diagram development
• Conducting Failure Analysis investigations
• Reviewing and approving AS9102 First Article Inspection packages
• Generating and updating CARs and SCARs
• Supporting internal and external customer audits
• Supporting supplier audits and evaluations
• Maintaining and supporting the Approved Supplier List
• Providing recommendations to improve quality systems, inspection processes, and manufacturing processes
• Assisting the Quality Manager with reporting quality data and performance metrics to management
• Supporting customer source inspectors during in-process and final source inspections
• Working closely with Production Control, Supply Chain, Account Management, Customer Quality, suppliers, and internal manufacturing teams
• Performing other quality-related duties as assigned

The selected candidate will also possess:

• 5+ years of related aerospace Quality Engineering experience required
• Aerospace precision machining experience required
• Strong experience with metal manufacturing and special processing required
• 3+ years of Root Cause and Corrective Action experience strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience with structured root cause analysis and problem-solving methodologies required
• Strong knowledge of CNC machining processes required
• Strong knowledge of GD&T and ASME Y14.5 principles required
• Experience interpreting complex engineering drawings and specifications required
• Familiarity with APQP and PPAP package generation required
• Experience with FMEA required
• Experience with Control Plans required
• Experience with Gage R&R required
• Experience reviewing or approving AS9102 documentation preferred
• Experience with CARs, SCARs, MRB, nonconforming material, and corrective action systems required
• Experience supporting internal and external audits required
• AS9100 experience strongly preferred
• ASQ certification in Quality Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or Quality Systems preferred
• AS9100 Internal Auditor certification preferred
• Six Sigma Green Belt or higher preferred
• Lean Manufacturing training or certification preferred
• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Quality Engineering, or a related field preferred
• Equivalent trade school, vocational education, apprenticeship, or significant related experience considered
• Statistical Process Control training or certification preferred
• Strong time management and prioritization skills required
• Self-starter with the ability to work effectively with minimal supervision
• Strong technical communication skills required
• Ability to mentor, guide, and support less-experienced quality personnel
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced aerospace machine shop environment
• Ability to work onsite in Arleta, CA
• Ability to work Monday through Friday from approximately 6:30 AM to 3:00 PM
• Must be eligible to work with export-controlled products and related data without restriction
• No sponsorship available

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to stand, walk, push, pull, reach overhead, bend, and move throughout office, inspection, and machine shop environments
• Ability to occasionally exert up to 80 pounds of force
• Ability to frequently exert up to 10 pounds of force
• Ability to use hands and fingers for inspection, measurement, documentation, computer work, and handling manufactured parts
• Ability to visually inspect precision-machined components and read machine dial gauges, blueprints, engineering drawings, and precision measurement instruments
• Ability to maintain near visual acuity and focus while performing detailed inspection and quality activities
• Ability to monitor machine sounds and recognize changes that may indicate process or equipment issues
• Ability to work in a machine shop environment that may include elevated noise levels, moving equipment, machine parts, fumes, dust, oils, etchants, and cutting fluids
• Ability to wear required PPE and follow all applicable manufacturing, machining, quality, and safety procedures
• Ability to maintain accuracy, sound judgment, and attention to detail while handling high-priority quality issues

Salary Range: $90,000 to $120,000/year
More information can be found at www.defensesearchusa.com.

Defense Search is a specialized recruiting and staffing firm dedicated exclusively to the defense & aerospace industry. We place candidates on a contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire basis.