Program Quality Assurance Lead, Turbomachinery

About Barber-Nichols Step into a place where custom turbo machinery shapes the future of Defense, Aerospace, Cryogenics, and Energy. At Barber-Nichols (BN), you’ll collaborate with experts at the top of their craft—inside BN and across our customer base—to push boundaries, build trust, and deliver market-defining hardware. If you thrive in a get-it-done environment that develops your skills and celebrates wins, you’ll feel right at home here.A

Day in the Life You’re the quality voice for complex, multi-stakeholder programs. Morning standup with Program Management to align on deliverables. Midday review with Engineering to flow down contract requirements into drawings and route cards. Afternoon source inspection with a customer, followed by coaching Manufacturing on inspection plans and hold points. You finish by packaging a Certification of Conformance and data deliverables that stand up to any audit.

What You’ll Own

• Guardianship of program quality—from contract review to final delivery—ensuring all quality and contractual obligations are met and sustained.
• Translation of contract clauses into clear internal and supplier requirements; verify purchase orders reflect and communicate those requirements.
• Leadership of customer source inspections and audits; guide auditors to objective quality evidence of compliance.
• Process input to production route cards, including quality, customer, and applicable hold points; review drawings for manufacturability, inspectability, and contract compliance.
• Creation of Certifications of Conformance and complete data packages; manage and report as-built conditions per contract.
• Program quality reporting to top leadership; monitor and improve design, in-process, inspection, and assembly performance.
• Subject Matter Expert for DFMAIT from design through manufacturing handoff; present program quality content in design reviews.
• Author/support contract deliverables:
  Quality Plans, Configuration Management Plans, program-specific BNTIs, and other required documents.
• Coordinate incoming inspection to contract/internal standards; review supplier certifications and data packages.
• Document nonconformances to the MRB and drive corrective/preventive actions, ensuring product safety and compliance.
• Conduct internal process audits; continuously refine procedures and methods toward zero defects/escapes.
• Identify and escalate improvement opportunities; lead/assist continuous improvement teams across the business.
• Develop, monitor, and update data for internal BN and customer communications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering field; or a comparable combination of education and experience.
• 7+ years in quality engineering/quality assurance.
• 7+ years working within recognized quality systems (ISO, AS, QS, TS).

Desired

• Professional certifications such as CQE, CQA, or CQT.
• Background in complex metal manufacturing; aerospace exposure preferred.

Skills & Working Style

• Proficient with word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, project management, ERP, databases, and specialized quality/engineering tools.
• Strong written and verbal communication; excellent organization, time management, and attention to detail.
• Strategic and hands-on problem solver; able to plan and deliver against timelines.
• Consistently demonstrates BN values; self-starter who excels independently and in team settings.
• Committed to following BN, client, and regulatory policies and safety programs on BN or client sites.

Travel & Schedule

• Willingness to work overtime as needed.
• Travel up to 20%.

Compensation and Benefits The salary range for this role is $90,000-$115,000. This range represent the anticipated minimum and maximum base + bonus for this position based upon a good faith and reasonable estimate. The final compensation for this position will be set based on the applicant’s qualifications (education, training and/or experience related to this role), and therefore, may fall outside the range shown, depending on the circumstances.

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