Quality Assurance Leader - Aerospace Systems (5222C), Space Sciences Laboratory - #87732

About Berkeley

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging makes it a special place for students, faculty, and staff, who are among the most talented and accomplished anywhere, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and Mac Arthur Fellows. Since our founding in 1868, we have been an engine for innovation - driving intellectual, economic, and social progress that benefits California, the U.S., and beyond.

Together, we change the world.

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging makes it a special place for students, faculty, and staff, who are among the most talented and accomplished anywhere, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and Mac Arthur Fellows. Since our founding in 1868, we have been an engine for innovation - driving intellectual, economic, and social progress that benefits California, the U.S., and beyond.

Together, we change the world. At Berkeley, the best careers are built on a foundation of continuous learning and growth. We actively support professional development by providing all full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours of paid time per year and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups. We invite applicants who are inspired by our Principles of Community and who are eager to be part of our exciting Strategic Plan, which charts Berkeley's next era of excellence.

Learn more about some of our accomplishments at Points of Pride.

The Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) is an Organized Research Unit (ORU) of the Berkeley campus reporting to the Vice Chancellor for Research. SSL's primary goal is to foster research in space-related sciences and to provide education for the next generation of space scientists. Research at SSL, led by Berkeley faculty and SSL Senior Fellows, focuses on experiments and observations carried out in space as well as theoretical and basic research.

The Quality Assurance Leader, Aerospace Systems provides technical leadership and independent oversight across the full lifecycle of advanced aerospace systems, from pioneering scientific instruments for interplanetary exploration to next-generation satellite, launch vehicle, and command-and-control architectures. This position ensures quality is engineered into every phase of development by driving rigorous verification, risk management, process discipline, and compliance with NASA Safety & Mission Assurance and aerospace industry standards.

Working alongside engineering, manufacturing, integration, and supplier teams, the Quality Assurance Leader, Aerospace Systems helps transform breakthrough concepts into mission-ready hardware capable of performing flawlessly in the unforgiving environments of launch and deep space. Leadership spans design reviews, manufacturing surveillance, hardware inspections, supplier oversight, environmental and functional testing, anomaly resolution, and flight readiness verification, ensuring every system is built for reliability, safety, and mission success.

At launch sites, this position provides critical quality oversight during spacecraft integration, fueling, encapsulation, and launch vehicle processing, safeguarding every milestone leading to flight. Through technical excellence, sound judgment, and uncompromising attention to detail, this position helps deliver spacecraft that enable humanity's exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

The First Review Date for this job is:
August 17, 2026.

• Provides strategic leadership and subject-matter expertise in Aerospace Quality Assurance and NASA Safety & Mission Assurance, setting technical direction and quality standards that drive mission success and enterprise-wide risk mitigation.
• Provides expert technical oversight across design, fabrication, integration, and test of spaceflight hardware, evaluating compliance with NASA requirements and flagging quality risks early to protect mission reliability.
• Partners with engineering, manufacturing, and supplier teams to resolve complex technical issues, drive effective corrective actions, and build a culture of continuous quality improvement through direct, hands-on technical engagement.
• Verifies mission-critical hardware against aerospace quality and workmanship standards through detailed inspections, procedural compliance reviews, manufacturing surveillance, and witnessing of qualification and acceptance testing.
• Investigates quality issues, analyzes technical data, and produces clear, actionable reports and documentation that support sound decision-making, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement across programs.

• Detailed knowledge of Aerospace…