Director of Quality, Space

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Full Time Management Mukilteo, Mukilteo, WA, US

Salary Range: $ To $ Annually

The Director of Quality, Space is responsible for overseeing all quality activities, personnel, systems, and performance associated with Space programs across multiple Karman Space & Defense operating sites. This role provides strategic and operational leadership to ensure all Space hardware, assemblies, and services meet or exceed contractual, regulatory, and customer requirements.

The Director of Quality, Space manages the Space Quality Engineering organization, supports execution of Space programs, and ensures consistent application of quality standards and tools across the sector. This leader works in close partnership with the Enterprise Director of Quality to align each site’s AS9100compliant QMS with the emerging enterprise quality architecture and to transition multiple Space sites toward a unified enterprise certification.

This role is critical in driving disciplined execution, continuous improvement, product integrity, and customer satisfaction within the Space market segment.

Reports to Vice President, Space. Functional Partnership with Enterprise Director of Quality (Karman Space & Defense).

• Lead, develop, and manage the Quality Engineering team supporting all Spaceprograms and projects.
• Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, proactive risk management, and continuous improvement across
  
  Space
  
  Quality functions.
• Serve as the primary
  
  Spacequality leader to the VP of Spaceand the Spaceleadership team.
• Ensure the quality of all Spacehardware, assemblies, engineered systems, and services produced across multiple sites.
• Oversee program quality planning, including inspection strategies, qualification/verification plans, critical characteristics control, product safety considerations, and risk mitigation.
• Review and approve quality requirements for Spaceproposals, contracts, and manufacturing plans.
• Drive effective rootcause analysis, corrective action, and failure review processes for Space programs.
• Ensure eachSpacesitemaintainscompliancetoAS
  9100, customer requirements, and regulatory obligations.
• Provide direct guidance to site Quality Managers/Quality Engineers on QMS implementation, audit readiness, and procedural improvement.
• Support site internal audits, customer audits, DCMA oversight, and third-party certification audits.
• Partner with the Enterprise Director of Quality to align
  
  Spacesite QMS structures, documentation, and practices with the enterprise quality framework.
• Support the longterm strategy to transition multiple Space AS9100 certificates into a unified enterprise certificate.
• Collaborate closely on enterprise initiatives such as configuration management improvements, risk management systems, document control harmonization, supplier quality strategies, and enterprise metrics.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering , Quality, Manufacturing, or related technical field preferred
• 10years of experience in aerospace/Spacequality roles preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of AS9100, ISO 9001, and Spacecustomer quality standards.
• Quality Engineering experience with complex programs including design.

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, certain positions may require applicants to be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Frequent travel 25% - 50%

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other…