Lead Quality Engineer

GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel and is looking for a Lead Quality Engineer.

The Lead Quality Engineer is responsible for ensuring that products meet both internal and external quality and reliability standards throughout the product lifecycle. This role has direct reports and involves leading quality planning, process validation, risk assessment, and problem‑solving initiatives to support product development, manufacturing and customer satisfaction.

• Interface with Customer, Operations, Engineering, Inspection, and supply chain teams to ensure product quality and compliance.
• Lead or support root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA) for product issues.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements (e.g., ISO 9001, AS9100, ISO 13485, FDA, etc.).
• Manage quality metrics and reporting, including yield, defect rates and customer returns.
• Conduct or support internal, supplier and customer audits.
• Develop, update and maintain documentation including inspection plans and qualification reports.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives such as Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing.
• Perform MRB reviews and document nonconformance concession submittals to customer, respond to customer inquiries.
• Provide technical expertise and guidance to company employees, suppliers, customers and regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with contractual, company and regulatory requirements.
• Perform in an Engineer/Training coordinator role to ensure that activities between production, manufacturing and Quality are clearly defined, communicated and understood.
• Provide education and coaching on the company's quality system.
• Obtain MRB approval for preparing dispositions for product nonconformance to meet all requirements.
• Process customer returned product.
• Facilitate MRB meetings and track actions and progress internally and with customers.

Minimum requirement: High school diploma or GED and 12+ years of relevant aerospace engineering/quality experience.

Preferred requirement: BS and 5+ years of relevant aerospace engineering/quality experience, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.

• MUST BE U.S. Citizen.
• Must be able to read and interpret blueprints, customer specifications and internal QMS documents.
• Must have prior inspection background, be able to inspect product with standard measuring equipment and evaluate to visual standards.
• Must have reliable transportation and travel between buildings as required.
• Have a fundamental understanding of quality philosophies, principles, systems, methods, tools, standards, organizational and team dynamics, customer expectations and satisfaction, supplier relations and performance, leadership, training, interpersonal relationships, improvement systems and professional ethics.
• Understand elements of a Quality Management System and its development, documentation and implementation to applicable domestic and international standards and/or requirements.
• Understand the audit process and its role within a Quality Management System; including types of audits, reporting results and follow‑up.
• Develop and implement quality plans, including tracking, analysing, reporting and problem solving.
• Demonstrate ability to lead problem‑solving and quality improvement events and utilise tools and techniques. This includes knowledge of management and planning tools, quality tools, preventive and corrective actions and how to overcome barriers to quality improvements.
• Possess strong written, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Possess a pro‑active mindset with a passion for utilising Continuous Improvement techniques to improve processes.
• Computer literate in Excel, Word, Access and PowerPoint.
• Must be able to work in a production manufacturing environment and travel throughout the facilities and corporation to obtain information needed to perform job functions.
• Specific vision abilities required; including close vision, distance vision, colour vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to focus with a specific requirement for corrected vision at 20/25 or better.