Quality Manager – Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing

Total Aviation Staffing is hiring a Quality Manager for our client, a leading manufacturer serving the aerospace, defense, medical equipment, and commercial equipment industries.

This position is based in El Cajon, California and is ideal for an experienced quality leader with a strong background in aerospace manufacturing, quality systems, inspection processes, customer audits, supplier quality, and regulatory compliance. In this role, you will lead the quality department, oversee plant-wide quality processes, support internal and external audits, and help maintain compliance with key quality standards including AS9100-D, ISO 9001:2015, and NADCAP.

If you have experience managing quality teams, interpreting customer specifications, supporting NDT processes, and driving quality performance in a manufacturing environment, this is a strong opportunity to step into a high-impact leadership role.

As the Quality Manager, you will be responsible for leading the quality function, supporting inspection processes, managing compliance programs, and ensuring products meet customer, regulatory, and internal quality requirements.

• Lead the quality department and provide technical guidance on quality requirements.
• Oversee plant quality processes, including receiving inspection, in-process inspection, and final inspection.
• Develop methods for job releases and prepare quality packages, including SPC data collection and MIS documentation.
• Manage non-conforming products and ensure proper documentation, containment, disposition, and corrective action.
• Maintain scrap records, production records, SPC programs, and other quality documentation.
• Maintain the instrument calibration program and ensure calibration records remain accurate and up to date.
• Manage the Approved Supplier Program through supplier audits, performance tracking, and recordkeeping.
• Conduct or oversee NDT Level III responsibilities for X-Ray, Penetrant, and Visual inspection activities.
• Serve as the primary quality liaison during customer audits and third-party compliance audits.
• Maintain quality performance metrics and support continuous improvement efforts.
• Lead internal audits and ensure quality system compliance.
• Support sales order input and review customer specifications for quality requirements.
• Train, coach, evaluate, and develop quality department staff.
• Support compliance with AS9100-D, ISO 9001:2015, NADCAP, AS9102, customer requirements, and internal procedures.

The ideal candidate is a hands‑on quality leader who can balance technical quality expertise with strong people management. You should be comfortable working across inspection, documentation, audits, supplier quality, calibration, corrective action, and customer requirements.

This role is a strong fit for someone who understands that quality is not just paperwork. It is the difference between “approved for release” and “everyone gets to enjoy a very expensive problem.” Details matter here.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in quality, quality assurance, quality engineering, project management, or a related manufacturing role.
• Supervisory or team leadership experience.
• Experience with aerospace, defense, medical equipment, commercial equipment, or precision manufacturing environments.
• Knowledge of quality management systems, inspection processes, and manufacturing quality controls.
• Experience interpreting customer specifications, drawings, standards, and quality requirements.
• Competence in designing, maintaining, or improving quality engineering systems.
• Knowledge of ISO, AS9100, AS9102, raw materials, production processes, and quality control methods.
• Experience with inspection methods such as X-Ray, Penetrant, Visual inspection, metallurgy, and interpretation of inspection results.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Experience with ERP or CRM systems;
  Vantage experience preferred.
• Strong communication, leadership, coaching, and problem‑solving skills.
• Strong critical thinking skills and ability to manage priorities in a…