Director of Quality

About Mach Industries

Founded in 2022, Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology company focused on developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms. At the core of our mission is the commitment to delivering scalable, decentralized defense systems that enhance the strategic capabilities of the United States and its allies. With a workforce of approximately 220 employees, we operate with startup agility and ambition.

Our vision is to redefine the future of warfare through cutting-edge manufacturing, innovation at speed, and unwavering focus on national security. We are dedicated to solving the next generation of warfare with lethal systems that deter kinetic conflict and protect global security.

The Role

Build and lead a world-class quality organization that ensures every product we design, manufacture, and test performs flawlessly in mission-critical environments. This role owns quality across the full lifecycle, from incoming materials to flight readiness, and is responsible for establishing the systems, culture, and execution rigor required to scale production without sacrificing reliability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of quality across:
  • Manufacturing Quality (inspection & in-process quality)
  • Receiving Inspection (supplier quality gate)
  • Quality Engineering (production support, RCCA, process capability)
  • Reliability Engineering (flight & test performance, failure analysis)
• Establish a single, unified quality operating system across development and production

• Build and manage a high-performing team of inspectors and quality leads embedded in production
• Define inspection strategies (risk-based, critical feature-driven vs blanket inspection)
• Drive transition from inspection-heavy to process-capable manufacturing

• Own receiving inspection and supplier acceptance strategy
• Define supplier qualification, audit, and performance systems
• Drive supplier quality improvement through:
  • SCARs
  • On-site audits
  • Process validation
• Reduce incoming inspection burden via supplier certification and trust models

• Lead root cause and corrective action (RCCA) processes across the factory
• Own nonconformance management (NCR/MRB systems)
• Drive statistical process control (SPC) and process capability (Cp/Cpk)
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering to:
  • Eliminate variation
  • Improve yields
  • Scale processes to rate
• Define clear quality ownership boundaries between engineering and production

• Lead failure investigations from test and flight anomalies
• Ensure rapid feedback loops from test → design → manufacturing
• Define and enforce flight readiness quality criteria

• Build a pragmatic, high-velocity QMS (not bureaucratic, but disciplined)
• Define and implement:
  • Change control systems
  • Configuration management alignment with engineering
  • Traceability (materials, processes, builds)
• Establish clear quality gates tied to TRL/MRL and production readiness
• Ensure audit readiness (internal and external, e.g., AS9100-style environments if needed)

• Build a culture of:
  • Accountability over blame
  • Speed with rigor
  • Data-driven decision making
• Recruit, develop, and retain top-tier quality and reliability talent
• Be a strong cross-functional partner to:
  • Manufacturing
  • Design Engineering
  • Test & Flight Ops
  • Supply Chain

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field
• 8+ years of experience in manufacturing quality, quality engineering, or reliability engineering
• 5+ years leading high-performing technical teams in a production environment
• Experience operating in high-reliability industries (aerospace, defense, automotive, energy, etc.)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience scaling from prototype → production (NPI through rate production)
• Deep experience with:
  • RCCA / 8D / 5 Whys
  • SPC and process capability
  • Failure analysis (mechanical, electrical, or systems-level)
• Familiarity with:
  • AS9100 / ISO
    9001 frameworks (without over-reliance on bureaucracy)
  • Digital quality systems / MES integration
• Demonstrated ability to:
  • Stand up quality organizations from scratch
  • Drive measurable improvements in yield, reliability, and cost
• Experience working tightly with manufacturing engineering and design teams in fast-paced…