Sr. Program Quality Engineer

Description

JOB TITLE: Sr. Program Quality Engineer

DEPARTMENT: Medium Cannon Caliber (MCC) Engineering

REPORTS TO: MCC Sr Director of Manufacturing

The Senior Quality Engineering position is a dual purpose role that develops, implements, and matures a quality management system (QMS) for a best‑in‑class scalable defense manufacturing operation while also providing technical quality engineering and quality program support to Engineering and Program Operations. The role leads the establishment of robust quality processes, governance, and compliance frameworks that ensure contractual, regulatory, and customer quality requirements are systematically translated into operational execution across internal manufacturing and the supplier base.

Core responsibilities include ownership of quality planning, supplier quality development, corrective action systems, audit readiness, inspection architecture, and continuous improvement initiatives. Concurrently, the role provides technical quality engineering support to Program Operations, including inspection strategy development, failure analysis, statistical process control, root cause investigation, acceptance data analysis, first article review, and integration of quality requirements into production processes and production readiness activities.

This position is best suited for a quality professional who can operate both strategically—as a builder of scalable quality systems—and tactically—as a hands‑on technical quality engineer supporting complex defense manufacturing operations and contracts.

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the site Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure compliance with customer, contractual, regulatory, and internal requirements.
• Establish and maintain quality processes, procedures, inspection frameworks, and governance systems that support scalable defense manufacturing operations.
• Own supplier quality management activities, including quality requirement flow‑down, supplier qualification, surveillance, audits, performance monitoring, corrective actions, and supplier capability development.
• Develop and maintain program quality plans, inspection/test requirements, acceptance criteria, and quality documentation submissions.
• Develop and ensure conformance to all quality‑related customer contract requirements and submissions.
• Support failure reporting, nonconformance management, and continuous improvement initiatives using structured quality methodologies and statistical tools.
• Review supplier quality documentation for approval, such as Inspection Plans, Test Plans, Control Plans, Measurement System Documentation, First Article Inspection Reports, Physical Configuration Audit reports, Inspection data, etc.
• Collaborate with engineering and manufacturing teams to help integrate quality requirements into product design and production processes.
• Monitor program performance metrics and assist in reporting quality trends and issues to senior management.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with engineering, operations, supply chain, and customer stakeholders to integrate quality requirements into production process development and supplier execution.

This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities.

This is a Salary Exempt full‑time position.

Travel (15-20% of work time).

• Bachelor of Science degree in engineering/applied sciences (math, physics, etc.) plus 8-12 years of Quality Engineering Experience; or Master’s degree plus 5-8 years of experience
• Ability to obtain a DoD Secret Clearance which requires US Citizenship as a prerequisite.
• Strong background in inspection equipment, techniques and general knowledge of Metrology and Calibration
• Ability to work with multiple disciplines to create and implement quality/inspection requirements for new products.
• Solid understanding of Drawings and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing
• Command of root cause determination and corrective action activities
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, presentation skills and…