Quality Assurance Manager

Canard Aerospace Corporation is a leading provider of engineering and manufacturing services focused on avionics system upgrades and modifications. Located in Shakopee, MN, the organization partners with customers in the aerospace industry to deliver reliable, high-performance solutions. The company emphasizes rigorous quality standards and precision in every project. Team members join a culture that values safety, innovation, and continuous improvement. Canard Aerospace is committed to building long-term customer relationships through exceptional products and services.

Canard Aerospace is seeking an experienced Quality Assurance Manager to lead, maintain, and continuously improve the company’s aerospace Quality Management System (QMS) for its on-site avionics assembly and manufacturing operation in Shakopee, MN.

This role is responsible for product conformity, regulatory and customer compliance, audit readiness, supplier quality, inspection oversight, nonconformance management, corrective and preventive action, quality procedures, training, documentation, and continuous improvement in an AS9100D and FAA PMA environment. The Quality Assurance Manager works closely with leadership, engineering, production, supply chain, suppliers, customers, and regulatory/certification representatives to resolve quality issues, analyze performance data, maintain effective processes, and ensure Canard’s quality system remains current, compliant, and aligned with actual operations.

The Quality Assurance Manager has authority on all quality-related matters.

• Lead, maintain, and continuously improve the company’s aerospace quality management system, including process definition, documentation, implementation, audit readiness, and ongoing effectiveness in accordance with AS9100D, FAA PMA, customer, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Ensure Canard’s processes, procedures, work instructions, forms, and records are current, practical, controlled, and aligned with applicable AS9100, FAA, customer, internal requirements and actual operations; identify gaps or outdated workflows and coordinate with process owners to ensure procedures are written, mapped, reviewed, approved, implemented, and improved as needed.
• Plan, lead, host, and support internal, customer, supplier, registrar (e.g. AS9100), regulatory (e.g. FAA, EASA, DoD), and other external audits or surveillance activities; ensure audit findings are documented, assigned, corrected, verified, and used to improve the quality system.
• Define, maintain, track, and report quality objectives, KPIs, and quality-system performance metrics, including nonconformance trends, corrective-action closure, supplier performance, audit results, inspection performance, calibration status, and other indicators needed to drive QMS effectiveness and continuous improvement.
• Oversee receiving inspection, in-process inspection, final inspection, first article inspection, product release, and related quality records.
• Review production documentation, engineering drawings, specifications, revisions, and work order records for conformity and completeness.
• Manage nonconforming material, root cause analysis, corrective/preventive actions, risk‑based quality decisions, and continuous improvement activities.
• Maintain effective calibration, inspection equipment control, document control, training, inspector qualification, and stamp/control processes.
• Manage supplier quality activities, including supplier approval, performance monitoring, corrective actions, and periodic supplier evaluations or audits.
• Ensure appropriate traceability, marking, certification, and release documentation for aerospace articles and assemblies.
• Own the health, currency, and effectiveness of Canard’s quality-related processes, procedures, work instructions, forms, and records; ensure they are accurate, controlled, practical, and aligned with applicable AS9100, FAA, customer, and internal requirements.
• Identify gaps, outdated procedures, unclear workflows, or undocumented practices; coordinate with process owners to ensure required procedures are written, updated, mapped, reviewed,…