Quality Manager

Firecrest Aerospace is a U.S. aerospace propulsion company headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina, with manufacturing operations being established in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. As a subsidiary of CSE USA, Inc., a member of CSG Group, Firecrest develops and manufactures advanced micro turbojet and turbofan engines for defense, aerospace, and other high-performance applications, supporting U.S. government, allied, and commercial customers.

The company is investing approximately $15 million to establish its initial U.S. manufacturing facility in Stevens Point, where it expects to create approximately 125 high-skilled manufacturing, engineering, and technical positions. As Firecrest expands from engine assembly, integration, and testing into full-scale manufacturing, engineering, and advanced product development, it is helping strengthening the U.S. aerospace and defense industrial base while advancing next-generation propulsion technologies.

At Firecrest Aerospace, you will have the opportunity to work alongside a growing team committed to engineering excellence, innovation, and mission success. Whether your expertise is in manufacturing, engineering, quality, operations, or business functions, you will play a direct role in building advanced propulsion systems that support critical national security and aerospace missions.

The Quality Manager will be responsible for establishing, implementing, and scaling the Quality Management System (QMS) for a small turbine engine assembly and test facility. This role begins as an individual contributor working directly with the VP of Propulsion Operations (located remotely) during initial site startup.

In Phase 1, the Quality Manager will work in tight coordination with the Operations Manager and Engineering Manager to build the foundational quality framework. As the organization transitions into production (Phases 2 and
3), the role evolves into a leadership position reporting to the on-site Plant Manager, with responsibility for a growing quality organization.

This role is central to ensuring product integrity, regulatory compliance, and successful production scale from New Product Introduction (NPI) through full-rate production, with a deliberate focus on improving First Pass Yield (FPY) prior to optimizing takt time.

Establish the framework for an AS9100-compliant Quality Management System (QMS)

• Co-develop foundational processes with Operations and Engineering to ensure alignment between design intent, manufacturability, and quality controls
• Define and implement early-stage quality processes, including:
• Segregation and control of nonconforming material
• Material Review Board (MRB) structure and workflows
• Configuration management framework aligned with EIA-649-C
• Supplier quality requirements and flow-down clauses
• Supplier audits for process capability and Approved Supplier List (ASL)
• Contract review process for customer requirements
• Define First Article Inspection (FAI) requirements aligned with AS9102 (initially selective, expanding in Phase
  2)
• Develop calibration system framework and metrology strategy
• Implement initial data collection systems to support:
• Yield measurement
• Early FMEA inputs
• Begin facilitating Design FMEAs (DFMEA) with Engineering and Process FMEAs (PFMEA) with Operations
• Establish structured problem-solving expectations (formal 8D Problem Solving when warranted; otherwise streamlined approaches)

• Hire and lead:
• Supplier Quality Engineer
• Manufacturing Quality Engineer
• Receiving Inspector
• In-Process & Final Quality Assurance (FQA) Inspector
• Expand and operationalize QMS processes established in Phase 1
• Drive FPY improvement initiatives through:
• PFMEA maturation and linkage to control plans
• Data-driven defect reduction and trend analysis
• Robust RCCA processes using 8D Problem Solving where appropriate
• Fully implement:
• Incoming inspection with defined AQL sampling plans
• First Article Inspection (FAI) for supplier and internal processes per AS9102
• MRB governance and nonconformance management workflows
• Establish and execute supplier quality management program:
• Performance monitoring and corrective actions
• Enforcement of quality flow-down requirements
• Own configuration management system in accordance with EIA-649-C
• Deploy calibration system and ensure measurement system integrity
• Strengthen counterfeit parts prevention and traceability systems
• Manage customer quality interface, including containment and response to escapes
• Build analytics capability to connect:

• Ensure quality systems enable increased throughput without compromising compliance
• Shift focus from defect reduction to process capability, flow, and efficiency
• Optimize…