Lead Quality Specialist

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in California.

📋 Description

• Take ownership and enhance the Quality Management System for Aechelon Technology’s simulation products, programs, and services within Shield AI.

• Champion quality from development through delivery and support across Engineering, Program Management, Operations, Contracts, and Procurement.

• Act as the main quality contact for customers, suppliers, and subcontractors.

• Ensure that customer quality commitments are communicated to suppliers and subcontractors and are fulfilled throughout the execution process.

• Maintain QMS policies, procedures, records, and objective evidence.

• Plan and execute risk-based internal, program, supplier, and subcontractor audits.

• Assist with customer and third-party assessments, including audits necessary for maintaining ISO 9001:2015 certification.

• Set quality objectives and KPIs, and report on quality performance, trends, risks, and recommended actions to leadership.

• Identify systemic issues, prioritize process improvements, and confirm their effectiveness.

• Manage responses to customer quality inquiries, Corrective Action Requests, nonconformances, and quality concerns.

• Ensure that quality documentation, certifications, inspection records, test results, and other deliverables are complete and provided to customers.

• Integrate customer quality commitments into program execution and confirm completion prior to acceptance and delivery.

• Embed customer requirements into subcontracts, purchase orders, statements of work, and supplier quality clauses.

• Define supplier expectations regarding processes, documentation, inspection, testing, configuration control, traceability, reporting, and acceptance.

• Evaluate supplier capability, technical competency, quality performance, and risk; develop scorecards and monitor performance.

• Conduct audits, source inspections, and surveillance; review inspection, test, acceptance, and quality records.

• Require and verify root-cause analysis, corrective action, closure, and effectiveness for nonconformances.

• Establish and manage nonconformance management processes.

• Lead Corrective and Preventive Action initiatives and track actions to resolution.

• Analyze quality data for systemic trends and recurring failure modes.

• Coordinate quality execution across functional teams and establish deliverables, milestones, and dependencies.

• Monitor quality commitments and escalate missed milestones, unresolved issues, and resource constraints.

• Provide training and guidance on quality processes, customer requirements, subcontractor quality expectations, and continuous improvement.

• Escalate significant quality risks that may impact contractual obligations, customer satisfaction, safety, schedule, or product performance.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quality management, business administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.

• Experience in supporting simulation, aerospace, defense, or other complex hardware/software products.

• Proven experience as a primary quality contact for customers.

• Experience in supporting external certification audits.

• ISO 9001 lead auditor training or certification, ASQ Certified Quality Engineer, ASQ Certified Quality Auditor, or a related quality credential.

• Knowledge of Quality Management Systems.

• Familiarity with software, hardware, simulation, and systems integration quality processes.

• Understanding of contractual, regulatory, cybersecurity, export-control, configuration-management, and documentation requirements.

• This is an individual-contributor role with no direct people management responsibilities.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive base salary.

• Company performance-based profit sharing.

• 401k plan.

• Comprehensive health benefits fully covered by the employer, including medical, dental, vision, life, short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance plans.

• No relocation reimbursement is provided.