Director of Quality

Position Overview

We're looking for a Director of Quality to build our quality function from the ground up - including our path toward ISO 9001 - and lead it for the long haul. This role sets the multi-year quality strategy while staying grounded in what's really happening on the floor, in the supply base, and with customers. Our hardware matters; defects here aren't abstract metrics.

Our core philosophy is quality at the source: quality can't be inspected in after the fact, it has to be built right the first time. QA is the backstop, not the primary defense - an escape that reaches the customer is a production failure, not a QA failure.

We want a pragmatic leader who favors simple, practical problem-solving (5 Whys, direct observation) over paperwork-heavy processes, and who will build a genuine partnership with Supply Chain and supplier quality engineers to catch issues at the source rather than at receiving.

What You'll Do

Strategic & Long-Range Leadership

• Own the long-range quality strategy, translating business goals into a multi-year plan for systems, staffing, and capability.
• Architect our Quality Management System - including our path toward ISO 9001 - from the ground up, building processes that are clear and simple, not just audit-ready.
• Own the audit calendar as the QMS matures, treating findings as strategic input, not a checkbox.
• Set and report quality KPIs (defect rates, first-pass yield, complaints, supplier performance); a data point is noise, a trend is a signal.
• Put every requirement, gate, and approval on trial - if no one can name who owns it and why it exists, that's the signal to cut it, not preserve it.

Ground Truth & Root Cause

• Get out onto the floor, into supplier facilities, and in front of customers regularly - not just working from what's reported up the chain.
• Personally lead or coach RCCA using practical, lightweight tools (5 Whys, direct observation) instead of heavy formal methodologies when they aren't warranted.
• Move with urgency: default to “why can't this be fixed today,” not “when can we fit this in.”

Supply Chain & Supplier Quality

• Build a close partnership with Supply Chain and supplier quality engineers, treating supplier quality as a shared mission.
• Drive supplier qualification, scorecards, and joint problem-solving to resolve issues at the source.
• Serve as the primary quality point of contact for DCMA surveillance, audits, and findings.

Stakeholder Relationships

• Partner especially closely with Engineering and Manufacturing - closing the loop between field/production issues and design decisions, and keeping quality and throughput goals aligned.
• Own key external customer relationships on quality matters, building credibility through transparency and follow-through.

Team & Culture

• Manage, mentor, and develop the quality team with a bias toward action and practical problem-solving.
• Keep the QMS lean - every process should exist because it supports a real decision, not because it looks good on paper.
• Own customer complaints and non-conformances through to true root cause and permanent corrective action.

What You'll Need

• 8+ years in quality leadership, ideally in manufacturing, hardware, or defense/aerospace.
• Experience building or scaling a QMS; ISO 9001 experience strongly preferred (we are not yet certified - you'll help drive us there).
• A track record of practical, tool-light RCCA (5 Whys, direct observation) over heavyweight, paperwork-driven processes.
• Experience partnering closely with Supply Chain and supplier quality engineers.
• Comfort operating at both strategic altitude and on the floor - this is a hands-on role, not a desk job.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to influence engineering, manufacturing, and executive leadership alike.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary
• ACS Equity Package
• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Paid Time Off

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