Quality Manager - Space and Fusion Energy Optics

Aperture Optical Sciences (AOS) designs and manufactures high-performance optical components and systems for demanding space, aerospace, defense, laser, and scientific applications. We specialize in advanced optical manufacturing and metrology, including silicon carbide (SiC) mirrors and high-resolution satellite telescope systems.Our customers include commercial satellite manufacturers, payload developers, aerospace prime contractors, government programs, and international technology companies. AOS combines the agility and technical breadth of a specialized engineering company with an established heritage of delivering advanced optical hardware for demanding applications.Position SummaryAOS is seeking a Quality Manager to establish, lead and continually improve our quality practices and Quality Management System and to ensure that products delivered to our satellite, payload, aerospace, and other advanced-technology customers meet applicable technical, contractual, regulatory, and mission-assurance requirements.This is a hands-on leadership position with responsibility extending from the quality system to the manufacturing floor and ultimately to our customers. The Quality Manager will work directly with engineering, manufacturing, optical fabrication, metrology, assembly and test, program management, suppliers, and customers.Quality at AOS extends well beyond final inspection. It must be built into requirements, manufacturing planning, supplier management, process control, metrology, configuration management, assembly, testing, documentation, and product acceptance.An equally important responsibility is helping AOS continue to develop a company-wide culture of quality. The Quality Manager will establish practical protocols, provide training and coaching, and work with employees and managers to ensure that good quality practices become part of how work is performed every day.We are looking for a leader who can combine appropriate aerospace quality discipline with the practical judgment, communication, and flexibility required in a growing advanced-technology manufacturing company.Key ResponsibilitiesQuality Management & CultureOwn, maintain, and continuously improve the AOS Quality Management System (QMS), consistent with applicable AS9100 and ISO 9001 principles and customer requirements.Ensure procedures, work instructions, records, and quality controls are practical, effective, understood, and consistently followed.Conduct and coordinate internal audits and support customer and external audits.Establish meaningful quality metrics and use them to identify risks and opportunities for improvement.Develop appropriate quality protocols and employee training to ensure personnel understand the requirements applicable to their work.Coach employees and managers in sound quality practices and reinforce individual responsibility for product conformity.Promote an environment in which employees are expected and empowered to identify problems, ask questions, stop questionable work, and escalate concerns before they become product or customer issues.Help establish a culture in which quality is the responsibility of everyone involved in designing, manufacturing, measuring, handling, documenting, and delivering AOS products.Product & Mission AssuranceProvide quality oversight throughout the product lifecycle, from incoming materials and components through manufacturing, optical fabrication, assembly, integration, testing, final acceptance, and shipment.Review customer contracts, drawings, specifications, and quality requirements and ensure appropriate requirements are understood and flowed into AOS operations.Work with engineering and metrology personnel to establish appropriate inspection, verification, and acceptance methods.Ensure inspection and test equipment is appropriately calibrated, maintained, and traceable.Review manufacturing, inspection, optical, dimensional, mechanical, and environmental test data for completeness and compliance.Ensure objective evidence demonstrates that delivered hardware satisfies applicable requirements.Prepare and support customer-required quality documentation, acceptance data packages, source inspections, and product reviews.Serve as a principal AOS interface with customers on quality and product-assurance matters.Configuration, Nonconformance & Corrective ActionHelp maintain disciplined configuration and documentation control appropriate for precision and flight hardware, including drawings, specifications, travelers, work instructions, inspection procedures, engineering changes, deviations, waivers, and as-built records.Maintain appropriate product, material, lot, and serial-number traceability.Own the nonconforming material and product-control process and coordinate Material Review Board (MRB) activities.Ensure nonconformances are properly identified, controlled, documented, dispositioned, and closed.Lead or support structured root-cause investigations and corrective actions using methods such as 5-Why, Ishikawa, 8D, or other appropriate techniques.Ensure corrective actions address root causes and are verified for effectiveness.Communicate lessons learned and incorporate them into procedures and employee training where appropriate.Supplier QualityEstablish and maintain effective supplier qualification and monitoring processes.Ensure applicable AOS and customer quality requirements are flowed down to suppliers.Evaluate supplier quality performance and identify higher-risk suppliers, materials, and processes.Coordinate supplier audits, source inspections, and supplier corrective actions where appropriate.Work collaboratively with suppliers of critical materials, coatings, precision components, structures, adhesives, and specialized processes.Continuous Improvement & Risk ManagementPromote a philosophy of prevention rather than reliance on final inspection.Participate in manufacturing, engineering, and program risk reviews.Support FMEA/PFMEA and other structured risk-assessment methods where appropriate.Use manufacturing and inspection data to identify trends and opportunities to improve process capability, repeatability, yield, and reliability.Monitor metrics such as first-pass yield, rework, scrap, nonconformances, supplier performance, corrective-action effectiveness, and customer escapes.Work collaboratively with engineering and operations to reduce the Cost of Poor Quality while improving product assurance and manufacturing effectiveness.QualificationsAOS recognizes that successful quality leaders develop their capabilities through a combination of education, technical experience, manufacturing experience, leadership, and exposure to different industries and quality systems. Candidates are not expected to possess every qualification listed below.We are particularly interested in candidates who possess the essential qualifications, demonstrate strong technical judgment and leadership potential, and have the ability and motivation to develop additional capabilities as AOS and its satellite telescope business continue to grow.Essential Qualifications The successful candidate should possess:Significant experience in quality, manufacturing, engineering, or product assurance within aerospace, defense, precision manufacturing, optics, or semiconductor equipment.Expert knowledge of a formal Quality Management System such as AS9100 or ISO 9001Strong understanding of engineering drawings, specifications, tolerances, manufacturing documentation, inspection, and product acceptance.Practical experience addressing nonconforming product, root-cause investigation, and corrective action.Ability to work directly with engineering and manufacturing personnel to identify problems and implement practical solutions.Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to interact credibly with technical customers.Demonstrated leadership, sound judgment, attention to detail, and willingness to take responsibility for product quality.Ability to establish protocols, train and coach employees, and promote a culture in which quality is understood as the responsibility of everyone involved in the product.A bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, quality, manufacturing, or a related technical discipline is preferred; substantial relevant technical and quality experience may be considered in lieu of a specific degree.Preferred Qualifications Experience in one or more of the following areas would be particularly valuable but is not required for consideration:Satellite, spacecraft, payload, or other flight-hardware quality assurance.Optical manufacturing, precision opto-mechanical systems, telescope assembly, or optical metrology.Implementation, maintenance, or auditing of an AS9100-compliant QMS.Aerospace configuration management and flight-hardware traceability.AS9102 First Article Inspection.Material Review Board processes and customer-controlled nonconformance disposition.8D, FMEA/PFMEA, statistical process control, process capability, or measurement-system analysis.Supplier qualification, supplier auditing, and supplier corrective action.Special-process qualification and control.Contamination control, precision cleaning, FOD prevention, or ESD controls.Environmental qualification and acceptance testing.Preparation of End Item Data Packages (EIDPs), Certificates of Conformance, inspection reports, or flight-hardware acceptance documentation.Familiarity with NASA, DoD, ECSS, MIL, or major aerospace-prime quality and product-assurance requirements.ASQ CQE, CMQ/OE, AS9100 auditor training, or comparable professional credentials.Development and delivery of employee quality training, competency, or certification programs.AOS particularly values candidates who combine strong fundamentals with intellectual curiosity and the ability to learn. Candidates with demonstrated leadership potential and relevant high-reliability manufacturing experience are encouraged to apply even if they have not yet worked in every area listed above.