Lead Quality Engineer

Lead Quality Engineer

Date: May 5, 2026

Location:Cromwell, CT, US

Company: GKN Aerospace Careers

Fantastic challenges. Amazing opportunities.

GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! Fuelled by great people whose expertise and creativity sets the standards in our industry, we’re inspired by the opportunities to innovate and break boundaries. We’re proud to play a part in protecting the world’s democracies. And we’re committed to putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do, opening up and protecting our planet. With over 16,000 employees across 33 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.35 bn.in 2023. There are no limits to where you can take your career.

Job Summary

The Lead Quality Engineer is responsible for ensuring that products meet both internal and external quality and reliability standards throughout the product lifecycle. This role has direct reports and involves leading quality planning, process validation, risk assessment, and problem-solving initiatives to support product development, manufacturing, and customer satisfaction.

Job Responsibilities

• Interface with Customer, Operations, Engineering, Inspection, and supply chain teams to ensure product quality and compliance
• Lead/support root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA) for product issues
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements (e.g., ISO 9001, AS9100, ISO 13485, FDA, etc.)
• Manage quality metrics and reporting, including yield, defect rates, and customer returns
• Conduct or support internal, supplier, and customer audits
• Develop/update and maintain documentation including inspection plans and qualification reports
• Support continuous improvement initiatives such as Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing
• Perform MRB reviews and document nonconformance concession submittals to customer, respond to customer inquiries
• Provide technical expertise and guidance to company employees, suppliers, customers and regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with contractual, company, and regulatory requirements
• Able to perform in an Engineer/Training coordinator role to ensure that activities between production, manufacturing and Quality are clearly defined, communicated and understood
• Provide education and coaching on the company's quality system
• Responsible for obtaining MRB approval for preparing dispositions for product nonconformance to meet all requirements
• Process customer returned product
• Facilitate MRB meetings and track actions & progress; internally and with customers

Job Qualifications

Minimum requirement: High school diploma or GED and 12+ years of relevant aerospace engineering/quality experience

Preferred requirement: BS and 5+ years of relevant aerospace engineering/quality experience, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.

Essential

•    MUST BE U.S Citizen.

• Must be able to read and interpret blueprints, customer specifications, and internal QMS documents
• Must have prior inspection background, be able to inspect product with standard measuring equipment, and evaluate to visual standards
• Must have reliable transportation and travel between buildings as required

• Have a fundamental understanding of quality philosophies, principles, systems, methods, tools, standards, organizational and team dynamics, customer expectations and satisfaction, supplier relations and performance, leadership, training, interpersonal relationships, improvement systems and professional ethics
• Understand elements of a Quality Management System and its development, documentation and implementation to applicable domestic and international standards and/or requirements
• Understand the audit process and its role within a Quality Management System; including types of audits, reporting results and follow-up
• Develop and implement quality plans, including tracking, analyzing, reporting and problem solving
• Demonstrate ability to lead problem-solving and quality improvement events and utilize tools and techniques. This includes knowledge of management and planning tools, quality tools, preventive and corrective actions, and how to overcome barriers to quality improvements
• Possess strong written, communication and interpersonal skills
• Possess a pro-active mindset with a passion for utilizing Continuous Improvement techniques to improve processes
• Computer literate in Excel, Word, Access, and PowerPoint
• Must be able to work in a production manufacturing environment and travel throughout the facilities and corporation to obtain information needed to perform job functions
• Specific Vision abilities required; including close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to focus with a specific requirement for corrected vision at 20/25 or better

We’ll offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities. This is your chance to be part of an organisation that has proven itself to be at the cutting edge of our industry; and is committed to pushing the boundaries even further.  And with some of the best training on offer in the industry, who knows how far you can go?

A Great Place to work needs a Great Way of Working

Everyone is welcome to apply to GKN.  We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging and by living our five powerful principles we’ve created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute.  It’s a culture that won us ‘The Best Workplace Culture Award’.  By embracing and celebrating what makes us unique we encourage everyone to bring their full self to work.

We’re also committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.

We are the place where human dreams, plus human endeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology.​
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