Supplier Quality Engineer

Supplier Quality EngineerEl Segundo, California, United StatesCHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London.Role Overview:As CHAOS Industries scales production of advanced defense systems, the performance of our suppliers becomes inseparable from the performance of our products. We are seeking a Supplier Quality Engineer to ensure our suppliers consistently meet the quality, delivery, and compliance requirements necessary to support production at scale.Working closely with Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Subcontracts, and Program Management, you will lead supplier qualification, onboarding, audits, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives across our supplier network. This role requires significant travel to supplier facilities to assess manufacturing capability, quality-system maturity, process controls, and operational readiness.This is a hands-on, in-the-field role. You will spend significant time at supplier facilities—auditing processes, driving corrective actions, and verifying readiness firsthand—to keep quality and delivery on track across a rapidly growing and increasingly complex supply base.Responsibilities:Lead supplier qualification and onboarding activities, including capability assessments, manufacturing readiness evaluations, process reviews, and quality-system audits.Conduct supplier audits and assessments to evaluate compliance with AS9100, ISO 9001, customer requirements, and applicable regulatory standards.Partner with Supply Chain and Subcontracts to evaluate, approve, and manage suppliers throughout the supplier lifecycle.Perform supplier surveillance activities and monitor supplier performance related to quality, delivery, responsiveness, and corrective-action effectiveness.Lead supplier corrective-action processes, including root-cause investigations, containment actions, corrective-action plans, and verification of implementation.Drive closure of supplier nonconformances, quality escapes, and recurring quality issues through structured problem-solving methodologies.Review manufacturing processes, inspection methods, quality controls, and production systems at supplier facilities to identify risks and opportunities for improvement.Support source inspections, first article inspections, process validations, and production readiness reviews as required.Develop supplier scorecards, performance metrics, and reporting mechanisms to monitor supplier quality performance.Coordinate with Engineering, Manufacturing, and Program Management to resolve supplier-related quality issues and maintain production continuity.Manage supplier quality documentation, audit records, qualification packages, corrective-action reports, and supplier-performance records.Travel extensively to supplier facilities throughout the United States and internationally as required.Minimum Requirements:Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline and 5+ years of supplier quality, manufacturing quality, or quality engineering experience; or a Master's degree and 3+ years; or, in lieu of a degree, 9+ years of directly related experience.Experience conducting supplier audits, capability assessments, and quality-system evaluations.Strong working knowledge of AS9100 and ISO 9001 quality-management-system requirements.Experience managing supplier corrective actions, root-cause investigations, and continuous-improvement initiatives.Experience reviewing manufacturing processes, inspection methods, production controls, and quality systems in a supplier environment.Familiarity with quality methodologies including RCCA, 8D, PFMEA, Control Plans, SPC, and process validation.Experience working directly with suppliers, subcontractors, and cross-functional internal stakeholders.Experience supporting supplier onboarding, supplier qualification, and supplier-performance management activities.Ability and willingness to travel extensively to supplier facilities.Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills.U.S. citizenship is required: this role accesses export-controlled information and requires a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secret security clearance—current, or the ability to obtain and maintain one.Preferred Requirements:Experience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or national-security environments.AS9100 Lead Auditor, ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, CQE, CQA, or similar quality certification.Experience with supplier quality management, supplier development, and supplier-performance improvement programs.Experience supporting subcontract management activities and quality-requirements flowdown.Familiarity with supplier nonconformance and corrective-action management in a digital quality system (e.g., First Resonance ION, Jira-based QMS, or similar).Experience supporting AS9102 First Article Inspection, source inspection, PPAP, or production readiness reviews.Experience assessing both build-to-print and design-responsible suppliers, including DFM maturity and design-plus-process capability.Familiarity with FAR, DFARS, and defense-industry supplier requirements.Active U.S. Department of Defense Secret or Top Secret security clearance.Why CHAOS?Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the companyAdditional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and moreOur Perks: Free daily lunch, 'No meeting Fridays', unlimited PTO, casual dress codeCompensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonusesTeam Growth: 350 employees and counting across 5 global officesSalary Range: $120,000 - $170,000The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.