Aerospace Quality Engineer Team Lead

Job Description

Job Description

Aerospace Quality Engineer Team Lead

Position Description:
Abrasive Technology is seeking an Aerospace Quality Engineer to provide technical leadership for aerospace quality systems and direct leadership of the Aerospace Quality Inspection team. This role is responsible for ensuring aerospace products, processes, records, and quality systems comply with ISO 9001, AS9100, Nadcap, customer requirements, internal standards, and applicable audit expectations.

  The Aerospace Quality Engineer serves as a cross-functional resource for Quality, Engineering, Production, Inspection, suppliers, and global customers. The position is responsible for developing inspection capabilities, leading quality inspectors, supporting customer and regulatory compliance, managing quality documentation and audit readiness, and driving continuous improvement initiatives. This role strengthens process capability, improves first-pass yield, reduces the cost of quality, and supports the company's aerospace growth strategy.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Lead, coach, and develop Aerospace Quality Inspectors. 
• Manage inspection resources, priorities, training, and performance. 
• Ensure consistent application of inspection methods, quality standards, and documentation requirements. 
• Support hiring, performance management, and workforce development within the inspection team. 
• Partner with Production and Engineering to align quality resources with business objectives.
• Lead aerospace Quality Management System activities to maintain compliance with ISO 9001, AS9100, Nadcap Chemical Processing requirements, customer specifications, and internal quality standards.

• Establish, implement, and maintain QMS processes, procedures, documentation, tools, and controls required to support aerospace product quality and audit readiness.
• Serve as the primary aerospace customer quality contact for requirement interpretation, quality issue resolution, audit support, corrective action communication, and customer documentation requests.
• Develop, streamline, and maintain inspection processes, inspection plans, acceptance criteria, and verification methods for new products, current production, and work in process.
• Provide technical guidance to inspection and production teams on customer requirements, inspection methods, documentation expectations, and quality system compliance.
• Lead internal audit activities and support customer, ISO 9001, AS9100, and Nadcap audits, including preparation, evidence collection, findings response, and corrective action follow-up.
• Manage Quality Engineering activities including raw material certification review, key product characteristic activity, Nadcap compliance, pyrometry compliance, process approvals, and PPAP documentation.
• Prepare, review, and maintain First Article Inspection packets, customer quality submissions, inspection records, process documentation, and other aerospace quality records.
• Provide final quality disposition support for nonconforming product, including containment, evaluation, disposition coordination, scrap tracking, root cause analysis, and corrective action effectiveness.
• Collect, analyze, interpret, and report aerospace quality metrics including inspection performance, first-pass yield, customer complaints, CAPAs, nonconformance trends, scrap, and cost of quality.
• Partner with Quality Leadership, Engineering, Production, and suppliers to resolve quality issues, improve process capability, strengthen supplier quality, and drive continuous improvement.
• Recommend and implement improvements to quality systems, inspection technologies, department procedures, training materials, data reporting, and operational quality performance.
• Communicate quality resource needs, budget requirements, certification needs, training priorities, and compliance risks required to support sustainable aerospace quality performance.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, Quality, or a related technical discipline preferred; equivalent aerospace quality or manufacturing experience may be considered.
• Minimum of 5 years of quality management systems, quality engineering, or manufacturing quality experience, preferably within the aerospace market.
• Prior experience leading, supervising, or developing quality inspectors, quality technicians, or manufacturing quality personnel preferred. 
• Demonstrated ability to build team capability, drive accountability, and effectively manage performance in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience applying quality processes, procedures, inspection methods, and technical documentation within a manufacturing or precision machining environment.
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001, AS9100, Nadcap, applicable aerospace quality standards, and internal or external audit practices.
• Experience applying, documenting, and maintaining Nadcap requirements, including evidence collection, compliance records, and audit readiness activities.
• Strong technical systems capability, including automated inspection tools, SPC implementation, ERP systems, quality data analysis, and digital documentation practices.
• Ability to interpret, document, and communicate customer specifications, regulatory requirements, quality standards, and internal procedures across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ethical judgment and willingness to escalate quality risks when compliance, customer requirements, or product integrity may be impacted by competing priorities.
• Experience using Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, root cause analysis, corrective action, and continuous improvement methods to improve process performance and reduce variation.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate with global customers using diplomacy, cultural awareness, and professional judgment across varying business customs and communication expectations.

In addition to great starting wages, Abrasive Technology also offers our associates:

• Medical, dental, and vision
• Fully company-paid profit-sharing retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Plant Shutdown in December

Access to our facility (and, therefore, employment) is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents of the United States and properly licensed foreign persons. Applicants receiving a conditional offer of employment will be required to provide information to determine whether they are subject to these regulations and, if so, to assess their country of chargeability for export control purposes.

  Abrasive Technology is a substance and drug free workplace. All offers of employment are contingent on successfully passing a pre-employment drug screening and criminal background check. 

For aerospace-related positions, drug testing is conducted in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) guidelines. These guidelines require testing for the presence of marijuana, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine (PCP), and amphetamines.

  Abrasive Technology is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Minority/Female/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Disability/Vet.

We prefer to speak directly with candidates who are interested in joining our team. Recruiters and staffing agencies, please do not reach out regarding this role.