Quality Engineer

Position Overview

MSI Defense Solutions is seeking a Quality Engineer to support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of quality systems, manufacturing processes, inspection activities, supplier quality activities, and product compliance requirements.

This position plays a critical role in ensuring products meet customer requirements, engineering specifications, regulatory standards, contractual requirements, applicable quality standards, and internal procedures. The Quality Engineer will support manufacturing and inspection operations, assist with quality planning, drive corrective actions, support First Article Inspection activities, review quality records, and help ensure objective evidence is complete, accurate, and traceable.

The Quality Engineer will work closely with Quality, Engineering, Production, Supply Chain, Program Management, suppliers, customers, and government representatives as needed to resolve quality issues, improve manufacturing processes, reduce defects, and support delivery of high-quality products for the warfighter.

The Quality Engineer reports to the Quality Manager. This position requires a full-time work week spent in the shop and office in Mooresville, NC. The regular work schedule is Monday through Thursday, 6:00am to 4:30pm. The employee must be flexible to work additional hours as needed based on project requirements, production needs, customer requirements, and deadlines.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain quality processes, procedures, and work instructions, inspection methods, and quality documentation to support manufacturing, inspection, supplier quality, and engineering operations.
• Review engineering drawings, specifications, technical data packages, customer purchase orders, contracts, statements of work, quality clauses, and related flowdown requirements to identify applicable inspection, documentation, certification, traceability, and acceptance requirements.
• Provide technical support to receiving inspection, in-process inspection, final inspection, production, engineering, supply chain, and program management to resolve drawing interpretation, inspection method, documentation, and acceptance questions.
• Develop inspection plans, quality control plans, and documented inspection criteria based on engineering drawings, specifications, customer requirements, and contractual requirements.
• Support development and review of dimensional inspection methods using hand tools, gauges, portable arms, 3D scanners, fixtures, and other inspection equipment as applicable.
• Conduct root cause analysis and corrective action investigations for internal, supplier, and customer quality issues.
• Lead corrective action activities, including containment, root cause analysis, corrective action planning, implementation follow-up, and effectiveness verification.
• Support customer inspections, government inspections, source inspections, production readiness reviews, and other quality-related reviews as required.
• Support, prepare, review, and/or approve First Article Inspection documentation, including ballooned drawings, AS9102 forms when required, objective evidence, dimensional results, material certifications, process certifications, and customer or source inspections
• Support the review, documentation, containment, investigation, and disposition of nonconforming material through the Nonconformance Report (NCR)/Material Review Board (MRB) process in accordance with company procedures and approval authority.
• Coordinate supplier quality activities, including supplier nonconformances, supplier corrective actions, corrective action follow-up, supplier documentation review, certificate of conformance review, material certification review, and supplier performance monitoring.
• Monitor manufacturing and inspection processes to identify opportunities to improve quality, efficiency, consistency, and defect prevention.
• Analyze quality data, defect trends, NCRs, supplier performance, inspection results, and other quality metrics to support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Participate in design reviews, manufacturing planning, production readiness activities, and process improvement efforts to provide quality input and identify risk.
• Support internal audits, customer audits, government audits, registrar audits, and ISO 9001 quality management system compliance activities.
• Support calibration control, inspection equipment suitability, measurement method development, and measurement system effectiveness activities.
• Ensure required quality records are complete, accurate, maintained, and retrievable, including inspection records, FAI records, NCR/MRB records, supplier certifications, test records, and customer-required documentation.
• Support product traceability and objective evidence requirements, including material, process, coating, serialization, lot control, and customer-required documentation when applicable.
• Support training initiatives related to quality requirements, workmanship standards, inspection practices, documentation requirements, and nonconforming material control.
• Prepare quality reports, customer-required documentation, corrective action responses, audit responses, and other quality documentation as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills and Qualifications Required

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, Quality, or a related technical field preferred. Equivalent combination of education, technical training, and relevant manufacturing quality experience may be considered.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in a manufacturing quality environment.
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001 based quality management systems and manufacturing quality controls.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, GD&T, technical documentation, inspection requirements, and customer documentation.
• Experience with nonconforming material control, root cause analysis, corrective action, and quality documentation.
• Experience using inspection equipment and measurement tools.
• Ability to interpret customer requirements, quality clauses, drawings, specifications, and inspection requirements.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work in a hands-on manufacturing environment and support production, inspection, engineering, supplier quality, and customer quality activities.
• S. Citizenship is required. Candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance if required for the position.

Preferred Qualification

• Experience in defense, aerospace, military vehicle, or government contracting environments.
• Knowledge of AS9100, AS9102, or equivalent aerospace/defense quality requirements.
• ISO 9001 Internal Auditor certification or documented internal auditor training.
• Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) through the American Society for Quality (ASQ).
• Experience conducting, preparing, or reviewing First Article Inspections in accordance with AS9102.
• Experience with NCR/MRB processes, supplier corrective actions, customer quality issue resolution, and effectiveness verification.
• Experience reviewing supplier certifications, material certifications, coating certifications, plating certifications, special process certifications, certificates of conformance, and other objective evidence.
• Experience supporting supplier quality programs, supplier audits, supplier performance monitoring, and supplier corrective action requests.
• Experience with welding, fabrication, machining, coating, mechanical assembly, electrical/mechanical integration, and low-volume/high-mix manufacturing processes.
• Experience with portable arms, laser scanners, 3D measurement systems, or inspection software.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD, FAR, DFARS, DoW quality requirements, customer quality clauses, and contract flowdown requirements.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement certification or experience.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in both office and manufacturing environments, including walking, standing, climbing, heavy lifting, carrying, stooping, bending, kneeling, reaching, and accessing production areas as needed.
• Must be able to access and navigate each department within the organization's facilities.
• Must be able to occasionally lift or carry parts, tools, or equipment up to 50 pounds, with assistance when required.
• Must be able to use computers, inspection tools, measurement equipment, and standard office equipment as required for the position.

The MSI Operating Code

Every employee at MSI is expected to operate in accordance with the MSI Operating Code. These seven principles define how we think, decide, and execute. They are not aspirational. They are the working standard by which all employees are evaluated.

The Seven Principles

1. Own It. If a problem touches your function, it is yours until it is solved or explicitly transferred. Do not wait. Do not delegate upward. Do not hide behind process. Ownership means driving to resolution, not monitoring status.
2. Kill the Wrong Fight. Before optimizing a solution, question whether the problem is yours to solve. If an opportunity requires MSI to become something we are not, kill it fast. The discipline to say no is what protects our ability to say yes to the right things.
3. Move Before You're Told. Speed is MSI's compounding advantage. We move when directionally correct and adjust in motion. Leaders who wait for permission are not leading. We would rather correct a fast decision than wait for a perfect one.
4. Solve Before You Contract. Prove the integration works before formalizing the relationship. Capability first, paperwork follows. Working capability is the strongest negotiating position and the most honest form of business development.
5. Integrate First. MSI's moat is not any single technology. It is the ability to integrate modular systems faster and more effectively than anyone else. Every decision should reinforce our position as the integration hub.
6. Say It Now. Silence is not alignment. If you disagree, say so, with data, with reasoning, and with an alternative path. Passive execution is institutional risk.
7. Build Beyond Yourself. If your function depends on your presence to operate, you have not built anything. Develop your people. Document your processes. Create depth that survives your absence.

Benefits

• 401(k) with employer match
• Dental Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Health Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Paid Parental and Maternity Leave
• Life Insurance
• Continuing Education
• Annual Year End Paid Holiday Closure
• Employer Paid Uniforms

• Paid Time Off – 120 hours per year to start (prorated in first year of employment)

Classification

• Position is full-time, Non-Exempt

MSI Defense Solutions is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to providing a workplace free of any discrimination or harassment.