Sr. Manager of Quality

Location: Frisco, TX (Onsite)

Salary: $160,000 – $240,000/year

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Manager of Quality to lead all quality initiatives for a complex aerospace development program from prototype through production readiness. In this highly visible leadership role, you will serve as the embedded quality leader within the program team, partnering closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Flight Test, and Program Management to ensure quality, reliability, and mission success are built into every phase of development.

You will be responsible for building and leading a high-performing quality organization while implementing scalable quality systems, risk management processes, and development quality practices that support rapid innovation without compromising engineering rigor or regulatory compliance.

What You'll Do

Development Quality Leadership

• Serve as the quality leader for the XBAT development program.
• Define and execute the overall quality strategy, objectives, and key performance metrics.
• Integrate quality requirements throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Ensure quality is embedded in system architecture, design reviews, verification, validation, and qualification activities.
• Partner with Engineering leadership to proactively identify and mitigate technical and program risks.
• Foster a culture of proactive quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Design & Configuration Quality

• Ensure quality requirements are incorporated into product specifications, drawings, and design documentation.
• Participate in design reviews, configuration management, and engineering change control boards.
• Maintain complete configuration control and traceability for prototype aircraft.
• Evaluate engineering changes for quality, manufacturability, and production readiness.
• Support requirements verification and validation planning.
• Champion Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Quality (DFQ), and Design for Reliability (DFR) initiatives.

Risk Management & Reliability

• Lead quality participation in program risk management activities.
• Develop and maintain FRACAS (Failure Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action System) processes.
• Lead structured root cause investigations involving design, manufacturing, supplier, and field failures.
• Support reliability growth planning and execution.
• Monitor defect trends, failure modes, and reliability metrics to identify systemic issues.

Verification, Validation & Test Quality

• Develop quality oversight strategies for laboratory, ground, and flight testing.
• Ensure test results, anomalies, and nonconformances are properly documented and resolved.
• Support product qualification and certification efforts.
• Establish processes for managing test escapes, failures, and corrective actions.

Nonconformance & Corrective Action

• Lead Material Review Board (MRB) activities for development hardware.
• Develop scalable nonconformance management processes.
• Drive structured root cause analysis and corrective action using industry-standard methodologies.
• Ensure timely implementation and verification of corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Monitor corrective action effectiveness through closure.

Production Readiness & Industrialization

• Partner with Manufacturing and Supply Chain to transition products from prototype into production.
• Define quality requirements for production readiness reviews.
• Support development of inspection plans, acceptance criteria, and process control strategies.
• Ensure lessons learned during development are incorporated into production processes.
• Lead quality planning efforts supporting low-rate initial production (LRIP) and production ramp-up.

Quality Management Systems

• Develop and implement scalable quality processes supporting aerospace product development.
• Ensure compliance with AS9100, customer requirements, and internal procedures.
• Drive continuous improvement across development quality systems.
• Support internal and external quality audits.
• Build systems capable of supporting long-term production growth.

Leadership & Team Development

• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing quality organization.
• Recruit and develop quality engineers, inspectors, and technicians.
• Establish clear objectives, priorities, and performance expectations.
• Promote a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and accountability.
• Develop organizational capabilities that support future company growth.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, aviation, space, or another highly regulated industry.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing technical quality organizations.
• Experience supporting complex product development programs from concept through production transition.
• Strong understanding of quality systems, engineering development processes, and aerospace manufacturing.
• Experience leading root cause investigations and corrective action initiatives.
• Experience with risk management, reliability engineering, and failure analysis.
• Working knowledge of AS9100 Quality Management Systems.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams and senior leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting UAV, aerospace, defense, autonomous systems, aviation, or other advanced technology programs.
• Experience leading quality organizations through periods of rapid growth.
• Background in systems engineering, reliability engineering, or product development.
• Experience supporting flight test programs and qualification testing.
• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE), or similar certification.
• Familiarity with U.S. Government defense programs and customer quality requirements.

Why This Role?

This is a unique opportunity to shape the quality strategy for a next-generation aerospace platform from early development through production. You'll work alongside world-class engineering teams, build a high-impact quality organization, and play a critical role in delivering innovative technology that supports critical defense missions.