Director, Supplier Quality Performance Improvement

RTX•US-AZ-REMOTE, AZ

1d•$186,200 - $353,800•Remote

About The Position

The Director, Supplier Quality Performance Improvement, is responsible for leading the analysis of supplier performance to form, develop and deploy strategies and activities to drive substantiated quality performance improvement in the supplier base measured in the numbers of escapes and PPM. You should deploy your own staff into the supplier base as appropriate, but more so coach and drive the extended Suppler Assurance team by deploying the strategies and activities on a broad base needed to reach and surpass established targets. This leader drives systemic issue resolution, enhances supplier capability and performance, and ensures robust quality processes are consistently applied throughout the supplier base. The role oversees a dispersed team of technical quality professionals and partners closely with cross-functional leaders to strengthen supplier assurance and enable delivery of high‑quality products to customers.

Requirements

Typically requires: A Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience and minimum of fourteen (14) years prior relevant experience, or an advanced degree in a related field and minimum of twelve (12) years’ experience.
Relevant experience is supplier quality, manufacturing engineering, operations, or other engineering fields.
14 years of expertise in driving root cause, containment, Irreversible corrective actions and lessons learned, structured problem solving (Red X), and quality systems execution.
Experience within aerospace and defense or similarly complex industries
Experience leading and mentoring technical teams.
U.S. Citizen - The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance is required. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated end‑to‑end ownership of supplier manufacturing output, extending beyond traditional quality-focused responsibilities.
Proven leadership experience cultivating a high-performance culture, with an emphasis on driving outcomes rather than managing tasks.
Background in Supplier Quality within industries that require true end‑to‑end responsibility (such as automotive or similarly complex, regulated environments).
Experience leading production operations for highly engineered products in competitive markets, including responsibility for performance, delivery, and continuous improvement.
Experience leading technical teams and managing cross-functional initiatives.
Strong analytical skills and ability to translate data into actionable insights.
Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder engagement capabilities.

Responsibilities

Forms and leads focused, consolidated efforts and initiatives for high impacted areas (biggest driver of bad quality) cross the supply base. Could be specific suppliers/Failor modes/elements of quality systems/process steps/ commodities/ Raytheon end products etc.
Lead the enterprise Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA) strategy for suppliers, ensuring rigorous, data-driven problem solving and sustainable corrective actions.
Oversee technical quality staff responsible for supplier support, on‑site engagement, coaching, and resolution of complex technical issues.
Direct work transfer planning and execution from a quality and process-readiness perspective, ensuring supplier capability, process control, and risk mitigation.
Establish and maintain standard RCCA processes, training materials, and performance metrics across the Raytheon supplier base.
Partner with Supplier Quality, Operations, Engineering, and Program leadership to resolve systemic supplier challenges and accelerate quality improvements.
Review and analyze supplier performance data to identify trends, drive root cause elimination, and inform strategic quality initiatives.
Build strong relationships with critical suppliers to elevate their problem-solving capability and ensure alignment with Raytheon quality expectations.
Lead cross-functional investigations for high-impact escapes, coordinating corrective action plans and executive-level briefings.
Manage and develop a high-performing team of RCCA specialists, quality engineers, and technical staff; set priorities, coach, and foster continuous improvement.
Support supplier readiness for new product introduction, rate increases, and major transitions—including process validation, qualification planning, and risk assessments.
Drive consistency in the application of quality standards, methods, and tools across all supplier engagements.
Provide regular updates to the Executive Director of Supplier Assurance and senior leadership on supplier quality performance, RCCA effectiveness, and emerging risks.
Ability to travel 75% of time to supplier locations, as needed.