Field Quality Assurance Specialist

GMRE•Ogden, UT

About The Position

GMRE is seeking a Field Quality Assurance Specialist to provide independent, risk-based process assurance at customer and operational sites supporting aircraft upgrades, modifications, and installation activities, including F-16 programs where assigned. The role verifies that GMRE personnel follow approved work cards, drawings, technical data, configuration controls, quality requirements, and established process controls. It reviews work in progress and production records, checks that required inspections are performed and documented, identifies process drift and recurring risks, and supports corrective action before issues become customer findings. This position provides process assurance and does not replace Government or customer authority for product inspection and acceptance. When not deployed, the Specialist supports cross-site trend analysis, audit preparation, corrective-action effectiveness, lessons learned, and selected production quality activities at the home station. Safety compliance is included in field quality oversight, including adherence to applicable GMRE, OSHA, customer, installation, Government, and Air Force requirements. The role requires significant, risk-based travel—approximately 60%—to geographically separated customer and installation sites. The position can access active work areas, work packages, production records, and relevant objective evidence; observe work without advance notice when permitted; objectively document process findings; and escalate significant or systemic deviations through the Quality organization and applicable program leadership. The Specialist may recommend a pause, containment, or additional review when continued work could compound a process failure, quality escape, or safety risk. GMRE describes itself as a small veteran-owned company. Benefits are offered to permanent full-time employees and include health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k), vacation, PTO or PSL based on state laws, paid holidays, and life insurance. The company is an equal opportunity employer.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent required.
Field quality assurance, aircraft maintenance/modification quality, aerospace quality, or comparable regulated operations experience required.
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, wiring diagrams, technical orders/data, work cards, specifications, work instructions, and configuration requirements.
Working knowledge of process surveillance, inspection records, configuration control, traceability, nonconformance control, and corrective-action processes.
Ability to evaluate objective evidence, identify process drift, and make defensible quality determinations based on documented requirements.
Strong written communication and technical documentation skills for findings, observations, audit evidence, and trend reporting.
Ability to work independently at geographically separated customer sites while maintaining professional relationships with technicians, site leadership, program personnel, and customer/Government representatives.
Working knowledge of workplace safety fundamentals and ability to recognize quality/safety compliance issues during field surveillance.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and electronic quality, document-control, or program record systems.
Five or more years of quality assurance, aircraft maintenance/modification, aerospace manufacturing, military aviation, or closely related experience preferred.
Demonstrated experience evaluating work against technical data, work instructions, configuration requirements, and acceptance criteria.
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance as required by contract, program, and/or customer.
Ability to work in office, manufacturing, hangar, flight-line, and customer operational environments as required.
Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and safely access aircraft and active work areas, including bending, crouching, climbing stairs, ladders, or work platforms as required.
Ability to use computers, inspection tools, and required personal protective equipment.
Must be able to hear and speak well enough to communicate with customers and fellow employees.
Significant travel of approximately 60% is required to support geographically separated customer and installation sites.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree, technical degree/certificate, military technical training, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
AS9100D and ISO 9001 quality management system experience.
Aircraft modification, depot, sustainment, or field installation quality experience, particularly fighter aircraft or F-16 programs.
Internal auditing, Layered Process Audit, Root Cause Analysis, and CAPA experience.
Experience working with military technical data, Air Force maintenance/installation environments, or Government quality representatives.
Cable and wire-harness inspection experience; familiarity with IPC/WHMA-A-620 or equivalent workmanship requirements.
OSHA awareness/training and experience applying customer or Government site safety requirements.
Lean or continuous improvement experience and government contracting experience.
Experience supporting field operations, audits, corrective actions, customer interfaces, or geographically separated sites.
ASQ Certified Quality Inspector (CQI), Certified Quality Technician (CQT), Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), or equivalent certification.
Lean Six Sigma Yellow/Green Belt or equivalent continuous improvement certification.
IPC/WHMA-A-620 certification or equivalent cable/harness workmanship qualification, where applicable.
FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) certificate or relevant military aircraft quality/maintenance qualification, where applicable.
OSHA 10-Hour or 30-Hour training, where applicable to assigned duties.

Responsibilities

Conduct independent, risk-based quality surveillance at customer and operational sites supporting aircraft upgrades, modifications, and installation activities.
Observe work in progress, on a scheduled or unannounced basis when permitted, and verify alignment with approved work cards, drawings, technical data, procedures, and configuration requirements.
Compare actual work status with work-card sign-offs and verify that required inspections, hold points, and quality checks are performed and documented.
Review work packages, inspection records, configuration records, and other objective evidence for completeness, accuracy, traceability, and integrity.
Identify inconsistent practices, process drift, recurring discrepancies, and quality risks across field sites; document and communicate findings through the Quality organization.
Support customer, Government, and internal quality interfaces while maintaining the distinction between GMRE process assurance and Government/customer product acceptance authority.
Verify that corrective actions are implemented and effective, and identify repeat or systemic issues requiring escalation.
Transfer lessons learned, effective practices, and quality expectations across sites.
Perform Layered Process Audits, targeted process reviews, and selected internal audits based on risk and relevant performance or operational changes.
Analyze field quality data, inspection trends, customer findings, improvement logs, nonconformances, and corrective actions to identify emerging risks and improvement opportunities.
Support root cause analysis, containment, corrective action, continual improvement, and effectiveness verification.
Maintain field surveillance tools, criteria, records, metrics, and reporting to demonstrate process effectiveness and audit readiness.
Develop cross-site lessons learned, quality communications, and recommendations to improve installation discipline and prevent recurrence.
Verify compliance with applicable GMRE safety requirements, OSHA standards, customer and site rules, and contractual or Government safety requirements as part of field surveillance.
At military aircraft or Government installations, verify compliance with applicable site and service-specific requirements, including relevant U.S. Air Force standards and technical guidance where contractually applicable.
Identify unsafe conditions, procedural deviations, or quality/safety interactions that could affect personnel, product, or mission performance, and elevate them through established channels.
Support documentation, corrective action, and follow-up for safety-related findings; coordinate with designated safety personnel or site leadership when specialized expertise is needed.
When not traveling, analyze field quality trends, prepare risk-based surveillance plans, track findings and corrective actions, and support evaluation of local in-process inspection effectiveness.
Support selected production quality activities for cable/harness assembly and related manufacturing operations, including in-process and final inspection, configuration verification, records review, and audit support as workload permits.
Assist with First Article Inspection, nonconformance documentation, production metrics, process verification, and corrective-action follow-up when assigned.
Support standardization of quality checkpoints, documentation practices, and lessons learned between home-station production and field operations.
Access relevant work areas, work packages, production records, and objective evidence; question discrepancies between actual and documented work status; and escalate significant deviations.
Recommend a pause, containment, or additional review when continued work could conceal, compound, or propagate a process failure, quality escape, or safety risk.
Travel approximately 60% to geographically separated customer and installation sites, with surveillance prioritized according to risk.