Manager, Hardware Quality

Divergent • Torrance, CA

20h

About The Position

The Manager, Hardware Quality drives build quality and mission success across Divergent’s products by leading a team focused on quality, reliability, validation, and risk management. The role partners with cross-functional teams to ensure products meet quality, performance, reliability, and program requirements; translates customer needs into actionable quality and reliability plans; supports program execution; and leads structured problem-solving for failures and system issues. As both a people leader and technical contributor, this manager promotes a reliability-first mindset, consistent product quality processes, and reliable outcomes across Divergent’s technologies and operations.

The manager leads, mentors, and develops product reliability engineers; guides day-to-day priorities and performance; and supports hiring and onboarding. The role serves as the primary reliability partner to Program Management and Integrated Product Teams, collaborating with design, manufacturing, and quality teams to align requirements, design intent, and production capability. It owns execution of APQP deliverables, including FMEA, control plans, and validation activities, and tracks program-level reliability metrics, risks, and readiness.

The position also leads root-cause investigations and corrective actions, facilitates cross-functional issue resolution and nonconformance reviews, and drives containment and verification of corrective-action effectiveness. It contributes to improving and standardizing reliability, risk, and quality processes, tools, templates, and best practices as product complexity and production volume grow.

The work takes place in office and manufacturing-floor environments. Occasional travel to supplier sites, testing events, and company facilities may be required. The environment is fast-paced and hands-on, focused on scaling advanced manufacturing while ensuring reliability and risk mitigation.

Requirements

• Ability to lawfully access information and technology subject to U.S. export controls.
• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
• At least 5 years of experience in product reliability, quality, manufacturing, design, systems, or test/validation engineering.
• At least 1 year of experience leading projects, initiatives, or directly managing engineers.
• Experience solving complex, cross-functional engineering problems using structured methodologies.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience directly managing engineers in a production or product development environment.
• Experience executing APQP methodologies, including FMEA, control plans, and validation planning.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple programs and competing priorities.
• Experience with structured problem-solving and failure-analysis tools such as Six Sigma, 8D, DOE, and Fault Tree Analysis.
• Experience supporting product launches from development through production.
• Familiarity with additive manufacturing, machining, and adhesive bonding.
• Familiarity with automotive and/or aerospace standards and requirements.
• Experience with data analysis and reporting tools such as Jira, SQL, and PowerBI.
• Familiarity with NX/Teamcenter or similar CAD/design platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of product reliability engineers, fostering technical execution and accountability.
• Provide day-to-day guidance, prioritization, and performance management for the team.
• Support hiring and onboarding engineers as the team scales.
• Reinforce best practices in reliability engineering, risk management, and problem-solving.
• Serve as the primary reliability partner to Program Management and Integrated Product Teams at the program level.
• Collaborate with design, manufacturing, and quality teams to align requirements, design intent, and production capability.
• Support interpretation of customer and regulatory requirements and translate them into clear, verifiable product quality objectives.
• Escalate risks, tradeoffs, and constraints to senior leadership as needed.
• Own execution of APQP deliverables, including FMEA, control plans, and validation activities.
• Ensure product and process risks are identified, documented, and actively managed within programs.
• Support development and refinement of quality control plans and validation strategies.
• Track and report program-level reliability metrics, risks, and readiness.
• Lead structured root-cause investigations and corrective-action efforts for product and process failures.
• Facilitate cross-functional issue resolution and nonconformance reviews.
• Drive accountability for containment, corrective actions, and verification of effectiveness.
• Promote structured problem-solving methodologies such as 8D, 5 Whys, and FMEA.
• Contribute to developing and improving reliability, risk, and quality processes.
• Help standardize tools, templates, and best practices across programs.
• Support implementation of scalable systems to manage increasing product complexity and production volume.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package, equity plan, and discretionary results-based incentive bonus opportunities.
• Paid vacation, sick time, and company holidays, including a year-end shutdown.
• Paid parental leave.
• Health and wellness benefits, including HMO and Premium PPO options.
• Company-sponsored life insurance.
• Short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Reimbursement opportunities for learning and development initiatives.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager