Non-Destructive Inspection Lead

Swarm Aero•Fayettevile, AR

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Swarm Aero is hiring a Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) Engineer to help establish a repeatable, high-rate manufacturing operation with quality designed in from the start. The role will build the company's NDI capability from the ground up, defining how composite and metallic structures are inspected. It works across design, manufacturing, materials and processes, and operations to shape inspection practices for the company's aircraft and production facilities. The position will influence aircraft design for inspectability, establish inspection procedures and acceptance criteria, and develop quality documentation and controls that can scale from first articles to production. It will also use inspection and manufacturing data to identify process drift, address defects and root causes, improve production, and prepare training, qualification, and certification programs for future NDI personnel. The role is on-site in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and requires the candidate to meet U.S. person requirements due to ITAR.

Requirements

NDI experience in aerospace, composites, metallics, or another complex hardware manufacturing environment.
Hands-on experience establishing new NDI procedures for a program, company, or production line.
Working knowledge of composite and metallic materials and processes, including how they affect the capabilities and limitations of inspection methods.
Depth in one or more NDI methods, such as ultrasonic inspection (including phased array), radiography or CT, thermography, eddy current, penetrant, or magnetic particle.
Familiarity with NDI qualification and certification standards such as NAS 410, ASNT SNT-TC-1A, or equivalent.
Sound judgment in establishing useful structure without slowing down the team doing the work.
Must be a U.S. person or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations under ITAR requirements.
Able to work on-site in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Nice To Haves

NAS 410 Level III certification, or a clear path to it.
Experience building or leading an NDI team or written practice from scratch.
Background in automated inspection or high-rate composite production.
Experience with aerospace quality systems such as AS9100.

Responsibilities

Define and establish the company's NDI capability by selecting methods, specifying equipment, and writing inspection procedures for composite and metallic components.
Develop inspection plans, accept/reject criteria, and reference standards in partnership with design and stress engineering.
Create quality documentation and control requirements that support scaling from first articles to rate production.
Work with aircraft designers and builders to influence designs for inspectability and identify problems early.
Apply Statistical Process Control (SPC) to inspection and manufacturing data to detect process drift and support timely action.
Disposition defects, support material review and root cause investigations, and feed findings back into design and process.
Identify bottlenecks, test improvements on the production floor, and use production data to improve throughput, quality, and predictability.
Establish the groundwork for an NDI team, including training, qualification, and certification programs.