Program Quality Engineer
About The Position
Leidos Defense Systems Mission Assurance is hiring a Program Quality Engineer to serve as the quality engineering focal point for assigned programs and execute the Quality Control system to support customer satisfaction and product conformance. The position supports manufacturing quality activities, including First Article Inspection, supplier part approvals, continuous improvement, and defect reduction for electromechanical products such as machined parts, mechanical and composite assemblies, welded assemblies, painted or coated assemblies, and flight hardware fabrication and assemblies. It is based in the Huntsville / North Alabama, Alabama area. This is a hands-on individual contributor role reporting to the Program Quality Manager, Defense Systems Mission Assurance. The engineer partners with program management, engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain to translate contract and customer quality requirements into executable quality plans, and leads technical problem-solving for nonconformances and corrective actions. The position provides day-to-day technical direction to Quality Technicians and Inspectors but has no direct supervisory responsibility. Occasional travel to engage with internal customers and suppliers across multiple Leidos sites is required.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline and four years of prior relevant experience, or a master’s degree and two years of prior relevant experience; additional years of direct experience working in aviation programs supporting defense contracts may substitute for the degree.
- Four or more years of hands-on quality engineering experience in a manufacturing and/or product-based environment; eight or more years of relevant experience is acceptable in lieu of a degree.
- Working knowledge of AS9100 / ISO 9001 requirements.
- Working knowledge of AS9102 First Article Inspection.
- Working knowledge of engineering drawings, specifications, and GD&T.
- Working knowledge of government and customer quality assurance requirements.
- Demonstrated experience with root cause analysis and corrective action methodologies.
- Ability to review and provide quality inputs to aviation program manuals, forms, and records.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office products.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present technical findings to program and customer stakeholders.
- Must reside in the North Alabama area or be willing to relocate to the Huntsville–North Alabama area.
- Ability to obtain a security clearance.
Nice To Haves
- ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or equivalent certification.
- Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
- AS9100 internal auditor training or experience.
- Experience with Solumina or a comparable MES/quality management system.
- Experience building quality dashboards and reporting in Power BI.
- Familiarity with statistical analysis tools such as Minitab.
- Experience with flight hardware, composites, welding, or coatings quality requirements.
- Prior experience supporting DCMA or government source inspection activities.
Responsibilities
- Serve as the quality engineering point of contact for assigned programs, supporting problem identification, resolution, loss reporting, and continuous improvement.
- Develop and maintain program quality plans, inspection plans, and quality requirement flowdown from contracts to manufacturing and suppliers.
- Review contract quality requirements and identify the processes, tooling, and documentation needed for compliance.
- Review and provide quality inputs to aviation program manuals, forms, and records.
- Report quality issues, trends, and losses to Quality Management and program leadership.
- Execute and disposition First Article Inspections (FAI/AS9102) and supplier part approvals.
- Participate in Material Review Board activities and disposition nonconforming material.
- Provide day-to-day technical direction and inspection guidance to Quality Technicians and Inspectors on assigned programs.
- Support internal and external quality audits, including AS9100 surveillance and customer audits.
- Develop and maintain quality metrics, including process capability studies, control charts, and measurement system analysis, to monitor Quality Control system effectiveness.
- Build and maintain statistical data collection and analysis to identify trends affecting product quality.
- Translate quality data into actionable reporting for program and manufacturing leadership.
- Lead root-cause analysis and structured problem-solving, including 8D, 5-Why, and fishbone, to identify effective corrective and preventive actions.
- Initiate and execute quality improvement activities, such as Kaizen and Six Sigma projects, to improve product line performance.
- Verify that implemented corrective actions are effective and sustained.
- Interact with customers to identify quality improvement opportunities and close the feedback loop with manufacturing and development personnel.
- Collaborate with DCMA and other government and customer quality assurance organizations.
- Interface with supplier and customer quality representatives on quality issues and verify effective corrective action is implemented.
- Travel occasionally for in-person engagements with internal customers and suppliers across multiple Leidos sites.
- Perform other reasonable duties as assigned.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
