Program Quality Engineer

Leidos•Huntsville, AL

About The Position

Leidos Defense Systems Mission Assurance is seeking a hands-on individual contributor to serve as the quality engineering focal point for assigned programs. The role executes the Quality Control system to promote customer satisfaction and product conformance across manufacturing operations. Supported products include machined parts, mechanical and composite assemblies, welded assemblies, painted or coated assemblies, and flight hardware fabrication and assemblies. The position is based in the Huntsville/North Alabama, Alabama area and reports to the Program Quality Manager, Defense Systems Mission Assurance. It provides day-to-day technical direction to Quality Technicians and Inspectors but has no direct supervisory responsibility. The Program Quality Engineer partners with program management, engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain to translate contract and customer quality requirements into executable quality plans. The role supports First Article Inspection, supplier part approvals, continuous improvement, defect reduction, nonconformance resolution, and corrective actions. It also works with customers, suppliers, DCMA, and other government or customer quality assurance organizations, and may travel occasionally for in-person engagements across Leidos sites.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline and four years of prior relevant experience, or a master’s degree with two years of prior relevant experience; additional years of direct experience working in aviation programs supporting defense contracts may be substituted for the degree.
Eight or more years of relevant experience is acceptable in lieu of a degree.
Four or more years of hands-on quality engineering experience in a manufacturing and/or product-based environment.
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, with the ability to present technical findings to program and customer stakeholders.
Must be a resident of the North Alabama area or willing to relocate to the Huntsville–North Alabama, 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 surface 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 methods, to identify effective corrective and preventive actions.
Initiate and execute quality improvement activities, such as Kaizen and Six Sigma projects, to raise 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/or 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.