Quality Assurance/Quality Control Manager
About The Position
Leidos’ Undersea Systems Division is seeking a Quality Assurance/Quality Control Manager to join a fast-paced R&D engineering group in San Diego, California. The role supports underwater vehicle systems, maritime sensors, subsea telemetry, and ISR solutions for defense and national security missions at Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific (NIWC PAC). The manager will establish, document, and enforce a Quality Management System across a multidisciplinary project integrating specialized sensor payloads into unmanned systems. The position bridges rapid R&D cycles and disciplined, repeatable low-volume production in a Navy laboratory environment. It involves assessing workflows and risks, developing SOPs and Quality Assurance plans, overseeing compliance and system quality, conducting audits, training technical personnel, and coordinating with production leads and technical subject-matter experts. The position requires maintaining a Secret Clearance and working onsite at NIWC Pacific on a 9/80B schedule: 80 hours over nine days in a two-week period, with every other Friday off.
Requirements
- Minimum of 7 years of experience in Quality Assurance/Quality Control management within the Defense, Government Contractor, or specialized high-tech manufacturing sector.
- Direct, demonstrable experience supporting integrated systems projects involving both advanced R&D prototypes and production-scale hardware units.
- Deep understanding of Quality Management Systems theory and practical implementation, such as ISO 9001/AS9100, in low-rate production environments.
- Expert knowledge of structured engineering methodologies, such as the V-Model, Agile, and MIL-STD lifecycle processes.
- Familiarity with advanced electronics, mechanical assemblies, and mission-critical hardware integration.
- Proficiency in drafting technical documents, including procedure manuals, schematics overlays, and traceability matrices.
- Ability to structure complex, ambiguous information into clear, actionable, documented procedures.
- Experience managing high-tempo projects with aggressive timelines where processes are still developing or do not exist.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to write for highly technical personnel and communicate risks to senior executive leadership.
- Proactive approach to resolving complex quality-control challenges and implementing lasting improvements.
- Ability to apply quality standards with judgment in dynamic R&D environments, prioritizing systemic risk mitigation when mission requirements call for deviations from static procedures.
- Ability to assess integrated workflows and identify systemic bottlenecks and value-chain improvements beyond end-product inspection.
- Strong attention to detail and quality, with resourcefulness to reorganize testing, deploy specialized tools, and reallocate personnel as priorities change.
- Ability to maintain a Secret Clearance.
- Ability to work onsite at NIWC Pacific on a 9/80B schedule.
Nice To Haves
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field.
- ASQ Certified Quality Manager/Engineer (CQE/CQA).
- Six Sigma Green or Black Belt.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills and teamwork abilities.
- Highly organized and able to prioritize tasks for team members.
Responsibilities
- Design, evaluate, and write process documentation, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Work Instructions (WIs), Test Plans, Acceptance Criteria Matrices, and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEAs).
- Develop scalable quality checkpoints to transition systems from R&D prototypes to controlled, repeatable manufacturing processes.
- Apply Lean/Six Sigma methodologies and root cause analysis to improve testing, assembly, and integration workflows while maintaining military specifications.
- Ensure project activities comply with relevant Navy/DoD standards, internal guidelines, and industry best practices, from design reviews through final deployment.
- Oversee quality assurance for vehicle-system integration, subsystem testing, operational readiness verification, at-sea test events, and final deliverables.
- Oversee sensor-payload calibration, data fidelity testing, environmental survivability testing, and interfacing with host vehicle systems.
- Conduct internal audits of processes and finished systems; maintain auditable records of quality deviations, corrective actions, and preventive measures.
- Lead training for technical personnel on QA/QC procedures and compliance requirements.
- Coordinate with Production Leads and technical SMEs to balance R&D pace with production quality standards.
- Identify single points of failure in hardware design and procedural execution and mitigate risks through systemic controls.
- Assess workflows and identify technical, procedural, and regulatory risks; develop SOPs and Quality Assurance plans to support compliance and scalability.
- Implement solutions to complex quality-control challenges and drive lasting process improvements with cross-functional teams.
- Communicate quality risks effectively to technical personnel and senior executive leadership.
- Reorganize testing setups, deploy specialized tools, and reallocate personnel in response to urgent mission requirements and changing priorities.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
Education Level
No Education Listed
