Quality Engineer Lead

Leidos•Huntsville, AL

About The Position

At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ success. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing — for our customers, our people, and our communities. THE MISSION Leidos is a key partner to Raytheon and the U.S. Navy on the Tomahawk Canister Program. We are seeking an experienced TOMAHAWK Quality Engineer Lead to drive all program-level quality activities in support of fabrication, assembly, production, and delivery. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES Leadership & Team Development Lead the TOMAHAWK program quality team, ensuring compliance with AS9100, ISO, and Army quality standards. Provide hands-on leadership, mentoring, and developing quality engineers and inspectors to support efficient operations and continuous improvement. Coach and guide program quality staff to ensure alignment with the corporate Quality Management System and Defense Systems Sector requirements. Foster a quality culture committed to excellence and Leidos values, enabling rapid manufacturing scale-up. Quality Program Management & Compliance Maintain close coordination with the Leidos site quality team to ensure process control, product acceptance, and effective corrective action execution. Oversee inspection and test documentation to ensure compliance with customer requirements and configuration baselines. Support production readiness reviews, configuration audits, and fulfillment of contractual quality deliverables. Customer & Supplier Interface Serve as the primary interface with external quality stakeholders, including the U.S. Government, customers, and DCMA. Collaborate with Supplier Quality Engineering to oversee supplier quality performance, audits, metrics, and corrective actions. Metrics, Analysis & Improvement Establish, monitor, and analyze quality metrics (yield, rework, NCR rates, escape rates) and targeted KPIs to drive performance visibility and process improvement. Analyze trends and inspection data to identify systemic issues, driving root-cause investigations and implementing corrective and preventive actions. Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance product conformity, reduce rework, and strengthen mission assurance. Process & Issue Management Develop and oversee inspection strategies, including statistically valid sampling plans aligned with customer and regulatory standards. Lead Material Review Board (MRB) activities and ensure timely closure of corrective actions. Ensure timely resolution of internal/external audit findings and requirement escapes. Address escalated quality issues promptly and effectively. Business Lifecycle & Reporting Serve as a key quality stakeholder throughout the business lifecycle, including new business capture, procurement, and program execution. Partner with engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain teams to achieve first-pass yield and product reliability objectives. Report regularly to senior leadership on inspection results, KPI performance, audit outcomes, and quality improvement progress.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality Management, or related field, with 8-12 years of experience, including prior leadership of quality or mission assurance teams in defense/aerospace manufacturing.
Proven experience with AS9100/ISO 9001 systems, configuration management, and corrective action processes.
Strong background in production quality management for defense hardware or weapon systems.
Demonstrated ability to engage with Army quality offices and DCMA.
U.S. Citizenship required; must have or be eligible for a Secret clearance.
Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
Comprehensive experience with quality in defense or space manufacturing environments.
Demonstrated expertise in root cause analysis and continuous improvement.
Experience implementing AS9100.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office products.
Must be able to obtain and maintain credentials for access to government installations.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or Six Sigma Black Belt.
Experience with Earned Value Management (EVM) and metrics-based quality reporting.
Experience with Deltek Costpoint, Windchill, Oracle Agile, or Solumina MES.
Experience in medium-volume/high-mix production environments.
Experience in both component fabrication and assembly/integration environments.

Responsibilities

Lead the TOMAHAWK program quality team, ensuring compliance with AS9100, ISO, and Army quality standards.
Provide hands-on leadership, mentoring, and developing quality engineers and inspectors to support efficient operations and continuous improvement.
Coach and guide program quality staff to ensure alignment with the corporate Quality Management System and Defense Systems Sector requirements.
Foster a quality culture committed to excellence and Leidos values, enabling rapid manufacturing scale-up.
Maintain close coordination with the Leidos site quality team to ensure process control, product acceptance, and effective corrective action execution.
Oversee inspection and test documentation to ensure compliance with customer requirements and configuration baselines.
Support production readiness reviews, configuration audits, and fulfillment of contractual quality deliverables.
Serve as the primary interface with external quality stakeholders, including the U.S. Government, customers, and DCMA.
Collaborate with Supplier Quality Engineering to oversee supplier quality performance, audits, metrics, and corrective actions.
Establish, monitor, and analyze quality metrics (yield, rework, NCR rates, escape rates) and targeted KPIs to drive performance visibility and process improvement.
Analyze trends and inspection data to identify systemic issues, driving root-cause investigations and implementing corrective and preventive actions.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance product conformity, reduce rework, and strengthen mission assurance.
Develop and oversee inspection strategies, including statistically valid sampling plans aligned with customer and regulatory standards.
Lead Material Review Board (MRB) activities and ensure timely closure of corrective actions.
Ensure timely resolution of internal/external audit findings and requirement escapes.
Address escalated quality issues promptly and effectively.
Serve as a key quality stakeholder throughout the business lifecycle, including new business capture, procurement, and program execution.
Partner with engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain teams to achieve first-pass yield and product reliability objectives.
Report regularly to senior leadership on inspection results, KPI performance, audit outcomes, and quality improvement progress.