Senior Principal Quality Engineer

Long Wave Inc.•Oklahoma City, OK

About The Position

Long Wave Inc. is seeking a Senior Principal Quality Engineer – Program Quality Assurance (PRQA) to support program execution, contractual quality compliance, and Quality Management System (QMS) activities in an aerospace and defense environment. The role serves as lead PRQA for assigned programs, providing quality oversight across development, production, testing, integration, and acceptance. It also serves as a senior technical resource on complex aerospace and defense quality engineering, customer quality requirements, and compliance matters across the organization. The position supports implementation, sustainment, and continual improvement of the AS9100/ISO 9001 QMS, including audits, process improvements, digital quality management applications, and integration of program-specific contractual quality requirements. Work may be remote or on-site based on business needs and position requirements, with occasional travel. Remote employees must be able to perform assigned duties and access authorized company systems in accordance with company and contractual requirements. The position’s standard work schedule is a 9/80: nine-hour days Monday through Thursday, with every other Friday off. Full-time employees are eligible for the company benefits package.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship is required.
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality Assurance, Manufacturing, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline and at least 12 years of relevant experience; or a graduate degree and at least 10 years of relevant experience; or 16 years of directly related experience in lieu of a degree.
Mastery-level knowledge of quality engineering, program quality assurance, contractual quality requirements, and related disciplines.
Extensive experience in aerospace, defense, or similarly regulated industries performing quality engineering, program quality assurance, or related quality functions.
Demonstrated experience reviewing, interpreting, and implementing complex contractual, customer, technical, and regulatory quality requirements.
Advanced knowledge of AS9100 and/or ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems and applicable aerospace/defense quality practices.
Experience developing or implementing program quality plans, contractual requirements matrices, compliance verification activities, and associated quality documentation.
Demonstrated ability to independently assess complex quality issues, identify compliance risks, recommend solutions, and coordinate resolution across functional organizations.
Experience with nonconformance management, root cause analysis, corrective action, and quality risk management.
Ability to provide technical leadership, influence stakeholders, and communicate complex quality matters with management, customers, and cross-functional teams.
Strong analytical, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience as a lead Program Quality Engineer or Program Quality Assurance representative supporting aerospace/defense programs.
Experience supporting major defense contractors, Department of Defense programs, or government contractual quality requirements.
Experience performing detailed contractual quality requirements analysis, developing compliance matrices, and establishing program-specific quality controls.
Experience with AS9102 First Article Inspection, customer/government source inspection, product acceptance, and supplier quality requirements.
Knowledge of AS9145/APQP/PPAP, configuration management, engineering change control, and technical data requirements.
Experience supporting complex quality investigations, RCCA/CAPA activities, and cross-functional process improvement initiatives.
Experience implementing, sustaining, or improving AS9100-certified Quality Management Systems.
Experience implementing or supporting electronic QMS applications, including TipQA, TipSFE, or similar systems.
Experience with CAM, program budgeting, ETC/EAC forecasting, or Earned Value Management Systems in a DoD program environment.
ASQ or other relevant professional Quality certification, including CQE, CQA, CRE, CMQ/OE, or equivalent.
Demonstrated experience providing technical mentoring and guidance to quality engineering personnel.
Active or previously held Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

Serve as lead PRQA for assigned programs and provide quality oversight throughout program development, production, testing, integration, and acceptance.
Review contracts, Statements of Work, Supplier Quality Assurance Requirements, purchase orders, specifications, and other customer requirements to identify quality obligations, compliance gaps, and risks.
Develop and maintain program quality plans, contractual quality requirements matrices, compliance documentation, and program quality records.
Coordinate clarification, exceptions, or resolutions for contractual quality concerns with Contracts, Program Management, and other responsible organizations.
Coordinate with program and functional teams to incorporate quality requirements into program planning, schedules, technical activities, and deliverables.
Review technical documentation, design changes, inspection and test requirements, and contractual deliverables for quality compliance.
Support program design and technical reviews, production readiness, verification, testing, and customer acceptance.
Coordinate First Article Inspection, source inspection, product verification, and acceptance requirements with responsible functional organizations.
Support supplier quality oversight, contractual quality flowdowns, nonconformance resolution, and corrective actions with Supply Chain Management and Hardware Quality Assurance.
Review and coordinate Quality Assurance inputs and approvals for contractual deliverables, including applicable SDRLs/CDRLs.
Identify, document, communicate, and track program quality risks, nonconformances, corrective actions, and compliance concerns through resolution.
Support nonconformance reporting, Material Review Board activities, root cause analysis, and corrective and preventive action processes.
Interface with customer and government quality representatives for program reviews, inspections, audits, and quality issue resolution.
Develop and report program quality metrics, compliance status, risks, trends, and corrective action performance.
Serve as QA Control Account Manager for assigned programs, supporting budget and resource planning, ETC/EAC forecasting, cost and schedule performance monitoring, variance analysis, and applicable EVMS reporting.
Provide technical guidance and recommendations to Quality Assurance, Engineering, Program Management, Operations, Supply Chain Management, and other functional organizations.
Lead or support complex cross-functional quality investigations, risk assessments, and improvement initiatives.
Evaluate quality processes, systems, and controls and recommend and implement improvements to compliance, effectiveness, and operational performance.
Provide technical mentoring, coaching, and knowledge transfer to quality personnel and other functional stakeholders.
Advise Quality leadership on complex quality concerns, technical risks, and improvement opportunities.
Support implementation, sustainment, and continual improvement of the AS9100/ISO 9001 Quality Management System.
Support QMS process improvements and digital quality management applications and workflows, including TipQA/TipSFE, as assigned.
Participate in internal, customer, and certification audits, including objective evidence reviews, corrective actions, and follow-up activities.
Support integration of program-specific contractual quality requirements into established QMS processes and controls.
Perform other assigned QA and QMS support activities based on department priorities.