Site Quality Director

GKN Aerospace•Tallassee, AL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

As Site Quality Director, you will be more than the leader of the Quality Management System. You will be the architect of a culture where quality is embedded in every process, every decision, and every product delivered to our customers. In this role, you will drive the site's quality transformation strategy, advancing from compliance to performance excellence. You will champion Zero Defect thinking, operationalize customer and regulatory requirements, strengthen process discipline, and lead initiatives that prevent escapes before they occur. Through standardization, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision making, you will improve customer satisfaction, reduce the Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), and elevate overall business performance. Working across engineering, operations, and leadership teams, you will build organizational capability, drive robust problem solving, and create a culture where quality is a competitive advantage. If you are passionate about leading change, developing high-performing teams, and delivering world-class aerospace quality, we want to hear from you.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering, Business, or Quality Management—or equivalent experience.
10+ years in quality leadership within aerospace or complex manufacturing.
Working knowledge in ISO 9001, AS9100, and aviation regulatory standards.
Strong command of Lean, APQP, and risk-based thinking.
Proven audit leadership using IAQG OASIS and Nadcap eAuditnet databases.
Exceptional communication and influence skills in a matrixed environment.
US Person with ability to work under ITAR compliance standards

Nice To Haves

Experience with AS13100 and aviation design/manufacturing regulations (Part 21G, Part J, Part 145).
Six Sigma certification and continuous improvement leadership.
Familiarity with IAQG SCMH, APQC frameworks, and AATT/IRCA AS9100/AS9110 training.
Commercial acumen and stakeholder engagement experience.

Responsibilities

Partner with site leadership to foster a strong Quality culture, providing governance, assurance, and strategic leadership to embed quality as a competitive advantage across the business.
Lead the site's transformation journey by aligning customer expectations, business objectives, and quality priorities into a shared operating vision across all functions.
Coach leaders and teams on GKN Aerospace Global Standards while building quality capability, operational discipline, and ownership for quality at every level.
Manage Quality resources, organizational capability development, and delegated Quality authorities to ensure effective execution and continual improvement.
Champion a culture where problems are surfaced early, quality is owned by the business, and every issue creates an opportunity for learning and improvement.
Represent the site in all Quality-related matters with customers, certifying bodies, aerospace authorities, and internal stakeholders.
Lead the planning, deployment, governance, and continual improvement of the site's QMS/BMS, ensuring compliance with industry standards, aviation regulations, customer requirements, and APMS.
Ensure customer, regulatory, and business requirements are effectively translated into processes, operational controls, training, and performance measures that drive consistent execution and defect prevention.
Establish and maintain information transparency through common quality data, meaningful performance measures, and risk-based insights that support informed decision making.
Monitor and improve Quality KPIs, including Quality Escapes, Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), corrective action effectiveness, process capability, and customer performance.
Analyze QMS/BMS performance, trends, risks, and improvement opportunities to support management reviews and business decision-making.
Promote standardized quality methods and common approaches that enable consistency, visibility, and scalable performance improvement.
Plan and execute internal, customer, and third-party audits, ensuring effective resolution of findings while leveraging audit outcomes to strengthen process maturity and organizational performance.
Lead product and process audits, risk assessments, and opportunity analyses to ensure product safety, conformity, and operational effectiveness.
Drive quality maturity by ensuring lessons learned, corrective actions, best practices, and problem-solving knowledge are effectively shared across functions and sites.
Establish and maintain Connected Governance through consistent standards, risk-based decision making, accountability, and effective oversight of quality processes.
Manage systemic quality risks, ensuring emerging issues are identified, escalated, and mitigated using structured methodologies.
Hold delegated authority for product compliance and approval of regulatory and customer-required conformance documentation.
Ensure customer, regulatory, and certification requirements are effectively deployed, maintained, and verified throughout the product lifecycle.