Sr. Product Quality Engineer - Flight Test

Archer • Salinas, CA

5d • $120,400 - $150,500 • Onsite

About The Position

Archer is seeking a high-ownership Sr. Product Quality Engineer to join its Quality Engineering team on-site at the Salinas flight test operations center. The role contributes quality engineering support to flight test operations, ensuring developmental aircraft, integrated systems, and flight hardware meet safety, operational, and regulatory airworthiness standards. The engineer works hands-on with flight test crews, assembly engineers, and technicians in a fast-paced, evolving prototype environment.

The position involves flight-line inspections and hardware disposition, FAA conformity support, MRB and corrective-action work, electronic inspection planning, and dimensional verification using metrology tools. It also partners with Design, Aircraft Integration, and Test Operations to communicate flight-line findings back into manufacturing and engineering processes. The targeted base pay is $120,400–$150,500; actual compensation depends on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent technical experience.
• At least 5 years of hands-on quality or manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace or flight test environments.
• Direct, hands-on experience supporting active flight lines, flight test centers, or aircraft hangar operations.
• Applied working knowledge of ASME Y14.5 Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) and experience verifying complex physical assemblies against engineering models.
• Proven experience with AS19102 First Article Inspections (FAI), MRB dispositioning, and FAA conformity inspection processes.
• Experience navigating PLM, MES, and ERP platforms, such as Teamcenter and SAP, to execute inspection plans and disposition non-conformances.
• Ability to work independently, solve complex technical problems with minimal guidance, and drive processes to completion in evolving, early-stage engineering programs.

Nice To Haves

• Valid FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) license or FAA Designee exposure or credentials (DMAR, DAR, or DER).
• Experience with composite structural assembly, high-voltage battery systems, or complex aircraft wire harness integration.
• Hands-on experience with APQP methodologies (AS9145), PFMEAs, Control Plans, and Statistical Process Control (SPC).
• Familiarity with AS9100, AS9102, AS9103, and AS6500 standards.
• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), or Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• Exposure to electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), urban air mobility (UAM), or prototype aircraft development programs.

Responsibilities

• Serve as an embedded quality contributor for flight test operations, inspecting and dispositioning airframe components, avionics, wire harnesses, and integrated systems in a hangar or flight-line setting.
• Assist with hardware, documentation, and tooling preparation for company and FAA conformity inspections; perform AS19102 First Article Inspections and regulatory verification checks.
• Conduct Material Review Board (MRB) dispositions and apply Root Cause & Corrective Action (RCCA/CAPA) techniques to resolve technical defects on flight hardware.
• Develop and maintain electronic inspection plans within MES for consistent verification across flight-line operations and maintenance activities.
• Use ASME Y14.5 GD&T principles to review 2D drawings and 3D Model-Based Definitions, and use metrology tools to verify physical hardware.
• Partner with Design, Aircraft Integration, and Test Operations to feed flight-line learnings into manufacturing and engineering design loops.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior