Supplier Quality Manager

Axiom Space•Houston, CA

About The Position

Axiom Space is seeking an experienced Supplier Quality Manager to establish and lead a Supplier Quality Center of Excellence (COE), serving as the organization’s single source of truth for supplier quality. The manager will hire, coach, and develop a high-performing team of supplier quality engineers and analysts, fostering accountability and continuous learning. The COE is responsible for supplier qualification, the approved supplier list, requirements flow-down, audits, supplier performance scorecards, and corrective action to ensure spaceflight hardware meets mission quality, reliability, and traceability requirements. The role partners with Supply Chain, Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing, and Programs to build a proactive, data-driven supplier quality organization and support AS9100 certification and customer audit readiness. The position requires a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, or a related technical field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience, and at least eight years of quality experience in aerospace, space, defense, or similarly regulated manufacturing, including at least three years in supplier quality. The manager should have working knowledge of AS9100 supplier control requirements and AS9102 First Article Inspection, experience with supplier audits and supplier corrective action and MRB processes, and the ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and GD&T. Strong root cause analysis, communication, negotiation, and influencing skills are also required. The work is generally performed in an office environment, though tasks may involve inside or outside work. The position may require access to export-controlled technical data or technology, subject to applicable NASA regulations and U.S. export control laws. Candidates may need to undergo additional screening to determine eligibility for access. Evening and weekend work may be required as needed to meet critical project milestones. Physical requirements may include sitting or standing for extended periods and occasionally lifting or carrying up to 25 pounds.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, or a related technical field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 8 years of quality experience in aerospace, space, defense, or similarly regulated manufacturing, including at least 3 years in supplier quality.
Working knowledge of AS9100 supplier control requirements and AS9102 First Article Inspection.
Experience conducting supplier audits and managing supplier corrective action (SCAR) and MRB processes.
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and GD&T.
Proven root cause analysis and problem-solving skills, including 8D, 5-Why, fishbone, and fault tree methods.
Strong communication, negotiation, and influence skills with suppliers and cross-functional leaders.
Track record of delivering outcomes in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.
Good judgment and proactive problem-solving that positively impacts challenging situations.
Ability to deliver high-quality results under tight deadlines.
Ability to embody accountability, technical rigor, execution discipline, and pride of delivery.
Must be willing to work evenings and weekends as needed to meet critical project milestones.
May be required to undergo export control screening to determine eligibility for access to controlled data or technology.

Responsibilities

Own supplier qualification, approval, and requalification, including risk-based assessments of capability, quality-system maturity, financial and delivery stability, and special-process control.
Maintain the Approved Supplier List and ensure purchases of flight and critical hardware are placed only with approved sources.
Assign supplier risk tiers and set appropriate oversight, including surveys, audit frequency, and source inspection.
Verify supplier certifications and accreditations, including AS9100, ISO 9001, NADCAP, and ISO/IEC 17025, and monitor their status and expiration.
Review purchase orders and technical data packages with Procurement and Engineering to ensure quality, specification, and regulatory requirements are flowed down correctly.
Define supplier quality clauses, inspection and test requirements, AS9102 first-article requirements, and certificate-of-conformance expectations.
Plan and conduct supplier and process audits, and lead or support special-process and source-inspection activities.
Oversee receiving-inspection requirements and sampling plans with the receiving inspection team, adjusting inspection levels based on supplier performance.
Set priorities and manage workload across supplier audits, SCARs, supplier scorecards, and source inspection.
Analyze supplier quality data and trends to drive systemic improvements and reduce escapes at receiving and downstream.
Develop and mature supplier quality procedures and QMS documentation for supplier control under AS9100 clause 8.4.
Drive supplier development initiatives and share lessons learned across the supply base.
Communicate project progress, status, and potential issues to stakeholders and leadership.
Implement and maintain agile project management methodologies throughout the project lifecycle.
Perform additional job duties as assigned.