VP of Mission Assurance & Quality (MA&Q)

E-Space•Saratoga, CA

26d•$190,000 - $225,000•Onsite

About The Position

The VP, Mission Assurance & Quality (MA&Q) holds the independent oversight authority that ensures every spacecraft is safe, reliable, and qualified before it launches. This role is structurally independent of all other VP organizations - the authority to halt work, reject deliverables, and withhold qualification sign-off cannot be overridden by any VP. Only the CTO can override an MA&Q determination, and that override is documented with the MA&Q position on record regardless of outcome. Independence is the defining feature of this role. MA&Q does not build hardware, does not own schedule, and does not report to any VP who does. This structural separation is deliberate - quality and safety decisions must never be compromised by production pressure, schedule urgency, or cost targets. The VP, MA&Q must be willing to halt a production line, delay a gate review, or withhold qualification sign-off when the evidence demands it - and hold that position under pressure from peers and the CTO alike.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive mission assurance, quality engineering, or reliability engineering on flight programs; at least one spacecraft program carried from system requirements through on-orbit operations
Demonstrated record of exercising halt/reject authority or withholding qualification sign-off against schedule and cost pressure you must describe a specific instance. This is the most important qualification for the role
Direct accountability for a flight program's FMEA/FMECA from initial build through qualification, including enforcing zero-unmitigated-SPOF at CDR
Experience designing, implementing, and running a tiered NCR classification and disposition system at production rate, including Use-As-Is and Repair disposition authority
Direct experience chairing or co-chairing a spacecraft Qualification Review and making the independent go/no-go determination
Familiarity with PPL management, derating analysis, lot acceptance testing, and radiation qualification requirements (TID, SEE)
Demonstrated record of building multi-discipline assurance teams spanning all seven functions
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace, Systems, Electrical Engineering, or related field â€” or equivalent verifiable experience

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with constellation programs and fleet-wide conformance reporting
Familiarity with SAP (Special Access Program) assurance requirements
Prior experience as CCB chair in a high-rate production environment
Familiarity with CMMI or AS9100 quality management systems in a space or defense manufacturing environment
Range safety certification or prior direct range safety interface experience

Responsibilities

Own the FMEA/FMECA from initial build through qualification -zero unmitigated single-point failures is a CDR entry criterion
Chair the Failure Review Board (FRB) -convene, lead root cause investigation, assess extent of condition, and close with verified corrective action
Define mission success criteria and own fault tree analysis
Implement and own the system safety program per MIL-STD-882 or program-equivalent standard
Lead hazard analysis (PHA, SHA) and maintain the hazard tracking log through every gate
Manage propulsion, battery, high-voltage, and deployment safety; provide range safety interface for launch operations
Exercise independent inspection authority across all program phases
Hold sole NCR disposition authority -Use-As-Is and Repair require MA&Q concurrence regardless of phase
Enforce workmanship standards per IPC-A-610 Class 3; conduct process audits and first article inspections
Issue Standing Disposition Authorizations (SDAs) for recurring Tier 2/3 NCRs; Tier 1 Critical NCRs trigger CTO notification within 4 hours
Own quantitative reliability model per MIL-HDBK-217 or equivalent; track MTBF/MTTR targets against the constellation availability model
Lead reliability growth tracking, redundancy analysis, and reliability predictions correlated with test data at QR
Maintain the Preferred Parts List (PPL) - sole authority to add or remove parts; no part may fly without PPL approval
Enforce derating compliance at CDR and manage lot acceptance testing
Specify the mission radiation environment (TID, SEE, displacement damage) and track radiation margins for all flight parts
Chair the production CCB and administer the ECO/ECN process
Maintain as-built configuration records from the MES; execute FCA and PCA before Phase Close Gate
Provide as-built conformance report to the CTO