Senior Quality Engineer I

Description

The company designs and builds rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems for space missions, including missions to the Moon and Mars.

The Space Systems division has supported more than 1,700 missions and builds complete spacecraft, payloads, and components such as solar panels, flight software, star trackers, optical systems, separation systems, and radios. It works with NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force.

The Optical Systems team builds space-based and airborne sensing payloads for Department of Defense and Intelligence Community customers, drawing on more than 20 years of electro-optical and infrared work.

This role is based in Chantilly, VA and supports Tranche 3 of the Space Development Agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. You will help make sure products meet customer, regulatory, and internal quality standards at every stage of the product lifecycle.

The team works under tight deadlines and focuses on delivering results.

Responsibilities

• Design and run inspections that confirm product quality and workmanship.
• Check that products follow internal procedures, customer requirements, and industry standards such as AS9100.
• Investigate product and process nonconformances, lead root cause analysis, and drive corrective actions.
• Create, manage, and close Nonconformance Reports, Corrective Action Reports, and take part in MRB and FRB activities.
• Teach production and engineering staff about workmanship standards, procedures, ESD, and FOD.
• Organise and record calibration work and keep metrology controls in place.
• Maintain ESD and FOD compliance across production and integration areas.
• Carry out inspections, review inspection data, and record results and findings.
• Gather, analyse, and trend quality data with tools such as Power Apps and Power BI to guide decisions.
• Build and maintain dashboards and reports that track quality metrics, nonconformance trends, corrective action effectiveness, and process performance.
• Take part in internal, customer, and third-party quality audits when required.
• Lead continuous improvement work that makes processes more efficient, consistent, and reliable.
• Support, analyse, and report on quality performance using data-driven metrics.
• Travel when needed for test campaigns, supplier work, audits, source inspections, and program milestones.
• Take on other quality, compliance, and program tasks as assigned.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in engineering or a related discipline.
• 5 years or more of quality engineering or quality assurance experience in manufacturing.
• Experience working within a quality management system.
• Strong working knowledge of NCRs, CAPA, MRB and FRB processes, and ESD and FOD controls.
• Experience with inspection and test activities, metrology, and calibration systems.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, including GD&T.
• Experience analysing quality data and presenting metrics with tools such as Power BI, Power Apps, Excel, or similar visualisation platforms.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and root cause analysis skills.
• Ability to work well with engineering, production, supply chain, and program teams.
• Ability to obtain and keep a U.S. Government security clearance.
• Nice to have: AS9100 experience.
• Nice to have: experience supporting spaceflight hardware or optical or electro-optical systems.
• Nice to have: ASQ Quality Engineer or Quality Technician certification.
• Nice to have: experience working with suppliers and subcontractors in a regulated environment.
• Nice to have: familiarity with aerospace customer audits and government contracts.
• Nice to have: experience building or improving Power Apps workflows and Power BI dashboards for quality or manufacturing metrics.
• Nice to have: an active U.S. Government security clearance.

Conditions

Base pay ranges from $95,200 to $119,000 USD, and total compensation including equity ranges from $81,100 to $142,700 USD. Level and pay are set case by case, based on job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

The role may involve long periods of sitting, standing, walking, and computer work, plus occasional exposure to moderate noise, dust, and fumes in production areas.

Travel is required from time to time for test campaigns, supplier activity, audits, and program milestones.

Equity grant value is set by function, level, experience, and other factors. Its realised value depends on vesting and the stock price.

For U.S. office roles, you must be a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident, a refugee or asylee lawfully admitted to the U.S., or eligible to obtain the required authorisations from the U.S. Department of State and or Department of Commerce, as applicable, under U.S. space technology export rules including ITAR.

For New Zealand office roles, background checks, including nationality checks, will run before any offer is made. You must be eligible to access ITAR-regulated equipment and data. You may be ineligible if you are not a citizen of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union, or a NATO member country, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality.

Benefits

• Company stock as part of total compensation, giving you a direct stake in the company's growth.
• Employee Stock Purchase Program with a 15% discount on company stock.
• Medical plans, dental and vision coverage, and flexible spending and dependent care accounts.
• Paid vacation, paid sick time, and 11 paid holidays.
• Paid parental leave.
• Disability and life insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match.
• Other discounts and perks.