Senior Quality Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: Gardena, California, United States. ITAR compliance requires U.S. citizenship or nationality, lawful permanent residency, refugee or asylee status, or eligibility to obtain the required U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Salary: $160,000–$200,000 per year, plus equity and benefits.

Company

Aerospace and defense startup developing complex integrated products across mechanical, electrical, software, and propulsion systems.

What you will do

• Author and maintain quality procedures, work instructions, records, inspection processes, and production travelers.
• Execute receiving, in-process, and final inspections, defining acceptance criteria and inspection hold points.
• Process nonconformance reports and corrective and preventive actions using structured root cause analysis.
• Lead or support DFMEA and PFMEA activities and apply results to inspection plans, control plans, and work instructions.
• Plan and approve First Article Inspection packages under AS9102 and witness acceptance tests for product release.
• Support design reviews, engineering change reviews, supplier quality activities, quality metrics, management reviews, and internal audits.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Aerospace, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 7+ years of quality engineering experience in aerospace, defense, automotive, or another high-reliability manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of AS9100, IATF 16949, or an equivalent quality management system standard.
• Hands-on experience with NCR and CAPA processes, including 8D, A3, 5-Why, or equivalent root cause analysis.
• Direct experience with AS9102 First Article Inspection and proficiency in GD&T under ASME Y14.5.
• Experience with DFMEA or PFMEA, control plans, Excel-based quality tracking tools, and qualified internal auditing or formal auditor training.

Nice to have

• Experience with 3D scanning, portable CMM, or optical measurement systems such as Creaform, FARO, Hexagon, or Keyence.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a fast-paced environment where quality processes are actively being built and improved.
• Collaborate across engineering, production, supply chain, and leadership.
• Healthcare, vision, dental, 401(k), lunch, and equity are provided.