Quality Manager
Karman Space & Defense
- Huntington Beach
SUMMARY
The Quality Manager is responsible for leading and executing Quality operations in alignment with organizational and customer requirements, reporting to the Director of Quality. This role provides direct supervision of Quality Supervisors and Quality Team members and is accountable for day-to-day Quality performance across assigned programs and operations. The Quality Manager serves as a key customer-facing Quality representative, leading internal and external meetings, audits, and issue resolution activities. This position ensures effective implementation and maintenance of the Quality Management System, drives corrective action and continuous improvement efforts, and partners cross-functionally to support program execution and customer satisfaction.
ABOUT US
Karman Space & Defense provides concept-to-production solutions for mission-critical systems on spacecraft, launch vehicles, missiles, hypersonics, and integrated defense systems. We believe that solving the industry’s most complex and mission-critical challenges requires relentless determination and a willingness to push the boundaries of possibility. Karman Space & Defense brings to bear unparalleled production capabilities, unmatched engineering expertise, and unflinching analysis to render the impossible, possible.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
- Medical, Dental, Vision
- Company Paid Life Insurance
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
- Paid Time Off (PTO)
- Paid Holidays
- Tuition Reimbursement*
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Direct supervisory responsibility for Quality Supervisors and Quality Team members, including Quality Engineers, Documentation Specialists, and supporting quality personnel.
- Provide leadership, coaching, performance management, and development planning for direct and indirect reports.
- Establish team objectives, workload priorities, and resource planning to meet business, program, and customer requirements.
- Responsible for hiring, onboarding, training, and succession planning within the Quality organization.
- Monitor and approve timecards and ensure compliance with timekeeping policies.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Accountable for meeting or exceeding the Safety, Quality, Employee, Delivery and Cost expectations for internal and external customers and within the Quality function.
- Lead and manage a team of Quality Supervisors, Quality Engineers, and Documentation Specialists.
- Develop Quality Team to perform Product Quality Engineering Function and create processes and procedures for effective program maintenance.
- Implement new and updated processes, ensuring standardization and compliance across the operating unit.
- Serve as the primary Quality point of contact for customers, representing the organization in customer-facing meetings, audits, program reviews, and issue resolution discussions.
- Lead and facilitate internal and external meetings, including customer reviews, quality reviews, RCCA meetings, MRB discussions, and cross-functional program meetings.
- Collaborate and coordinate with other functional managers, process center leaders, value stream leaders and value stream owner(s) to meet business and program objectives.
- Accountable for maintenance of the Quality Management System (QMS) and AS/ISO certifications across the Operating Unit
- Serve as Management Representative as required per AS9100 and coordinate 3rd party audits, ensuring organizational readiness and resource availability.
- Lead root cause and corrective action process (RCCA) and analysis on failure investigations for high impact issues and lead personnel in use of RCCA for low impact level issues.
- Responsible to determine and manage technical quality document preparation, including quality plans, inspection plans, end item data packages (EIDP) in accordance with customer requirements and statements of work.
- Manage the review and approval of quality requirements for manufacturing planning, purchase orders (PO’s), and engineering drawings / specifications to ensure customer requirements are met.
- Support customer proposals by providing technical and scope information as it pertains to the proposal process.
- Maintain the process for tool, equipment, and machinery calibration controls.
- Performs supply chain risk analysis
- Drive a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and proactive customer engagement across the Quality organization.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent
- 5+ years’ experience aerospace systems Quality Engineering
- In depth understanding of the testing, inspection, quality issues and certification of aircraft, including all systems and particularly those associated with composite aero structures
- Expert knowledge of GD&T and Statistical Process Control implementation
- Expert knowledge of AS9100 QMS
- Experience in quantitative data analysis, measurement systems including CMM and NDT methods, reporting methodologies and MRB processes.
- Proven experience managing, mentoring, and leading team members to achieve high performance and deliver results.
- Strong passion and relentless drive for achieving results in a fast-paced aerospace engineering and manufacturing environment.
- Excellent oral and written communication, data analysis and problem-solving skills.
- Lean/Six Sigma experience, conducting or managing internal audits
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Must hold or be able to obtain a DoD SECRET clearance
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
- To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, certain positions may require applicants to be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS: Occassional travel required for this role.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.
Karman is committed to equal employment opportunity. We will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally recognized basis (“protected class”) including, but not limited to race; color; religion; genetic information; national origin; sex; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; age; disability; citizenship status; uniform servicemember status; or any other protected class under federal, state, or local law. Our management is dedicated to ensuring the fulfillment of this policy with respect to hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, recruitment advertising, pay, and other forms of compensation, training, and general treatment during employment.
M-F 8am-5pm
