The Quality Manager is responsible for leading and maintaining the company’s Quality Management System (QMS) and providing centralized quality oversight for both the Lafayette, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California facilities, with Lafayette serving as the primary work location. This position is responsible for ensuring that products, processes, documentation, and quality activities comply with customer requirements, applicable regulatory requirements, contractual requirements, and the company’s AS9100 Quality Management System. The Quality Manager will provide leadership and direction to quality personnel at both facilities and will work closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Purchasing, Supply Chain, and Management to promote product conformity, process control, continuous improvement, and customer satisfaction.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide centralized leadership and oversight of Quality functions for both the Lafayette and Los Angeles facilities.

• Maintain, administer, and continuously improve the company’s AS9100 Quality Management System.

• Ensure both facilities operate consistently with established company quality policies, procedures, work instructions, customer requirements, and applicable aerospace standards.

• Maintain alignment and standardization of quality processes, procedures, forms, inspection methods, and documentation between both facilities.

• Prepare for and support AS9100 certification, surveillance, and recertification audits, as well as customer and regulatory audits.

• Manage internal audit programs, including audit schedules, findings, corrective actions, and follow-up activities.

• Lead investigations and corrective actions related to internal and external nonconformances.

• Manage and oversee Corrective Action Requests (CARs), Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs), and customer corrective actions.

• Lead root-cause investigations utilizing appropriate problem-solving methodologies such as 5 Why, Fishbone/Ishikawa, 8D, or similar tools.

• Monitor quality performance and establish appropriate quality metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

• Analyze quality trends and present quality performance, risks, and improvement opportunities to management.

• Oversee product inspection and verification activities, including receiving, in-process, and final inspection.

• Ensure inspection and acceptance documentation is accurate, complete, and properly maintained.

• Oversee the control of nonconforming product, including documentation, segregation, disposition, and corrective action.

• Ensure proper configuration control, traceability, record retention, and documentation in accordance with customer, contractual, and QMS requirements.

• Oversee the company’s calibration and measurement equipment control program.

• Support First Article Inspection activities and compliance with applicable AS9102 requirements.

• Work closely with Purchasing and Supply Chain to maintain effective supplier quality controls, including supplier evaluations, performance monitoring, corrective actions, and approved supplier requirements.

• Review customer purchase orders, drawings, specifications, and quality clauses as necessary to ensure quality requirements are understood and properly flowed down.

• Support contract and customer quality requirements applicable to aerospace and defense manufacturing.

• Participate in Management Review meetings and provide relevant quality data, trends, risks, corrective-action status, and improvement recommendations.

• Develop and provide quality-related training to employees as required. • Promote a culture of quality, accountability, continuous improvement, and prevention throughout both facilities.

APQP Responsibilities Experience with Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) within aerospace manufacturing is strongly preferred. The Quality Manager may be responsible for supporting or leading APQP activities, including:

• Product Quality Planning

• Risk identification and mitigation

• Process Flow Diagrams

• Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA)

• Control Plans

• First Article Inspection (FAI)

• Production Process Verification

• Measurement System Analysis, as applicable

• Process capability and statistical process controls

• Production readiness activities

• Customer-specific APQP requirements

Experience with aerospace APQP methodologies, including AS9145, is preferred.

Leadership & Multi-Site Responsibilities

Because this is a centralized Quality Management position, the Quality Manager will:

• Serve as the primary Quality leader for both company locations.

• Establish consistent Quality processes and expectations across Lafayette and Los Angeles operations.

• Provide direction, training, and support to Quality personnel at both facilities.

• Coordinate quality priorities and corrective actions between locations.

• Ensure customer and regulatory requirements are consistently implemented at both facilities.

• Communicate regularly with Management regarding quality performance, significant nonconformances, customer concerns, audit results, and quality risks.

• Travel to the Los Angeles facility periodically as business and quality needs require.

Education and Experience

Required:

• Minimum 3–5 years of Quality experience within the aerospace manufacturing industry.

• Working knowledge and practical experience with an AS9100-compliant Quality Management System.

• Experience with internal and external quality audits.

• Experience managing nonconformances, corrective actions, and root-cause investigations.

• Experience interpreting engineering drawings, specifications, inspection requirements, and customer quality requirements.

• Strong understanding of inspection practices, measurement equipment, calibration, and manufacturing quality controls.

• Experience working in a manufacturing environment, preferably machining, fabrication, or build-to-print aerospace manufacturing.

Preferred:

• Previous Quality Manager, Quality Supervisor, Quality Engineer, or similar leadership experience.

• Experience with APQP and AS9145.

• Experience with AS9102 First Article Inspection.

• Experience with aerospace and/or defense customers.

• Experience with supplier quality management.

• Familiarity with ERP/QMS systems and electronic quality records.

• Experience supporting multiple manufacturing locations.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of AS9100 requirements and aerospace quality practices.

• Strong leadership and organizational skills.

• Ability to manage Quality functions across multiple facilities.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.

• Ability to identify root causes and implement sustainable corrective actions.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to communicate effectively with employees, management, suppliers, customers, and auditors.

• Strong attention to detail and documentation accuracy.

• Ability to prioritize multiple quality issues and projects simultaneously.