Principal Quality Engineer - Electronics Hardware - Mercury Systems

During product development, this role participates in guiding the design for quality, manufacturability and producibility, while ensuring project quality plans are compliant to the customers' requirements and applicable standards and regulations. After the initial design and development is complete, transitioning the product to manufacturing is a critical aspect of this role. This role ensures the implementation of the quality plan, becomes a key technical interface between engineering development and the manufacturing team, and provides metrics/feedback to the organization on the NPI process, and leads improvement.

During manufacturing, this role works to improve process capability, repeatability, and efficiency as well as product quality. This is accomplished by working with engineering, manufacturing, suppliers and the customer. This role will focus on delivering quality product that meets customer requirements, identifying opportunities for yield improvement, process improvement, and product cost-reduction methods. An emphasis for this role is developing/improving underlying business practices and processes to enable consistency, efficiency and ability to scale.

This role will participate and/or lead failure analysis in manufacturing and for field failures, develop troubleshooting & repair schemes, develop manufacturing process controls and documentation, interface with manufacturing and quality personnel to train and transfer processes & knowledge for successful volume production launches, and engage with suppliers as needed to drive improvement and implement process controls.

This is a hands-on role that works with a team of quality engineers, technicians and inspectors that are engaged through the entire life cycle of product, starting during development, continuing with transitioning of product to manufacturing, and then supporting the continuous manufacture of product.

Job Responsibility:

• Prevent defects through use of process, supplier, manufacturing, and quality controls.
• Develop and implement product quality plans, PFMEA, control plans
• Ensure product compliance through a comprehensive set of functional tests and inspections.
• Lead the qualification of new suppliers and internal processes.
• Understand sources of variation in the supply chain, manufacturing & test processes and control them.
• Assist in the evaluation and improvement of manufacturing processes, through lean concepts and Six Sigma, while driving a lean quality culture.
• Lead a robust root-cause and corrective action process, working with engineering, suppliers and customers.
• Oversee the effective review, implementation, and flow down of changes (ECOs) into manufacturing and the supply chain, including material disposition actions.
• Drive efficient processing of customer RMAs, effective failure analysis, and responsive communication to customers.
• Interface and communicate with customers regularly, providing quality status as required.
• Facilitate continuous improvement of product and process.
• Monitor, measure and communicate metrics on a predicted cadence.
• Prepare and deliver quality reviews with management, peer groups and customers.
• Review customer score cards and ensure alignment of improvement initiatives to customer satisfaction; drive 8D corrective action.
• Promote adherence to the Quality Management System (AS9100), and drive improvements.

Required Qualifications:

• BS in a technical discipline.
• 7+ years’ experience in a manufacturing engineering, operations project management, or quality position for complex electromechanical assemblies and systems in a DoD environment.
• Able to demonstrate knowledge of AS9100 rev D and working in aerospace environment.
• U.S. Citizenship Required.
• Ability to obtain security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to successfully mentor and coach others and communicate effectively with all levels of the organization, including customers.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within and across departments and the company to support organization strategies.
• Ability to maintain the professional competence, knowledge, and skill necessary for the performance of all assigned responsibilities.
• Knowledge of relevant quality standards, methods and practices.
• Experience working in a matrix organization, supporting multiple products and projects
• Knowledge of relevant manufacturing processes such as soldering, machining, brazing/welding, painting and plating.
• Knowledge of labor standards, line balancing, fault trees and statistical process control.
• Experience with Agile PLM (or similar), Oracle, Solidworks, Jira, and Jama software.
• Outstanding written and verbal communications skills.
• Proven record of initiative, problem solving and the ability to recognize and implement improvements.

You should be proficient in:

• AS9100 Experience
• Bachelor's Degree
• Basic Computer Skills
• Excellent Communication Skills
• Experience in a Manufacturing Environment
• Quality Control Data Analysis
• Root Cause Analysis