Quality Manager, F35

Job Summary

The Quality Manager is responsible for the functional management of quality engineering and inspection teams. The Quality Manager directly oversees a team of Quality Engineers and Quality Inspectors and reports directly to the Quality Director.

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Quality Manager to join our team at GKN Aerospace, a growing aerospace and defense manufacturing company in Garden Grove, CA. The ideal candidate will ensure compliance with industry standards, customer requirements, and regulatory guidelines while driving continuous improvement across all quality processes. This exciting opportunity is directly in support of a major, multi-year expansion and industrialization project providing the candidate with the unique opportunity to build, implement and subsequently sustain critical quality management programs and protocols.

Job Responsibilities

• Build and lead a highly engaged team of quality engineers, inspectors, and technicians; ensure they have what they need to be successful; and keep them safe in order to deliver the highest quality aerospace transparencies on time to our customers.
• Create and sustain a culture aligned with our "Great Place to Work" values by role-modeling behaviors, motivating, and recognizing team contributions.
• Lead teams to understand and achieve safety, quality, delivery and productivity targets.
• Execute Daily Management and Standardized Work through Leader Standard Work.
• Be open and honest in performance appraisals, supporting and coaching individuals to close performance gaps.
• Support the improvement and maintenance of the Quality Management System (QMS) in accordance with AS9100, ISO 9001, and other applicable standards.
• Oversee internal and external audits, including customer and regulatory audits (e.g., FAA, DoD).
• Develop and monitor quality metrics and KPIs to drive performance improvements.
• Investigate and resolve quality issues, including root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions
• Collaborate with engineering, production, and supply chain teams to ensure product quality throughout the lifecycle.
• Ensure compliance with customer specifications, drawings, and contractual requirements.
• Lead initiatives for continuous improvement using Six Sigma, Lean, and other methodologies.

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Quality, Mechanical, Chemical, and/or Systems Engineering or similar required
• 5 years of quality manufacturing experience
• 2 years of management, supervisory, or leadership professional experience
• Must be U.S. Person in compliance with U.S. ITAR regulations
• Excellent communications skills and ability to organize and implement multiple concurrent tasks.
• Aerospace or aircraft parts manufacturing industry experience
• Structured problem solving tools (PFMEA, DOE, 5-why, etc.).
• Knowledge of AS9100, Rev D
• Skills with Microsoft Office applications (e.g. Excel, Word, PowerPoint); 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Aerospace or aircraft parts manufacturing industry experience in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program
• Proficient with product analysis in a model based definition (CATIA V5, UGNX, etc.) environment.
• Internal audit training/experience and statistical analysis experience highly preferred.
• Advanced skills with Excel, plus Mini tab and Visual Basic preferred

Compensation Data

Compensation Range: