Staff Quality Engineer (R5512)

Shield AI is seeking a highly motivated Quality Engineer to support production operations for advanced unmanned aircraft systems. This role serves as the primary quality engineering resource for one or more manufacturing areas, partnering closely with Production, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, and Design Engineering to ensure products consistently meet customer, regulatory, and company quality requirements.

Production Quality Support

• Serve as the primary Quality Engineering representative for assigned manufacturing areas.
• Partner with Production and Manufacturing Engineering to ensure manufacturing processes consistently produce conforming product.
• Provide daily support for production quality issues, helping remove quality-related barriers to manufacturing.
• Evaluate production trends and identify opportunities to improve quality, throughput, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Participate in daily production meetings and escalation activities.

Nonconformance & MRB

• Review and disposition nonconforming material in accordance with company procedures and engineering requirements.
• Lead or support Material Review Board (MRB) activities.
• Coordinate with Design Engineering to develop repair, rework, or use-as-is dispositions when appropriate.
• Ensure timely closure of nonconformance reports while maintaining product integrity and regulatory compliance.
• Identify recurring nonconformances and implement corrective actions to eliminate repeat issues.

Root Cause & Corrective Action

• Lead structured root cause investigations using methodologies such as 8D, 5 Why, Fishbone, or Fault Tree Analysis.
• Develop, implement, and verify corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Monitor corrective action effectiveness using quality metrics and trend analysis.
• Facilitate cross-functional problem-solving teams to resolve complex manufacturing issues.

Process Improvement

• Develop and implement process controls that improve manufacturing capability and product quality.
• Support Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA), Control Plans, and risk assessments.
• Validate manufacturing process changes to ensure quality requirements continue to be met.
• Reduce Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), scrap, rework, and repair through data-driven improvements.
• Support Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma initiatives.

Production Readiness

• Review engineering changes and assess manufacturing quality impacts.
• Participate in design reviews to improve manufacturability and inspectability.
• Support introduction of new products into production.
• Develop inspection strategies and acceptance criteria for new assemblies and components.
• Support First Article Inspection (FAI) planning and execution in accordance with AS9102.

Quality Management System

• Ensure compliance with AS9100, customer requirements, and internal quality procedures.
• Develop and maintain quality documentation including inspection plans, quality procedures, and work instructions.
• Support internal, customer, and regulatory audits.
• Develop quality metrics and dashboards to monitor manufacturing performance.
• Train manufacturing personnel on quality standards, workmanship requirements, and defect prevention.