Head of Quality

Nicholas Associates; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Nicholas Associates is seeking a Head of Quality to lead aerospace quality and compliance across the USA, Canada, and beyond from a Toronto base. The role requires regular travel to customers, suppliers and partners and will grow the quality team.

The ideal candidate brings extensive senior quality experience in aerospace or similar, with deep AS9100 know-how, and strong root-cause and audit capabilities. Fluent English is essential, with travel as a core part of the job.

Qualifications

• Senior quality leadership experience in aerospace essential.
• In-depth AS9100 knowledge essential.
• FAA/EASA regulations knowledge beneficial.
• Experience conducting RCAs (8D, 5 Whys/6 Whys, FMEA).
• Excellent written and spoken English communication.
• Proactive, independent with cross‑functional collaboration.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings and specs.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all quality and compliance with AS9100, ISO9001, FAA, EASA and specific customer requirements.
• Lead all audit requirements including supplier audits.
• Lead non-conformance investigations and root‑cause analysis with corrective actions.
• Manage quality documentation to ensure compliance with requirements.
• Provide quality metrics data to the board.
• Assist with customer training and onboarding.
• Assist with supplier onboarding and compliance.

Skills

Aerospace quality leadership

Root cause analysis

Audit management

Non-conformance investigations

Documentation control

Quality metrics reporting

Cross-functional collaboration

Reading technical drawings

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

Position :

Head of Quality, Quality Manager, Regional Quality Manager

Location :

Toronto based, can consider some hybrid working. Role will cover the whole of the USA and Canada and will require regular travel to customers, suppliers and partners

Team Size :

Currently two - one quality engineer and one quality inspector. This is expected to grow significantly over the coming months

Working Language :

Fluent written and spoken English is essential. Any Spanish or French language skills may be beneficial but are not a requirement

Standards :

• AS9110 (MROs)
• AS9120 (stockists & distributors)
• AS9101 (auditors)

Remit

• Manage all aspects of quality and compliance with the AS9100 suite, ISO9001, FAA, EASA, and specific customer requirements
• Manage all audit requirements including supplier audits
• Lead on non-conformance investigations, conducting root cause analysis to identify issues and provide effective solutions
• Manage all quality documentation to ensure compliance with all relevant requirements and bodies
• Provide quality metric measurement data to the board
• Assist with customer training and on-boarding
• Assist with supplier / partner onboarding and compliance

About You

• Strong experience in a Senior Quality position in aerospace, aviation, precision engineering or very similar is essential
• An in-depth knowledge of, and experience of working with the AS9100 suite of standards is essential
• Knowledge of FAA and EASA regulations is extremely beneficial
• Experience conducting root cause analysis (8d, 5 whys / 6 whys, FMEA, fishbone etc) and corrective action management
• Excellent communication skills written and spoken
• Proactive, solutions-focused, and able to work independently while supporting cross-functional initiatives.
• Ability to read and understand technical data including drawings and specifications, etc
• Must be computer literate and familiar with Microsoft Outlook, Word, MS Office.
• Numeracy and literacy skills are essential ; this role will require a high degree of attention to detail
• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong commercial awareness and customer service ethics
• Able to travel frequently throughout the USA and Canada on a relatively regular basis, and further afield internationally when required (not frequent)