Aerospace Quality Engineer — FAA & Root Cause Expert

McFarlane Alaska; Kansas; On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Collaborative culture

Competitive pay & benefits

Room to grow

Job summary

McFarlane Aviation in Baldwin City, KS seeks a hands-on Quality Engineer to ensure each part meets regulatory and customer standards. You will work across production, inspection, and the QMS, leading root-cause investigations and implementing permanent fixes with engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain teams.

The role requires reading drawings with GD&T, conducting internal audits, and guiding inspectors.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Engineering Technology, or equivalent
• At least 3 years of quality engineering experience in a manufacturing environment
• Ability to read drawings and specifications, with working knowledge of GD&T
• Hands-on skill with micrometers, calipers, and pin and height gages
• Proven experience performing root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions
• Solid understanding of FAA regulatory frameworks and QMS standards
• Strong Excel skills, including applying statistics, analyzing data, and building metrics
• Strong communicator with suppliers, customers, cross-functional teams, and leadership
• High sense of urgency in a fast-paced, high-mix environment

Responsibilities

• Quality System & Compliance: Maintain and improve the QMS and Quality Assurance Manual procedures, and evaluate the system for gaps and corrective action
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensure products and processes meet customer, contractual, and FAA-PMA regulatory requirements, and stay current on evolving regulations and standards
• Internal Audits: Conduct internal QMS audits and support FAA, registrar, and customer audits
• Inspection Planning: Create inspection plans, sampling plans, and quality control instructions for manufacturing, test, and inspection
• First Article Inspection: Lead First Article Inspection (FAI) and complete FAIRs to customer and regulatory requirements
• Technical Review: Evaluate drawings, specifications, designs, and procedures for quality and regulatory requirements
• Test & Inspection Methods: Translate drawings and specifications into practical inspection methods, and standardize inspection techniques using calibrated tools such as micrometers, height and pin gages, and CMM
• Leadership & Training: Lead and direct the work of others as needed, and train and coach inspectors and operators on inspection methods and quality requirements
• Investigations & MRB: Lead product failure investigations and take part in MRB decisions
• Root Cause & CAPA: Use structured root cause tools to find true root cause and drive corrective and preventive action to closure
• Audit Follow-Up: Review corrective actions and audit findings for adequacy and track recurring quality issues
• Customer Returns: Investigate customer complaints and returns, and drive containment and corrective action
• Supplier Performance: Develop strategies to improve internal and supplier quality performance
• Data & Metrics: Analyze quality data and build metrics to identify trends and improvement opportunities
• Process Controls: Support PFMEAs and control plans to prevent defects before they happen
• Cross-Functional Support: Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, and customers to resolve quality issues and prevent recurrence

Skills

GD&T

Reading drawings

Root cause analysis

Excel data analysis

Communication with suppliers

Dimensional measurement

FAA regulatory knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

CMM (programming)

Job description

McFarlane Aviation in Baldwin City, KS seeks a hands-on Quality Engineer to ensure each part meets regulatory and customer standards. You will work across production, inspection, and the QMS, leading root-cause investigations and implementing permanent fixes with engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain teams.

The role requires reading drawings with GD&T, conducting internal audits, and guiding inspectors.