Chief Aircraft Quality & Production Readiness

Shield; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 260,000 - 390,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Bonus

Benefits

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a hands-on quality leader to scale the X-BAT program from prototype through production launch and rate production. You will build the Seattle-area quality organization at X-Forge 3, owning QMS, QA, inspection, nonconformance and audit readiness across all builds.

You will partner with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Production and Supply Chain to prevent defects, drive corrective actions and ensure aircraft meet technical and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quality or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of leadership in quality, product assurance or reliability in aerospace/defense or high‑reliability manufacturing.
• Proven success leading quality through prototype or NPI to sustained production.
• Ability to build and scale quality teams and systems in fast-paced environments.
• Deep expertise in containment, root cause analysis, MRB, CAPA, and continuous improvement.
• Strong knowledge of AS9100 and ISO 9001 with audit leadership experience.
• Experience with complex assembly, inspection, configuration control and traceability.
• Ability to influence senior leaders across Engineering, Production and Supply Chain.
• Hands-on leadership with sound technical judgment and accountability.

Responsibilities

• Lead quality planning and execution for prototype and development builds, with inspection, test evidence and build records as designs evolve.
• Partner with Engineering to identify risks, define critical controls and embed quality into tooling, work instructions and test plans.
• Establish configuration controls and traceability with Engineering and Production across builds.
• Capture lessons from issues and drive design changes and process improvements.
• Define readiness criteria for pre-series and production launches, validating methods and controls.

Skills

Leadership experience

Quality leadership

Hands-on leadership

Influence senior leaders

Analytical mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field

Tools

AS9100 knowledge

ISO 9001 knowledge

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a hands-on quality leader to scale the X-BAT program from prototype through production launch and rate production. You will build the Seattle-area quality organization at X-Forge 3, owning QMS, QA, inspection, nonconformance and audit readiness across all builds.

You will partner with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Production and Supply Chain to prevent defects, drive corrective actions and ensure aircraft meet technical and regulatory requirements.