Chief Inspector

Air Tractor, Inc.; Olney (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Air Tractor, Inc. is seeking a Chief Inspector to serve as the final customer proxy for airworthiness and overall aircraft quality prior to delivery. This role establishes the final quality gate after Flightline operations, identifying and preventing defects from reaching customers.

The Chief Inspector will lead inspections, ensure FAA and company requirements are met, and partner with Quality Engineering to drive continuous improvement through accurate defect trending and data-driven actions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years aerospace manufacturing, maintenance, or inspection experience.
• Extensive knowledge of FAA regulations and aircraft inspection practices.
• Understanding of AS9100 quality requirements preferred.
• Leadership and decision-making skills.

Responsibilities

• Perform final aircraft inspections prior to customer delivery.
• Ensure compliance with FAA, customer, and company requirements.
• Serve as the final authority for aircraft quality acceptance.
• Identify, document, and trend aircraft defects and escapes.
• Maintain aircraft delivery quality metrics.
• Partner with Quality Engineering to investigate recurring defects.
• Support root cause and corrective action activities.
• Provide actionable quality data to drive process improvements.
• Support regulatory and customer audits.

Skills

FAA A&P License

IA Certification

Aerospace quality experience

Leadership

Education

FAA A&P License

IA Certification

Tools

AS9100 knowledge

Job description

Position Summary

The Chief Inspector serves as the final customer proxy and is responsible for verifying airworthiness, conformance, and overall aircraft quality prior to delivery. This role establishes and manages the final quality gate following Flightline operations, ensuring defects are identified, documented, and prevented from reaching the customer. The Chief Inspector is a key contributor to reducing Customer Concern Reports (CCRs) and driving continuous quality improvement throughout the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform final aircraft inspections prior to customer delivery.
• Ensure compliance with FAA, customer, and company requirements.
• Serve as the final authority for aircraft quality acceptance.
• Identify, document, and trend aircraft defects and escapes.
• Maintain aircraft delivery quality metrics.
• Partner with Quality Engineering to investigate recurring defects.
• Support root cause and corrective action activities.
• Provide actionable quality data to drive process improvements.
• Support regulatory and customer audits.

Qualifications

• FAA A&P License required; IA preferred.
• 10+ years aerospace manufacturing, maintenance, or inspection experience.
• Extensive knowledge of FAA regulations and aircraft inspection practices.
• Understanding of AS9100 quality requirements preferred.
• Leadership and decision-making skills.