Director of Quality

Advantage Technical; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 189,000 - 238,000; Full time

Job summary

Advantage Technical is seeking a Director of Quality Operations & Configuration Strategy in Franklin, MA. This executive role leads enterprise quality, configuration management, supplier quality, compliance, and production readiness for complex defense hardware programs across multiple U.S.

operations. The candidate will drive qualification and first article through sustained production, building scalable systems and high-performing teams with a deep aerospace/defense background and strong

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• 12+ years aerospace & defense quality and/or configuration-management experience.
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience managing Quality Managers/Engineers.
• Experience with DoD or federal hardware programs and government-quality interactions.
• Strong knowledge of AS9100D/AS9102, and ISO 9001:2015.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise quality strategy aligned with programs, manufacturing, and business objectives.
• Oversee quality and configuration management across complex defense hardware programs.
• Direct MRB, nonconformance, and corrective-action processes to prevent recurrence.
• Engage with customers, prime contractors, and government quality reps (DCMA).
• Drive Lean, Six Sigma, and other improvements; develop dashboards for executive reporting.
• Develop and mature the Quality Management System across locations.
• Manage hardware configuration and change control throughout product lifecycle.
• Develop leaders and ensure succession planning; build high-performing teams.
• Integrate quality requirements into schedules, planning, and production readiness.

Skills

Leadership

Quality Management

Configuration Management

Executive Communication

Cross-functional Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Costpoint

PLM tools

Job description

DIRECTOR, QUALITY OPERATIONS & CONFIGURATION STRATEGY

Location: Franklin, MA

Travel: Up to 25% domestic travel with occasional international travel

Compensation: $189,000–$238,000 base salary + annual bonus

POSITION SUMMARY

A growing U.S. defense and advanced-technology organization is seeking an experienced Director of Quality Operations & Configuration Strategy to provide enterprise leadership across product quality, configuration management, supplier quality, compliance, and production readiness.

This executive-level role will lead quality and configuration activities supporting both complex hardware manufacturing and technical-service programs across multiple U.S. operations.

A key near-term focus will be supporting major defense hardware programs as they transition from qualification and first-article activity into sustained production and customer acceptance.

The successful candidate will combine deep aerospace and defense quality experience with strong operational leadership, configuration-management expertise, supplier-quality knowledge, and the ability to build scalable systems and high-performing teams.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Quality Leadership & Organizational Strategy

• Lead a team of approximately 25 Quality and Configuration Management professionals across multiple locations.
• Establish and execute an enterprise quality strategy aligned with program, customer, manufacturing, and business objectives.
• Strengthen organizational capability by improving processes, systems, metrics, governance, and accountability.
• Drive consistent quality practices across multiple business units and operating locations.
• Build an organization focused on prevention, predictable performance, and continuous improvement.

Program & Manufacturing Quality

• Lead quality execution for complex defense hardware programs throughout the product lifecycle.
• Support programs through:
• Qualification testing
• First Article Inspection
• Production readiness
• Acceptance testing
• Rate production
• Customer and Government acceptance
• Partner with Manufacturing and Operations to improve:
• Rolled throughput yield
• Process capability
• Delivery performance
• Ensure quality requirements are embedded within production planning, manufacturing execution, and program schedules.

Nonconformance, MRB & Corrective Action

• Provide leadership over Material Review Board activities, nonconformance management, root-cause investigation, and corrective-action closure.
• Ensure corrective actions are sustainable, data-driven, and supported by objective evidence.
• Reduce recurring defects, quality escapes, rework, and cost of poor quality.
• Establish processes that identify and resolve quality issues before they affect final test or customer delivery.

Customer & Government Quality Engagement

• Serve as a senior quality representative with customers, prime contractors, Government Quality Representatives, and DCMA.
• Lead responses to:
• Customer quality concerns
• Audits and assessments
• Corrective-action requests
• Deviations
• Waivers
• Production and acceptance issues
• Build productive relationships with customer, Government, supplier, and internal quality stakeholders.

Continuous Improvement & Performance Management

• Drive structured improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, and related problem-solving methodologies.
• Establish and monitor quality performance metrics, including:
• Defect and escape rates
• Cycle time
• Corrective-action closure
• Cost of poor quality
• Develop dashboards and executive-level reporting to communicate performance, risk, trends, and improvement priorities.

Enterprise Quality Management System

• Lead the continued development and maturity of the organization’s Quality Management System.
• Ensure compliance with contractual, customer, regulatory, and industry requirements.
• Maintain and support standards and certifications including:
• AS9100D
• AS9102
• ISO 9001:2015
• CMMI-SVC ML3
• Standardize and harmonize quality processes across multiple business entities and facilities.
• Improve audit readiness, process consistency, and organizational quality maturity.

Configuration & Change Management

• Provide leadership for hardware configuration management throughout the complete product lifecycle.
• Maintain configuration integrity between engineering design, manufacturing records, and as-built product.
• Lead and support:
• Configuration Control Boards
• Baseline management
• Deviations and waivers
• Product configuration records
• Maintain strong configuration discipline during periods of simultaneous engineering change and active production.
• Ensure complete data integrity, traceability, and contractual compliance.
• Establish supplier quality requirements, contractual flow-downs, and supplier performance expectations.
• Oversee:
• Source inspection
• Quality performance monitoring
• Partner with Supply Chain and Engineering to resolve supplier-related quality and delivery risks.
• Ensure compliance with applicable DFARS requirements and counterfeit-parts prevention controls.

Team Development

• Recruit, mentor, develop, and retain high-performing Quality and Configuration Management professionals.
• Develop Quality Managers, Quality Engineers, and Configuration Management personnel.
• Establish clear accountability, performance expectations, development plans, and succession strategies.
• Build organizational depth to support expanding program and production requirements.

Cross-Functional Integration

• Partner closely with:
• Manufacturing
• Operations
• Supply Chain
• Program Management
• Contracts
• Integrate quality and configuration requirements into:
• Integrated Master Schedules
• Production readiness activities
• Material flow
• Program execution
• Anticipate and address quality risks before they affect test, production, schedule, or customer delivery.
• Influence decisions across matrixed organizations without relying solely on formal reporting authority.
• Serve as a senior advisor to executive leadership on quality, configuration management, production readiness, and program risk.
• Present concise executive briefings covering:
• Quality performance
• Corrective actions
• Organizational capability
• Strategic improvement initiatives
• Facilitate cross-functional resolution of complex issues affecting production, customer commitments, and business performance.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• 12+ years of Aerospace & Defense quality and/or configuration-management experience within hardware manufacturing environments.
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience managing Quality Managers, Quality Engineers, or comparable technical teams.
• Demonstrated ownership of quality outcomes on at least one DoD or federal hardware program from qualification or first article through production delivery and Government/customer acceptance.
• Strong operational and manufacturing quality background, including:
• Material Review Board
• Nonconformance management
• Corrective Action
• Process control
• Quality Management Systems
• Hands‑on experience with hardware configuration and engineering change control, including:
• Configuration baselines
• Deviations
• Waivers
• Configuration Control Boards
• Strong working knowledge of AS9100D and AS9102.
• Experience working directly with DCMA, Government Quality Representatives, or equivalent federal quality organizations.
• Demonstrated success building, scaling, or substantially improving a Quality organization.
• Experience leading teams across multiple facilities or geographic locations.
• Strong executive communication, presentation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Proven ability to influence Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Program Management organizations.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving capability.
• Must meet applicable U.S. Person requirements under ITAR/EAR.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, or a related discipline.
• ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE).
• Configuration Management certification such as CMII or EIA-649.
• Advanced experience with:
• ISO 9001:2015
• CMMI
• EIA-649
• DFARS quality requirements
• Experience standardizing or harmonizing Quality Management Systems across multiple operating locations.
• Experience supporting U.S. Department of Defense hardware programs.
• Supplier Quality leadership involving critical defense suppliers and subcontractors.
• Experience transitioning programs from development and qualification into sustained-rate production.
• Experience with Costpoint or comparable ERP platforms.
• Experience with PLM-based Configuration Management tools.
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.