Director of Quality Assurance

Smartsearchonline; Redondo Beach (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

Smartsearchonline in the South Bay Los Angeles area is seeking an experienced Director of Quality Assurance to lead the quality function across hardware development and manufacturing. The role requires hands-on leadership, deep knowledge of aerospace quality systems, and the ability to drive corrective actions with engineering, production, and supply chain teams.

The ideal candidate will have extensive QA/quality engineering experience in a regulated space environment.

Qualifications

• : Significant direct experience in Quality Assurance and/or Quality Engineering in aerospace/defense/space or highly regulated manufacturing environments.
• : Experience with quality management systems and CAPA processes.
• : Hands-on leadership at the director level with floor-level engagement to investigate and drive corrective actions.

Responsibilities

• Lead Quality Assurance and Quality Engineering activities across complex hardware manufacturing.
• Establish and improve quality standards, processes, and procedures.
• Drive nonconformance management, NCRs, MRB, CAPA, and root cause investigations.
• Partner with engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain to resolve quality issues.
• Develop inspection plans and process controls; track quality metrics and trends.
• Support AS9100 requirements and document compliance across the organization.
• Train and mentor staff on quality processes, standards, and best practices.

Skills

Quality Assurance leadership

Quality Engineering

AS9100 knowledge

Root cause analysis

Manufacturing quality

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Quality/Manufacturing

Job description

Job Details

A&D/Semi

Director of Quality Assurance Redondo Beach,CA Posted:9/30/2026 Job Description Job ID#:

86946

Job Category:

A&D/Semi

Position Type:

Direct

Duration:

Direct

Shift:

1

Director of Quality Assurance

Location: South Bay Los Angeles Area, CA
Workplace: Onsite
Employment Type: Full-Time
Salary: $135,000 - $155,000 annually, with flexibility for the right candidate

About the Opportunity

We are partnering with a rapidly growing aerospace and space technology company in the South Bay Los Angeles area to identify an experienced Director of Quality Assurance.

The organization operates in a highly technical environment focused on the design, manufacturing, integration, and testing of advanced aerospace and space hardware. With continued growth and increasingly complex production requirements, the company is looking for an experienced quality professional who can step into a senior role and make an immediate impact.

This opportunity is best suited for someone with significant, direct Quality Assurance and Quality Engineering experience within aerospace, defense, space, or another highly regulated precision manufacturing environment.

The Role

The Director of Quality Assurance will provide senior-level leadership and hands-on expertise across the company's quality function.

This individual will partner closely with engineering, manufacturing, production, and supply chain teams to ensure hardware and manufacturing processes consistently meet demanding quality and reliability standards.

The ideal candidate will bring deep practical quality experience, not simply general manufacturing or engineering leadership. You should be comfortable operating at the Director level while remaining close enough to the hardware and manufacturing floor to personally understand issues, guide investigations, and drive corrective action.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Quality Assurance and Quality Engineering activities across complex hardware manufacturing
• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve quality standards, processes, and procedures
• Drive the identification, tracking, investigation, and resolution of manufacturing quality issues
• Oversee hardware nonconformances, NCRs, MRB processes, corrective actions, and preventive actions
• Lead and support root cause investigations involving hardware, manufacturing processes, suppliers, and inspection
• Partner closely with engineering and manufacturing teams to resolve technical quality issues
• Develop and improve inspection plans, manufacturing quality standards, procedures, and process controls
• Establish quality metrics and identify trends, recurring issues, and opportunities for improvement
• Support supplier quality and work with supply chain teams to address supplier-related quality concerns
• Improve manufacturing reliability while supporting efficient production and delivery
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve Quality Management System processes
• Support AS9100 requirements, documentation, compliance, and continued quality-system maturity
• Ensure quality requirements are effectively communicated and implemented across engineering and production
• Train and mentor employees on quality processes, standards, and best practices
• Help develop scalable quality processes as the organization and its production requirements continue to grow

Job Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline preferred
• Significant direct experience in Quality Assurance and/or Quality Engineering
• Prior quality leadership experience within aerospace, defense, space, aviation, or another highly regulated precision manufacturing environment
• Strong working knowledge of Quality Management Systems
• Experience with AS9100 or comparable aerospace quality standards
• Hands-on experience with nonconformance management, NCRs, MRB, CAPA, root cause analysis, and corrective action
• Strong understanding of manufacturing inspection and process controls
• Experience working directly with engineering, manufacturing, production, suppliers, and technical teams
• Demonstrated ability to identify quality issues, determine root cause, and drive corrective actions through resolution
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced hardware development and manufacturing environment

Preferred Background

Candidates with experience involving spacecraft, launch vehicles, satellites, propulsion systems, aerospace structures, avionics, or other mission-critical flight hardware are strongly encouraged to apply.

Additional experience with the following is highly valued:

AS9100 implementation