Director of Quality Engineering

Apex Systems; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Apex Systems is seeking an onsite Director of Quality Engineering in Washington, DC for a full-time, permanent role. This senior position leads the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the organization's Quality Management System (QMS) and drives APQP.

The role requires 16+ years of leadership across manufacturing, engineering, and quality with strong audit capabilities and knowledge of ISO 9001:2015, CAPA, Lean, and Six Sigma.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical discipline is required.
• 16+ years of leadership experience across manufacturing, engineering and quality.

Responsibilities

• Establish quality processes, procedures, work instructions and standards across manufacturing, engineering and operations.
• Drive APQP and related quality best practices.
• Mentor quality engineering and quality control personnel to promote proactive quality ownership.
• Partner with project, engineering and operations teams to ensure quality requirements are understood and implemented.
• Conduct quality audits and assessments to evaluate process maturity, compliance and effectiveness.
• Lead quality initiatives and continuous improvement programs; review engineering deliverables for quality compliance.
• Manage discrepancy notices, CAPA programs and root cause investigations.
• Coordinate third-party audits, inspections and testing activities; participate in operational reviews to identify risks and issues.

Skills

Leadership

Quality Management

Audits

CAPA

Root Cause Analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical discipline

Job description

The client is seeking an onsite Director of Quality Engineering for a full-time, permanent position based in Washington, DC, with a first-shift Monday–Friday schedule. The role requires eligibility to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance. This director-level position will lead the development, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the organization’s Quality Management System (QMS).

Key responsibilities include establishing quality processes, procedures, work instructions, and standards across manufacturing, engineering, and operations; driving Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and related quality best practices; and managing and mentoring quality engineering and quality control personnel to promote proactive quality ownership. The director will partner with project, engineering, and operational teams to ensure quality requirements are understood, implemented, and maintained, and will conduct quality audits and assessments to evaluate process maturity, compliance, and effectiveness.

The director will lead quality initiatives and continuous improvement programs, review engineering deliverables for compliance with quality requirements, and manage discrepancy notices, corrective action reports, CAPA programs, and root cause investigations. The role also involves coordinating third-party audits, inspections, and testing activities; participating in operational review meetings to identify and resolve quality risks and issues; assessing project performance against quality objectives; and overseeing quality policies, procedures, standards, and work instructions, including compliance and external audit readiness related to quality and process certifications. Required qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in a relevant technical discipline and 16+ years of leadership experience in manufacturing, engineering, and quality, with strong knowledge of QMS practices such as ISO 9001:2015, APQP, Lean, Six Sigma, and CAPA, as well as demonstrated audit and documentation review capabilities. Additional experience may include familiarity with construction, industrial, aerospace/defense, infrastructure, or mission-critical environments, and professional certifications or related compliance program experience may be considered.