Director, Systems Quality Engineering

Salt Digital Recruitment; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Salt Digital Recruitment is looking for a Director of Systems Quality Engineering based in Austin, TX (hybrid). This role is instrumental in defining and executing the global quality strategy for all hardware products. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in hardware quality assurance and leadership capabilities to drive a culture of quality accountability across the enterprise.

If you have over 15 years of relevant experience and a strong background in systems engineering, this opportunity could be for you.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in hardware quality assurance, system testing, or cross-disciplinary engineering quality roles.
• 7+ years of experience in leadership roles.
• Experience in testing and quality management across multiple hardware engineering domains.
• Certifications in quality engineering (ASQ CQE, Six Sigma Black Belt, etc.) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the enterprise System Quality & Validation strategy aligned with business and product goals.
• Establish quality governance, lifecycle gates, and release readiness standards.
• Oversee testing, automation frameworks, validation methods, and quality metrics.
• Drive defect management, root cause analysis, and continuous quality improvement across the lifecycle.

Skills

Systems engineering knowledge

Leadership capability

Business acumen

Quality assurance

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Master's degree (preferred)

Job description

Director, Systems Quality Engineering

Location: Austin, TX (hybrid)

The Director of Systems Quality Engineering is responsible for defining and executing the global quality strategy for all hardware products across the organization. You will partner closely with Engineering, Product Management, Operations, Manufacturing, Supplier Quality, and Customer Support to ensure alignment between product requirements, validation rigor, release readiness, and field performance. The ideal candidate combines deep systems engineering knowledge with executive-level leadership capability, strong business acumen, and a demonstrated track record of building high-performing global organizations. This leader will champion a culture of quality ownership, technical excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement across the enterprise.

Position Responsibilities

• Define and lead the enterprise System Quality & Validation strategy aligned with business and product goals.
• Establish quality governance, lifecycle gates, and release readiness standards.
• Serve as the executive voice for product quality, reliability, and risk management.
• Own end-to-end QA strategy across hardware disciplines and align with software QA.
• Lead a global QA organization with standardized processes, tools, and best practices.
• Oversee testing, automation frameworks, validation methods, and quality metrics.
• Drive defect management, root cause analysis, and continuous quality improvement across the lifecycle.
• Partner cross-functionally to ensure compliance, resolve field issues, optimize costs, and enhance product performance.

Qualification Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical discipline required; Master's degree preferred.
• 15+ years of experience in hardware quality assurance, system testing, or cross-disciplinary engineering quality roles.
• 7+ years of experience in leadership roles.
• Experience in testing and quality management across multiple hardware engineering domains (Mechanical, Electrical, Firmware, etc.).
• Demonstrated experience defining organizational strategy and leading transformation initiatives.
• Proven success leading QA teams and managing quality operations across global sites.
• Background in regulated environments or safety-critical product testing preferred.
• Certifications in quality engineering (ASQ CQE, Six Sigma Black Belt, etc.) preferred.
• Fluent English is required.