Head of Supplier Quality – Aerospace & Defense

Shield; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking an experienced leader to head supplier-quality across its aerospace and defense supply base. You will guide qualification, development, audits, and nonconformance resolution while partnering with Engineering, Manufacturing, and Programs to reduce risk and improve capability.

You will mentor quality leaders, allocate resources, and ensure compliance with AS9100/ISO9001, ITAR, EAR, and DFARS. Travel up to 20% domestically and internationally as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or another related technical discipline.
• At least 7 years of relevant experience with 2–5 years in leadership or people management of Quality Engineering and/or Supplier Quality Engineering.

Responsibilities

• Develop the supplier quality team responsible for supplier qualification, surveillance, performance management, and corrective-action activities across Shield AI’s global aerospace and defense supply base.
• Establish supplier-quality priorities, allocate resources, and translate objectives into staffing and execution plans.
• Develop Supplier Quality leaders and engineering personnel through coaching, performance management, succession planning, and workforce development.
• Oversee supplier qualification, risk assessments, audits, source inspections, and approved-supplier status across complex aerospace hardware, commodities, and manufacturing processes.
• Ensure supplier requirements are flowed down and suppliers comply with quality management, engineering, customer, contractual, regulatory, and statutory requirements.
• Escalate supplier-quality risks and direct SCARs, recovery efforts, and capability-improvement plans affecting quality, delivery, or program execution.
• Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, and Program teams to address producibility, DFx, process capability, and quality risks.
• Advance supplier-quality processes, data analytics, and continuous-improvement practices to strengthen supplier capability and delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Root-cause analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

Supplier relationship-management

Coaching

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or related technical discipline

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Microsoft Office (Excel/PowerPoint/Word/Outlook)

AS9100/ISO9001 knowledge

PPAP / First Article Inspection (AS9102)

Regulatory compliance (ITAR, EAR, DFARS)

Job description

Shield AI is seeking an experienced leader to head supplier-quality across its aerospace and defense supply base. You will guide qualification, development, audits, and nonconformance resolution while partnering with Engineering, Manufacturing, and Programs to reduce risk and improve capability.

You will mentor quality leaders, allocate resources, and ensure compliance with AS9100/ISO9001, ITAR, EAR, and DFARS. Travel up to 20% domestically and internationally as needed.