Manufacturing Engineer - Quality Engineering

GKN Aerospace; El Cajon (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

GKN Aerospace in El Cajon, CA is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer - Quality Engineering to ensure aerospace products and processes meet internal standards and customer requirements. The QE partners with Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Programs to drive defect prevention and regulatory compliance.

The role covers on-site quality support, root cause analysis, supplier quality, customer interfaces, and continuous improvement, including Lean and Six Sigma initiatives to design quality

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quality, manufacturing, or related field.
• 2+ years of quality engineering experience in aerospace or regulated manufacturing, or 5 years equivalent with no degree.
• Strong knowledge of AS9100, quality systems, and aerospace standards.
• Experience with root cause analysis and corrective action methodologies.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, and specifications.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and quality systems or ERP/MES tools.
• Experience with AS9102 First Article Inspection (FAI) and knowledge of special processes (e.g., heat treat, welding, NDT, plating).
• Preferred: GKN Experience.
• Preferred: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Preferred: Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Preferred: Ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Preferred: Detail-oriented with a strong commitment to compliance and product safety.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with AS9100, ISO 9001, and customer requirements; develop and maintain quality plans, control plans, and inspection plans; support audits.
• Manufacturing & Process Quality: provide on-site quality engineering support; perform root cause analysis; lead CAPA; monitor Cp/Cpk and yield; support FAI per AS9102.
• Supplier & Incoming Quality: support supplier qualification, audits, and performance management; review supplier quality data and CAPA; collaborate with Supply Chain.
• Customer Interface: act as quality contact for inquiries, audits, and escapes; support containment and root cause activities; present quality data to customers.
• Continuous Improvement: identify opportunities to improve quality, reliability, and manufacturability; support Lean and Six Sigma; participate in design/process reviews.

Skills

Root cause analysis

AS9100 knowledge

GD&T interpretation

Quality systems

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Tools

ERP/MES systems

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

Manufacturing Engineer - Quality Engineering

Fantastic challenges. Amazing opportunities.

GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! Fuelled by great people whose expertise and creativity sets the standards in our industry, we’re inspired by the opportunities to innovate and break boundaries. We’re proud to play a part in protecting the world’s democracies. And we’re committed to putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do, opening up and protecting our planet. With over 16,000 employees across 32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.6bn in 2025. There are no limits to where you can take your career.

Job Summary

Quality Engineer (QE) is responsible for ensuring that aerospace products, processes, and systems comply with internal quality standards, customer requirements, and applicable regulatory and industry standards. This role partners closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Program teams to drive defect prevention, continuous improvement, and regulatory compliance across the product lifecycle.

Job Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with AS9100, ISO 9001, and applicable customer-specific requirements. Support contract review and quality requirements flow-down to internal teams and suppliers. Develop and maintain quality plans, control plans, inspection plans, and process documentation. Support internal and external audits (customer, regulatory, third-party).
• Manufacturing & Process Quality: Provide on-site quality engineering support to manufacturing and assembly operations. Perform root cause analysis using tools such as 8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, and FMEA. Lead corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) to address nonconformances. Monitor and analyze process capability (Cp/Cpk), SPC data, and yield metrics. Support first article inspections (FAI) per AS9102.
• Supplier & Incoming Quality: Support supplier qualification, audits, and performance management. Review supplier quality data, nonconformances, and corrective actions. Collaborate with Supply Chain to drive supplier quality improvement.
• Customer Interface: Serve as a quality point of contact for customer inquiries, audits, and escapes. Support containment, root cause, and response activities for customer complaints. Prepare and present quality data and reports to customers as required.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities to improve product quality, reliability, and manufacturability. Support Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives. Participate in design and process reviews to ensure quality is designed in upfront.

Job Qualifications

• Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or a related technical field.
• Required Qualifications: 2+ years of quality engineering experience in aerospace or regulated manufacturing or 5 years equivalent experience with no degree.
• Required Qualifications: Strong knowledge of AS9100, quality systems, and aerospace standards.
• Required Qualifications: Experience with root cause analysis and corrective action methodologies.
• Required Qualifications: Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, and specifications.
• Required Qualifications: Proficiency with Microsoft Office and quality systems or ERP/MES tools.
• Required Qualifications: Experience with AS9102 First Article Inspection (FAI), knowledge of special processes (e.g., heat treat, welding, NDT, plating), and familiarity with statistical tools and Minitab or equivalent software.
• Preferred Qualification: GKN Experience.
• Preferred Qualification: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Preferred Qualification: Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Preferred Qualification: Ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Preferred Qualification: Detail-oriented with a strong commitment to compliance and product safety. Ability to prioritize and manage multiple issues simultaneously.

Compensation Data

Between $95,000.00 to $100,000.00

We’ll offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities. This is your chance to be part of an organisation that has proven itself to be at the cutting edge of our industry; and is committed to pushing the boundaries even further. And with some of the best training on offer in the industry, who knows how far you can go?

A Great Place to work needs a Great Way of Working

Everyone is welcome to apply to GKN. We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging and by living our five powerful principles we’ve created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute. It’s a culture that won us ‘The Best Workplace Culture Award’. By embracing and celebrating what makes us unique we encourage everyone to bring their full self to work.

We’re also committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.

We arethe place where human dreams, plus humanendeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology.