Product Quality Engineering Lead

Socket.dev; Berthoud (CO); On-site; USD 106,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Parental leave

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

HSA/FSA

Short and long-term disability

Life and AD&D

Voluntary life

Emergency Medical Transport

EAP program

401k with company match

Equity grants

Job summary

Ursa Major is seeking a Product Quality Engineering Lead to own and scale the Quality Engineering function for aerospace and defense products. You will lead a team of Product Quality Engineers, drive end-to-end quality processes, and ensure compliance with AS9100D while coordinating with Design, Engineering, and Manufacturing on quality controls and investigations.

The role demands strategic leadership and hands-on execution to rewrite the playbook for product quality across complex propulsion

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in product quality, manufacturing quality, test engineering, or a comparable quality-focused role within aerospace, defense, or a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience building or substantially overhauling product or manufacturing quality systems and processes.
• Working knowledge of AS9100D and a track record of bringing internal quality processes into compliance.
• Strong understanding of inspection planning, first article inspection, nonconformance management, root cause analysis, and corrective action.
• Ability to think in systems and redesign broken processes rather than work around them.
• Credibility with design engineers, manufacturing technicians, and executives, with the ability to shift communication styles between all three.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills, with the ability to lead through influence as much as authority and to defend quality decisions that carry cost or schedule impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Product Quality Engineers – including hiring, performance management, and career development
• Set priorities and balance workload across the team while ensuring stakeholder alignment
• Build a high-ownership culture in which each engineer is accountable for the quality of their assigned products and processes
• Develop the architecture of product quality engineering processes end-to-end, including inspection planning, in-process and final inspection, nonconformance management, and root cause and corrective action
• Drive processes to AS9100D compliance and beyond while supporting other certification or accreditation schemes
• Define key metrics for product and team performance and establish a reporting cadence
• Provide input into the design and continuous improvement of the QMS, especially product realization and verification/validation
• Lead or support high-stakes investigations, test failures, FAI, and critical build/test activities
• Own escalations for product quality issues the team cannot resolve
• Lead or support MRB, root cause analysis, and corrective actions for product-related issues
• Collaborate with Engineering and Manufacturing on DFM, process capability, control plans, and technical drawing reviews
• Ensure inspection methods, sampling plans, and acceptance criteria are defined and implemented
• Support qualification efforts by ensuring activities meet requirements and evidence is complete
• Serve as senior contact for product quality engineering across the business
• Represent product quality engineering in cross-functional settings
• Collaborate with Design, Configuration, Systems Engineering, Operations, and Test to align verification plans and quality controls
• Other duties as assigned

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

eQMS

NCR/CAPA systems

SPC tools

Digital travelers

Job description

The future of aerospace and defense starts here.

Ursa Major was founded to revolutionize how America and its allies access and apply high-performance propulsion, from hypersonics to solid rocket motors, satellite maneuvering and launch. We design and deliver propulsion and defense systems that solve the most urgent and critical national security demands.

The Product Quality Engineering Lead owns the team and the systems that make product quality possible. This includes but is not limited to inspection standards, process controls, internal corrective actions, and long-term process improvements. This role oversees a team of Product Quality Engineers and has the autonomy to adjust roles and responsibilities as necessary to support the business. It is a hands-on leadership role: you will build and scale product quality engineering processes while personally leading the investigations, root cause analysis, and high-impact issues that matter most. The right candidate is both a strategic builder and a technical operator. We are deliberately not looking for someone to step into a well-defined seat and run the existing playbook — the playbook is part of what you will rewrite.

Responsibilities:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Product Quality Engineers – including hiring, performance management, and career development
• Set priorities and balance workload across the team while ensuring stakeholder alignment
• Build a high-ownership culture in which each engineer is accountable for the quality of their assigned products and processes
• Develop the architecture of product quality engineering processes end-to-end. This includes but is not limited to inspection planning, in-process and final inspection, nonconformance management, and root cause and corrective action
• Drive processes to AS9100D compliance and beyond while supporting other certification or accreditation schemes as they come to fruition
• Define key metrics for product and team performance and establish a reporting cadence that makes them visible across the organization
• Provide significant input into the design and continuous improvement of the Quality Management System (QMS), especially product realization and verification/validation
• Lead or directly support high-stakes investigations, test failures, first article inspections (FAI), and critical build and test activities
• Own escalations for product quality issues the team cannot resolve independently
• Lead or support MRB, root cause analysis, and corrective actions for product related issues
• Partner with Engineering and Manufacturing on DFM, process capability assessments, control plans, and technical drawing reviews
• Ensure inspection methods, sampling plans, and acceptance criteria are defined and implemented to balance risk, cost, and schedule
• Support qualification efforts by ensuring activities are executed to requirements, evidence is complete and accurate, and quality controls are appropriately applied. Partner closely with the Responsible Engineers who own product qualification
• Serve as the senior point of contact for product quality engineering across the entirety of the business
• Represent product quality engineering in cross functional settings as applicable
• Collaborate with Design, Configuration, Systems Engineering, Operations, and Test to align verification plans, test approaches, and quality controls
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• 5+ years of progressive experience in product quality, manufacturing quality, test engineering, or a comparable quality-focused role within aerospace, defense, or a regulated manufacturing environment
• Demonstrated experience building or substantially overhauling product or manufacturing quality systems and processes
• Working knowledge of AS9100D and a track record of bringing internal quality processes into compliance
• Strong understanding of inspection planning, first article inspection, nonconformance management, root cause analysis, and corrective action
• Expert-level command of GD&T, engineering drawings, and manufacturing processes
• Ability to think in systems and redesign broken processes rather than work around them
• Credibility with design engineers, manufacturing technicians, and executives, with the ability to shift communication styles between all three
• Excellent analytical and communication skills, with the ability to lead through influence as much as authority and to defend quality decisions that carry cost or schedule impact

Preferred Experience:

• Experience leading or mentoring engineers, formally as a manager or informally as a technical lead
• Experience driving structural change to a team or process in a working manufacturing environment
• Experience across multiple hardware types, including machined parts, additive, castings, welded assemblies, fluid systems, electronics, chemical manufacturing, or propulsion systems
• Experience in propulsion, space, hypersonic, or missile systems
• Familiarity with APQP/AS9145 concepts, advanced quality planning, and modern quality engineering practices
• Experience with quality-related tooling, including inspection planning, eQMS, NCR/CAPA systems, SPC tools, and digital travelers
• Experience working in a DCMA regulated environment

Working Conditions / Physical Demands

• Split between office and production environments, with regular interaction across engineering, manufacturing, test, and quality teams
• Regular time spent on the shop floor and in test areas, requiring adherence to safety protocols
• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods and work on a computer for prolonged durations
• Occasionally required to lift up to 25 pounds (e.g., hardware, materials, or equipment)
• Ability to travel up to 10% domestically to supplier sites, test facilities, and company locations as needed

Colorado law requires us to tell you the base compensation range of this role, which is $106,000 - $132,000, determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities. What we can’t quantify for you are the exciting challenges, supportive team, and amazing culture we enjoy.

Classification: Full-time Exempt

Benefits Include: (Please note, Interns are not eligible for benefits)

• Unlimited PTO - Vacation, Sick, Personal, and Bereavement
• Paid Parental and Adoptive Leave
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Tax Advantage Accounts (HSA/FSA)
• Employer Paid Short and Long Term Disability, Basic Life, AD&D
• Additional Benefit Options Including Voluntary Life and Emergency Medical Transport
• EAP Program
• Retirement Savings Plan - 401k with Company Match
• Equity Grants in the Company

NOTE: Research suggests that women and BIPOC individuals may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who believes they have the skills and the drive necessary to succeed here to apply for this role.

Must be a U.S. Person (this includes U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents).

Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance.

We’re an equal-opportunity employer. You will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.