Quality Manager

Salient Motion; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

100% company-paid medical

Life Insurance (2x Salary)

Flexible PTO

401K + Financial Wellness Resources

Job summary

Salient Motion is seeking a hands‑on Quality Manager to own and mature the AS9100 Quality Management System on the shop floor. You will drive corrective action, manage supplier quality, and prepare for FAA/EASA milestones as you grow our aviation and defense programs.

You will lead audits, CAPA, MRB, and nonconformance activities, while maintaining IPC‑A‑610 and IPC/WHMA‑A‑620 standards and safeguarding CUI per NIST SP 800‑171.

Qualifications

• U.S. Person status under ITAR with eligibility to access export‑controlled technical data.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering or technical discipline.
• Five or more years of quality experience in aerospace, defense, or a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Hands‑on ownership of AS9100 QMS and internal/external audits.
• Experience with first article inspection (AS9102) and MRB processes.
• Familiarity with NIST SP 800‑171 and CUI handling on defense programs.

Responsibilities

• Own, maintain, and continuously improve the AS9100 Quality Management System, including the quality manual, procedures, work instructions, and records.
• Plan, conduct, and close internal audits; host external audits and registrar surveillance.
• Drive root cause analysis and CAPA; manage nonconformance and MRB activity.
• Manage supplier quality: approval, surveillance, scorecards, source inspection, and corrective action flow‑down.
• Own receiving, in‑process, and final inspection processes and FAI per AS9102.
• Protect CUI on defense programs in alignment with NIST SP 800‑171.
• Lead quality readiness toward FAA PMA/TSO, FAA certifications, and EASA workstreams.

Skills

AS9100 Knowledge

Audits & CAPA

AS9102 FAI

Supplier Quality Management

Nonconformance & MRB

IPC-A-610 / IPC-WHMA-A-620

Lean, hands-on floor ownership

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or technical discipline

Job description

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) to meet customer and regulatory requirements**

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) to meet customer and regulatory requirements**

Who We Are

We are pioneering modular motion technologies to power the next generation of innovation for Industrial, Aerospace and Defense. If you're excited about disrupting legacy industries, and passionate about building the financial infrastructure behind cutting‑edge hardware, let's chat!

We are at the forefront of innovation, crafting exclusive motion control components that propel the industrial, aerospace, and defense sectors into the future.

A Couple Other Things

• We offer a lot of autonomy
• We like to run lean for impact
• We have great benefits
• We are well funded, and already generating revenue
• We're currently in Torrance, CA, but will be moving into a new facility in Hawthorne, CA in the summer!

What You'll Do

We are seeking a hands‑on Quality Manager to own and mature our AS9100 Quality Management System. This is a working role, not a director‑level seat. You will be on the floor, in the data, and in the audits. You will own the QMS day to day, drive corrective action, manage supplier and customer quality, and prepare Salient for the certification and production‑approval milestones ahead as we grow our commercial aviation and defense programs.

• Own, maintain, and continuously improve the AS9100 Quality Management System, including the quality manual, procedures, work instructions, and records.
• Plan, conduct, and close internal audits. Host and manage external audits and customer and registrar surveillance.
• Drive root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action (CAPA), and manage nonconformance and material review board (MRB) activity.
• Manage supplier quality: approval, surveillance, scorecards, source inspection, and corrective action flow‑down.
• Own receiving, in‑process, and final inspection processes and first article inspection (FAI) per AS9102.
• Administer counterfeit parts prevention and control per AS5553 (electronic parts) and AS6174 (materiel).
• Maintain workmanship standards and acceptance criteria per IPC‑A‑610 (electronic assemblies) and IPC/WHMA‑A‑620 (cable and harness assemblies).
• Support protection of controlled unclassified information (CUI) on defense programs in alignment with NIST SP 800-171.
• Manage calibration and measurement systems, control of monitoring and measuring equipment, and gage R&R.
• Lead the quality readiness path toward FAA Production Approval Holder status, including PMA and TSO Authorization, FAA 14 CFR Part 21 Subpart G (Production Certificate), and FAA 14 CFR 21.9 (replacement and modification articles, tied to authority to issue FAA Form 8130-3).
• Support parallel EASA workstreams, including EASA Part 21 Subpart G (Production Organization Approval) and EASA Part 145 (maintenance organization approval), as program requirements develop.
• Responsible for training, training records, and competency matrices.
• Track and report key quality metrics to leadership, and represent quality in program reviews, design reviews, and customer engagements.

What You Need

• U.S. Person status as defined under ITAR, with eligibility to access export‑controlled technical data.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, technical discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Five or more years of quality experience in aerospace, defense, or a comparable regulated manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of AS9100 and demonstrated ownership of, or significant hands‑on contribution to, an AS9100 QMS.
• Hands‑on experience with internal and external audits, CAPA, nonconformance, and MRB processes.
• Experience with first article inspection (AS9102) and inspection of electromechanical assemblies.
• Practical, floor‑level approach. Comfortable owning the system directly in a lean, fast‑moving environment.

Nice To Have

• ASQ certification such as CMQ/OE, CQE, or CQA.
• AS9100 / AS9101 Lead Auditor certification.
• Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or Black Belt).
• Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) experience.
• Familiarity with counterfeit parts control (AS5553 / AS6174) program ownership.
• Familiarity with NIST SP 800-171 and CUI handling on defense programs.
• Strong working knowledge of IPC‑A‑610 and IPC/WHMA‑A‑620 workmanship standards.
• Exposure to FAA PMA / TSO and Production Certificate processes, or EASA Part 21 / Part 145.
• Experience evaluating or managing Nadcap special‑process accreditation.

What We Have To Offer

We are not just building components. We are reshaping the future of the Aerospace and Defense component industry, which is a $300B+ market! Come join us and help build next generation systems that will make a massive impact at global scale.

• Competitive compensation: $140,000 to $160,000 base salary + equity
• Exceptional healthcare benefits — Medical is 100% covered by the company
• Life Insurance (2x Salary) 100% covered by the company
• Flexible PTO, 401K, Financial Wellness Resources, and more