Senior Marine Quality Engineer

Saronic; Brownsville (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Saronic Technologies in Brownsville, TX, seeks a Senior Marine Quality Engineer to lead quality assurance across shipyard operations for autonomous surface vessels. You will drive inspection plans, strengthen compliance with maritime and defense standards, and guide testing and integration activities.

You will mentor quality teams, implement CAPA, and push continuous improvement to reduce defects and improve reliability throughout the production lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Experience leading quality engineering efforts in marine manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 9001, ABS, and U.S. Navy standards.
• Analytical problem solving and data-driven decision making.
• Ability to influence across engineering, production, and program teams.

Responsibilities

• Quality Engineering Leadership: Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of quality assurance processes across shipyard operations, including fabrication, assembly, outfitting, systems integration, and testing.
• Quality Systems and Compliance: Own and strengthen quality processes to ensure compliance with maritime, defense, and customer requirements, including ISO 9001, ABS, and U.S. Navy standards.
• Inspection and Verification: Provide technical oversight of critical manufacturing and integration activities, including welding, hull construction, mechanical and electrical systems, and vessel-level integration.
• Root Cause and Corrective Action: Lead investigations into nonconformances and CAPA; implement effective, sustainable solutions and communicate lessons learned.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive initiatives to improve product quality, manufacturing consistency, process capability, and production efficiency.
• Nonconformance and Risk Management: Establish processes for nonconforming materials, evaluate risk, and ensure corrective actions are completed.
• Cross-Functional Technical Leadership: Serve as a senior quality resource to engineering, production, supply chain, and program management teams.
• Documentation and Quality Reporting: Own quality documentation and performance reports; present recommendations to leadership.
• Supplier and External Quality: Support supplier quality activities and coordinate with inspectors, regulators, and customers for audits and acceptance.

Job description

Saronic Technologies is a leader in revolutionizing autonomy at sea, dedicated to developing state-of-the-art solutions that enhance maritime operations through autonomous and intelligent platforms.

Senior Marine Quality Engineer

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Marine Quality Engineer to lead quality engineering efforts supporting the construction, integration, and testing of autonomous surface vessels (ASVs). In this role, you will provide technical leadership across shipyard operations, including hull fabrication, welding, outfitting, electrical integration, and harbor and sea trials. You will develop and improve quality processes, establish inspection and verification strategies, and drive the resolution of complex quality issues to ensure vessels meet stringent customer, naval, regulatory, and internal requirements.

The ideal candidate brings deep technical knowledge of marine manufacturing and quality engineering, a proactive approach to risk mitigation, and the ability to influence quality outcomes across engineering, production, and program teams. You will play a key role in strengthening quality systems, improving manufacturing and integration processes, and ensuring the reliability, safety, and performance of vessels throughout the production lifecycle.

Responsibilities

Quality Engineering Leadership: Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of quality assurance processes across shipyard operations, including fabrication, assembly, outfitting, systems integration, and testing. Establish inspection plans, acceptance criteria, and quality controls aligned with engineering drawings, technical specifications, regulatory requirements, military standards, and customer expectations.

Quality Systems and Compliance: Own and strengthen quality processes to ensure compliance with applicable maritime, defense, and customer requirements, including ISO 9001, ABS, and U.S. Navy standards, as applicable. Interpret complex requirements and translate them into actionable inspection, verification, and documentation practices.

Inspection and Verification: Provide technical oversight of critical manufacturing and integration activities, including welding, hull construction, mechanical systems, electrical systems, and vessel-level integration. Develop risk-based inspection strategies and ensure appropriate verification of critical characteristics and processes. Support harbor and sea trials by evaluating system readiness, reviewing test results, and confirming quality requirements are satisfied before delivery.

Root Cause and Corrective Action: Lead investigations into complex nonconformances, recurring defects, and systemic quality issues. Apply structured root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action (CAPA) methodologies to implement effective, sustainable solutions. Verify corrective action effectiveness and communicate lessons learned across programs and production teams.

Continuous Improvement: Drive initiatives to improve product quality, manufacturing consistency, process capability, and production efficiency. Analyze quality trends and performance metrics to identify systemic issues, prioritize improvement opportunities, and implement preventive controls that reduce defects, rework, and scrap.

Nonconformance and Risk Management: Establish and oversee processes for identifying, documenting, evaluating, and resolving nonconforming materials, components, and assemblies. Partner with engineering and production to assess technical risk, determine appropriate dispositions, and ensure corrective actions are completed. Escalate critical quality risks and provide recommendations to program leadership.

Cross-Functional Technical Leadership: Serve as a senior quality resource to engineering, production, supply chain, and program management teams. Influence design and manufacturing decisions by providing quality engineering expertise, identifying risks early, and driving design for manufacturability, inspection, and reliability improvements.

Documentation and Quality Reporting: Own the integrity and accuracy of quality documentation, including inspection records, test reports, nonconformance reports, corrective action records, and acceptance documentation. Develop and communicate quality performance reports, identify trends, and present recommendations to technical and program leadership.

Supplier and External Quality: Support supplier quality activities, including the evaluation of supplier documentation, inspection plans, material certifications, and nonconformance resolution. Coordinate with external inspectors, regulatory representatives, customers, and other stakeholders to support audits, inspections, and vessel acceptance activities.

Mentorship and Standardization: Provide technical guidance and mentorship to quality engineers, inspectors, and shipyard personnel. Establish consistent inspection practices, reinforce quality standards, and promote a c