Senior Quality Engineer

Rocketdyne; Redmond (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocketdyne in Redmond, WA seeks a Senior Quality Engineer to guide, coach, and train teams; oversee quality on projects, and drive improvements. The role interfaces with customers and vendors, ensures conformance to specifications, and supports production with rapid containment and resolution of quality issues.

The ideal candidate has strong problem-solving skills, experience with ISO9001/AS9100, RCCA tools, and a proven track record in aerospace QA.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering with at least 4 years of related experience.
• Graduate degree or equivalent with at least 2 years of related experience.
• Experience reading and interpreting drawings, specifications and QA requirements.

Responsibilities

• Communicate with internal and external contacts to ensure hardware complies with specifications.
• Apply Lean and Six Sigma to routine aerospace manufacturing operations.
• Interpret drawings and customer requirements to ensure compliance and satisfaction.
• Drive continuous improvements of the quality system and processes.
• Provide daily quality support to production and address inquiries on the shop floor.

Skills

Quality assurance

Lean manufacturing

Six Sigma

Problem solving

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Graduate degree or equivalent

Tools

FMEA

8D

Fishbone

5-Why

Pareto

Job description

Job Description

Senior Quality Engineer works under general supervision, and may be responsible for entire projects or processes providing guidance, coaching, training, and delegation to other employees within the job area. Communicates with contacts within and outside of their own department with the occasional responsibilities of communicating with customers or vendors external to the organization. Makes moderate enhancements or improvements to systems and processes to solve problems. Works to achieve operational targets with moderate impact on department results.

Job Location

Redmond, WA

Job Schedule

1 st Shift, 9/80

Job Description

Senior Quality Engineer works under general supervision, and may be responsible for entire projects or processes providing guidance, coaching, training, and delegation to other employees within the job area. Communicates with contacts within and outside of their own department with the occasional responsibilities of communicating with customers or vendors external to the organization. Makes moderate enhancements or improvements to systems and processes to solve problems. Works to achieve operational targets with moderate impact on department results.

Essential Functions

• Utilizes engineering background and expertise to communicate between team members and customer counterparts to provide assurance that the hardware is compliant to specifications. Handles and communicates deviations/ nonconformance at different levels within the organization. Understands and communicates typical aerospace processes (machining, welding, non‑destructive testing, etc.) and how they are applied to the hardware being manufactured.
• Applies modern quality principles, concepts, and methods to routine aerospace and manufacturing operation, including Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma tools.
• Interprets engineering drawings and specifications, customer quality requirements, and company quality requirements to ensure compliance with the customer's expectations.
• Implements IMS policies, procedures and standards for Quality Management that drive a preventive, zero defect culture of quality, and customer satisfaction.
• Drives continuous improvements of the quality system and manufacturing processes.
• Provide daily, hands‑on quality support to production operations by monitoring processes, responding to quality concerns, and addressing operator questions, as required, to support program during production phase.
• Evaluates and dispositions customer returns, in-process defects, and address day-to-day quality concerns. Rapidly implementing containment and corrective actions, as applicable.
• Participates in the review and disposition of nonconforming product, including coordinating material review board (MRB) dispositions.
• Performs documentation reviews in support of hardware acceptance (HAR) and pre‑shipment (PSR) activities.
• Partners with Project and Manufacturing Engineering to complete qualification, identify critical to quality testing and inspections, implement test and inspection plans and processes, and generate test reports/memos.
• Reviews new contracts to determine the quality assurance requirements and flow down requirements to the appropriate level.

Qualifications

• Requires Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of 4 years of prior related experience
• Graduate Degree or equivalent with a minimum of 2 years of prior related experience.

Preferred Additional Skills

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to effectively establish positive working relationships with various operational groups, all levels of employees, suppliers, and customers.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot quality or process issues with minimal guidance, using structured problem‑solving methods.
• Basic understanding of quality principles, measurement tools, and manufacturing processes.
• Ability to read and interpret drawings, specifications, and work instructions.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively on the production floor.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and problem‑solving approach.
• Understanding of ISO9001/AS9100 and related QMS standards.
• Strong drive and sense of ownership.
• Experience using RCCA tools such as FMEA, Pareto, 5-Why, 8D, and Fishbone.
• Exposure to product development in a multi‑functional team environment is desired.