Staff Quality Engineer - AS9100 Certification Lead

Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company in St. Louis, MO is seeking a Staff Quality Engineer to lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of our QMS in preparation for AS9100 certification.

You will partner with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Leadership to establish robust quality processes, ensure compliance, and drive operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Quality/Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years in quality engineering or quality systems in regulated manufacturing.
• Experience leading AS9100 certification efforts.
• Internal audit planning and execution experience.
• Strong communication with executive leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead readiness efforts for AS9100 certification.
• Develop and maintain AS9100-compliant QMS.
• Plan and conduct internal audits.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Operations to improve processes.
• Lead supplier quality activities including audits and corrective actions.

Skills

AS9100

QMS

Auditing

Root Cause Analysis

Risk Management

Continuous Improvement

Cross-functional

Project Management

Education

Bachelor's in Quality/Engineering

Master's preferred

Tools

QMS Software

MS Office

Job description

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Staff Quality Engineer to lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of our Quality Management System (QMS) in preparation for AS9100 certification. This role will serve as a key partner across Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Leadership to establish robust quality processes, ensure regulatory and customer compliance, and build a culture of operational excellence.

The ideal candidate has successfully led or played a significant role in achieving AS9100 certification and possesses strong expertise in quality systems, risk management, auditing, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the organization's readiness efforts for AS9100 certification, including project planning, gap assessments, implementation, and certification support.


• Develop, implement, and maintain an AS9100-compliant Quality Management System (QMS).


• Conduct comprehensive gap analyses against AS9100 requirements and develop corrective action plans.


• Plan, conduct, and manage internal audits to verify compliance with AS9100, ISO 9001, customer, and regulatory requirements.


• Partner with Engineering to integrate quality planning into product development, design reviews, design changes, and configuration management.


• Partner with Supplier Quality Engineering function to support supplier quality activities including supplier qualification, audits, corrective actions, and performance monitoring.


• Develop risk management processes consistent with AS9100 requirements, including risk identification, mitigation, and monitoring.


• Lead investigations into quality issues, customer complaints, escapes, and nonconforming materials.


• Train employees on quality system requirements, quality tools, auditing practices, and AS9100 expectations.


• Collaborate with manufacturing and operations to improve process capability, reduce defects, and increase operational efficiency.


• Represent quality function in customer requirements capture, contract review, opportunity review, new production development, and new product introduction activities related to aerospace and defense opportunities and projects.


• Lead engagement activities with customers and suppliers.

Required Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship/No Dual Citizenship


• Bachelor's Degree in Quality, Manufacturing, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline.


• Minimum 8 years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree, 6 years of experience and a Master’s degree, or a PhD with 3 years of experience; or equivalent experience in Quality Engineering or Quality Systems within aerospace, defense, aviation, or other highly regulated manufacturing industries.


• Demonstrated experience leading or significantly contributing to an AS9100 certification or recertification effort.


• Thorough knowledge of AS9100, ISO 9001:2015, and aerospace quality system requirements.


• Experience planning and conducting internal quality audits.


• Experience leading or facilitating eight disciplines (8D) problem solving or similar corrective methodologies to determine root cause and implement permanent corrective action.


• Strong project management skills with the ability to lead cross-functional initiatives.


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to executive leadership and external auditors.


• Proficiency using Microsoft Office.

Desired Qualifications

• AS9100 Lead Auditor certification.


• Experience working with aerospace OEMs or Tier 1/Tier 2 suppliers.


• Experience supporting FAA, DoD, NASA, or other aerospace regulatory environments.


• Familiarity with NADCAP requirements and special process oversight.


• Experience with ERP, PLM, and electronic document management systems.


• Knowledge of APQP, PPAP, and First Article Inspection (FAI) per AS9145


• Proficiency using Oracle Fusion ERP, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), and other electronic business systems.