Lead Quality Engineer (Hybrid)

Company Overview:

VALT Enterprizes, Inc. is revolutionizing aerospace with cutting-edge hypersonic research and development to pioneer America’s first-of-its-kind hypersonic launch system, combining rocket and air-breathing propulsion to empower our nation’s warfighters with the tools they need to safeguard our country. We envision a world where access to space is no longer a privilege for the few but an opportunity for all. Our team is driven by data, fueled by passion, and united by a shared commitment to innovation and resilience. Challenges are embraced head-on in a culture that values creativity, determination, and collaboration. Join us in shaping the future of aerospace and making history – together.

Position Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Lead Quality Engineer to provide technical leadership for quality engineering activities supporting complex aerospace and defense programs and to lead the development, implementation, and maturation of VALT’s Quality Management System (QMS) in support of future AS9100 certification. In this role, you will help build and advance the quality foundation needed to support VALT’s continued growth, establishing quality processes, standards, controls, and practices that support product quality, customer and regulatory requirements, continuous improvement, and operational excellence across the organization.

Working across engineering, operations, manufacturing, program management, and leadership, you will apply deep quality engineering expertise and exercise independent technical judgment to address complex quality challenges, strengthen quality systems and processes, and integrate quality requirements throughout product and process development. You will serve as a quality engineering subject matter expert for internal leadership, customers, suppliers, and government stakeholders while helping ensure quality systems, processes, and organizational practices remain aligned with aerospace and defense requirements, customer expectations, and certification objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development, implementation, and maturation of VALT’s quality program, including quality policies, procedures, standards, controls, metrics, and supporting documentation
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve a scalable QMS aligned with aerospace and defense industry requirements, customer expectations, and future AS9100 certification objectives
• Lead quality planning and process control activities across engineering, manufacturing, and operational programs, ensuring quality requirements are defined, integrated, and maintained throughout product and process development
• Establish and lead nonconformance management, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive action (CAPA), and continuous improvement processes to ensure quality issues are effectively investigated, resolved, and prevented from recurring
• Develop and mature supplier quality processes, including supplier qualification and evaluation, quality requirements, performance monitoring, nonconformance resolution, and corrective action activities
• Establish and maintain quality processes supporting inspection, auditing, calibration, measurement and test equipment control, product and material traceability, configuration management, and quality-related risk management
• Partner with engineering, operations, manufacturing, program management, and leadership to integrate quality requirements into product development, manufacturing processes, supplier activities, and program execution
• Provide technical leadership and expert guidance on complex quality issues, quality system requirements, process compliance, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement initiatives across programs and functional teams
• Plan and support internal audits, management reviews, customer audits, and external certification activities, identifying quality system gaps and driving corrective actions to support organizational and certification readiness
• Define quality objectives and key performance indicators, analyze quality trends and performance data, and communicate quality system maturity, risks, corrective actions, and certification readiness to program and organizational leadership

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in quality engineering, industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related engineering discipline from an accredited institution
• 10+ years of professional quality engineering experience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, regulated, or other high-reliability environments, including significant experience leading complex quality engineering activities, initiatives, and quality system improvements
• Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, maintaining, and improving QMS, including establishing quality processes, procedures, controls, metrics, and supporting documentation
• Demonstrated experience with quality planning, nonconformance management, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive action (CAPA), statistical process control (SPC), process capability analysis, inspection planning, and continuous improvement methodologies
• Experience developing or supporting supplier quality, inspection, calibration, traceability, audit readiness, and related quality control processes within manufacturing or other high-reliability environments
• Experience supporting internal and external quality audits, assessing compliance with established quality requirements, identifying gaps, and driving corrective actions through resolution
• Demonstrated ability to independently address complex quality issues, evaluate technical and operational risk, and provide technical leadership and guidance to cross-functional engineering, manufacturing, program, and leadership stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop clear procedures, work instructions, quality documentation, technical reports, and quality updates for technical and executive audiences
• U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret-level security clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in quality engineering, systems engineering, industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, engineering management, business administration, or a related technical or engineering discipline
• Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) credential or other relevant professional quality certification
• Experience supporting the development, implementation, maturation, or certification of a QMS in accordance with AS9100, ISO 9001, or comparable quality management standards
• Experience working in aerospace, aviation, space, defense, or complex electromechanical product development and manufacturing environments
• Experience developing or maturing quality programs and implementing practical, scalable quality systems and processes within a growing or evolving organization
• Familiarity with supplier quality management, configuration management, product safety, counterfeit parts prevention, and operational risk management
• Experience supporting organizational readiness for customer, regulatory, or third-party certification audits