Quality Director

Rugged Science designs and manufactures ruggedized, passive thermally managed embedded computers, shock-hardened operator interface panels, ruggedized LED displays, and other custom rugged solutions as well as industrial computers and servers.

Rugged Science is seeking a Quality Director to join our team. The Quality Director provides strategic leadership and operational ownership of the company’s Quality Management System (QMS) and has primary responsibility for ensuring product quality by developing, implementing, and maintaining robust quality standards and processes.

Key Responsibilities

· Lead, maintain, and continually improve the AS9100-certified Quality Management System, including management review, internal audits, nonconformance and corrective action systems (including FRACAS), and risk management processes.

· Establish quality strategy, objectives, metrics (KPIs), and continuous improvement initiatives aligned with business goals and customer requirements.

· Oversee quality engineering, inspection, testing, and calibration functions to ensure product conformity throughout the product lifecycle (design, manufacturing, test, and delivery).

· Ensure compliance with AS9100, ISO 9001, applicable MIL-STD requirements, customer quality clauses, and other regulatory or contractual requirements.

· Manage supplier quality programs, including supplier selection, qualification, performance monitoring, audits, and development.

· Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for internal nonconformances, customer complaints, and audit findings.

· Drive design quality and Design for Manufacturability/Testability (DFM/DFT) practices in collaboration with engineering.

· Participate in product design reviews to represent quality requirements and concerns.

· Prepare for and host external audits (certification body, customer, and government).

· Develop and mentor the quality team; foster a company-wide culture of quality ownership and accountability.

· Report quality performance, trends, and risks to executive leadership and support strategic decision-making.

· Champion process standardization and data-driven quality improvements.

· Ensure competency-based training related to the QMS and quality-critical processes is defined, delivered, and maintained.