Head of Aircraft Quality (R6146)

About the role

Responsibilities

• Lead quality planning and execution for X-BAT prototype and development builds, establishing appropriate inspection, test evidence and build records as designs evolve.
• Partner with Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering to identify product and process risks, define critical controls and build quality requirements into tooling, work instructions and test plans.
• Establish configuration and traceability controls with Engineering and Production, ensuring each aircraft’s build status, deviations and nonconformances are understood and documented.
• Capture lessons from build, integration and test issues, and drive their incorporation into design changes, manufacturing processes and future builds.
• Define quality readiness criteria for pre-series builds and production launch, validating inspection methods, process controls, workforce competence and closure of significant risks.
• Recruit, develop and lead the quality team, building the technical capability and frontline support needed as aircraft production grows.
• Establish and maintain a lean, effective QMS for X-Forge 3, aligned with Shield AI’s wider quality framework, AS9100, ISO 9001 and applicable customer requirements.
• Lead certification readiness and internal, customer and external audits, driving timely closure and sustained effectiveness of corrective actions.
• Set up receiving, in-process and final inspection capability, including measurement equipment, calibration, training and quality records, in partnership with relevant functions.
• Own production quality performance, using first-pass yield, defects, rework and escapes to focus action where it improves aircraft quality and production flow.
• Lead containment, root cause analysis and corrective action for manufacturing quality issues, with clear functional ownership and verification that fixes prevent recurrence.
• Own the nonconformance and MRB process, ensuring disposition decisions follow approved technical authority and that affected hardware remains controlled.
• Partner with Supply Chain and supplier quality teams to resolve incoming quality issues and improve supplier performance before defects disrupt aircraft builds.
• Work with Engineering and Production to define acceptance evidence and ensure aircraft meet approved requirements before release.
• Use digital quality tools and manufacturing data to strengthen traceability, expose trends and reduce manual administration as production scales.
• Give leadership a clear view of quality performance, product risks and readiness; escalate or stop affected work when requirements or product integrity cannot be assured.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quality or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of leadership experience in quality, product assurance or reliability within aerospace, defense technology or high-reliability manufacturing.
• Demonstrated success leading quality through prototype or new product introduction and into sustained production.
• Proven ability to build and scale quality teams and systems while supporting fast-paced development and manufacturing operations.
• Deep expertise in containment, root cause analysis, MRB, corrective and preventive action, and continuous improvement.
• Strong working knowledge of AS9100 and ISO 9001, with practical implementation and audit leadership experience.
• Experience with complex assembly, inspection, configuration control, traceability and product acceptance.
• Ability to influence and challenge senior leaders constructively across Engineering, Production and Supply Chain.
• A hands-on leadership style and sound technical judgment, balancing timely execution with clear quality standards and accountability.
• Direct experience taking a new aircraft program from prototype through production launch and rate ramp.
• Experience establishing quality capability at a new manufacturing facility or transferring production between sites.
• Experience in aircraft final assembly, systems integration, production test and reliability improvement.
• Experience deploying digital quality systems, statistical process controls and data-driven defect prevention.
• Advanced degree in engineering, quality or a related technical discipline.