About this role

What you'll do:

- Conduct supplier qualification, risk assessments, periodic performance reviews, supplier audits, source inspections, and approved-supplier status across the machining commodity supply base.

- Ensure supplier requirements are effectively flowed down and that suppliers comply with applicable quality management system, engineering, customer, contractual, regulatory, and statutory requirements.

- Escalate significant supplier-quality risks and direct SCARs, supplier recovery efforts, and capability-improvement plans that could affect product quality, delivery, mission readiness, or program execution.

- Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, and Program teams to address supplier producibility, design-for-manufacturability, process capability, technical execution, and quality risks.

- Advance supplier-quality processes, business systems, data analytics, and continuous-improvement practices that strengthen supplier capability, product quality, delivery performance, and supply-base resilience.

Required qualifications:

- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or another related technical discipline.

- At least 5 years of relevant experience.

- Strong working knowledge of AS9100 and/or ISO 9001 quality-management systems, as well as aerospace and defense supplier-quality requirements.

- Demonstrated proficiency in root-cause analysis and structured problem-solving methods, including 8D, 5 Whys, and fishbone analysis.

- Experience with supplier qualification, supplier development, PPAP, and First Article Inspection processes, including AS9102 requirements.

- Understanding of ITAR, EAR, DFARS, and other requirements applicable to aerospace and defense suppliers.

- Strong cross-functional collaboration, executive communication, and supplier relationship-management skills.

- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook.

- Experience using ERP/MRP systems.

- Ability to travel to Shield AI manufacturing locations and supplier sites domestically and, as needed, internationally—up to approximately 20% of the time.

Preferred qualfiications:

- Aerospace or defense industry experience

- Hands on machining and inspection experience.

- ASME GDTP certification Technologist, Senior, or equivalent.

- ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Manager (CQM), or equivalent quality certification.

- Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.

- Experience leading supplier-quality functions in a high-growth aerospace, defense, autonomy, robotics, or advanced-manufacturing environment.

- Experience supporting the production and qualification of complex electromechanical, electronic, precision-machined, composite, or avionics hardware.