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CesiumAstro is seeking a Senior Manager, Supplier Quality to lead multiple supplier quality engineering teams responsible for supplier qualification, development, surveillance, performance management, and corrective action across the supply base. This role is critical to ensuring aerospace and defense suppliers meet rigorous quality, regulatory, and contractual requirements.
Key Responsibilities:
- Manage and develop supplier quality engineering teams, including coaching, performance management, succession planning, and technical growth.
- Establish supplier quality priorities, allocate resources, and translate functional objectives into staffing and execution plans.
- Oversee supplier qualification, risk assessment, periodic performance reviews, site audits, source inspections, and approved supplier status across complex aerospace commodities.
- Ensure supplier requirements are flowed down and suppliers comply with applicable QMS, engineering, customer, contractual, regulatory, and statutory requirements.
- Evaluate supplier manufacturing processes, process controls, First Article Inspection (FAI/AS9102), Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), inspection methods, and quality documentation.
- Review supplier performance using defect rates, nonconformances, escapes, on-time delivery, rework and scrap costs, SCAR performance, and other quality indicators.
- Guide resolution of complex supplier nonconformances through containment, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive action, and verification.
- Escalate significant supplier quality risks and guide Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs), supplier recovery activities, and capability improvement plans.
- Partner with engineering, manufacturing, operations, and supply chain to address supplier producibility, design for manufacturability (DFM), process capability, and quality risks.
- Evaluate supplier capability, quality trends, process performance, and recurring issues to establish development priorities.
- Advance supplier quality processes, business systems, analytics, and continuous improvement practices.
- Travel to supplier and manufacturing sites domestically and occasionally internationally, up to approximately 50% of the time.
CesiumAstro develops out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. The company operates in a dynamic, cross-functional startup environment focused on leading-edge electronics for aerospace systems.
Note: Applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, conditional resident, asylee, or refugee, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State to comply with U.S. Government Space Technology Export Regulations.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, or a related technical field.
- Minimum 9 years of related experience with 2–5 years of leadership/management experience, including direct supervision of quality or supplier quality engineering staff.
- Strong working knowledge of AS9100/ISO 9001 quality management systems and aerospace supplier quality requirements.
- Proficiency in root cause analysis and structured problem-solving methodologies (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone).
- Experience with supplier qualification, PPAP, and First Article Inspection (AS9102) processes.
- Working knowledge of statistical process control (SPC) and quality inspection methods.
- Understanding of ITAR/EAR and DFARS requirements applicable to aerospace and defense suppliers.
- Demonstrated people leadership skills, including coaching, performance management, and team development.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration and supplier relationship management skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook).
- Experience with ERP/MRP systems such as Acumatica, SAP, or comparable platforms.
- Familiarity with Quality Management System (QMS) software.
- Experience with statistical analysis tools such as Minitab.
- Familiarity with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software.
- Ability to travel up to approximately 50% of the time.
Preferred: ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Manager (CQM), or Six Sigma Green/Black Belt certification.
