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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 space systems meet rigorous quality and regulatory standards.
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 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, and SCAR performance to identify systemic risks.
- 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) and capability improvement plans.
- Partner with engineering, manufacturing, operations, and supply chain to address supplier producibility, design for manufacturability, process capability, and quality risks.
- Evaluate supplier capability and quality trends to establish development priorities for critical and strategic suppliers.
- 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.
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.
Preferred:
- ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or Certified Quality Manager (CQM), or Six Sigma Green/Black Belt certification.
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 due to space technology export regulations.
