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Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Supplier Quality Engineer to join its Supply Chain team at the Optical Systems facility in Chantilly, VA. This role is critical to ensuring quality requirements for procured parts, services, and processes across Rocket Lab's rocket and satellite programs.
You will serve as a liaison between internal customers and suppliers, translating technical requirements into clear specifications that suppliers can achieve. Your responsibilities include establishing supplier quality systems and processes, generating performance metrics and visibility tools, and driving continuous improvement of purchased product quality.
Key duties include performing on-site and remote supplier audits, creating quality control plans and standards, managing non-conformance reports and corrective action plans (CAPA), identifying process failures, and deploying PFMEA tools and techniques. You will investigate root causes of quality issues, support suppliers in scaling production processes, and verify corrective action implementations. You'll liaise between suppliers, development, production, and senior management to balance competing priorities and drive cost reduction and process efficiency.
Required qualifications: 5+ years as a quality engineer in defense or aerospace; strong understanding and practical application of regulatory standards including AS9100, ISO9001, ISO13485, and IATF 16949; Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, or Mechatronic Engineering.
Desirable experience includes work in regulated industries (aerospace, medical, automotive), EEE parts requirements, IPC J-STD/IPC A-610 standards, KPI development, root cause investigation methodologies (8D, 5 Why's, Fishbone diagrams), ability to interpret engineering drawings and geometric dimensions, and independent work capability.
