Director of Quality Assurance

Description

Director of Quality Assurance

Location: Coral Springs, FL
Department: Quality Assurance
Reports To: Executive VP

Job Description

The Director of Quality Assurance is responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight of the Quality Assurance function, ensuring the organization maintains the highest standards of quality, regulatory compliance, safety, and operational excellence.

This position leads the development, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the company’s Quality Management System (QMS) and ensures compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, customer requirements, company procedures, and AS9110/AS9100 standards.

The Director of Quality Assurance partners closely with Operations, Engineering, Technical Training, Supply Chain, and other business functions to promote a strong quality culture, identify and mitigate risk, improve processes, and ensure the continued effectiveness of the organization’s quality systems.

Requirements

Responsibilities

• Provide      strategic leadership and direction for the Quality Assurance organization      and Quality Management System.
• Ensure      company processes, procedures, work instructions, and quality systems      comply with applicable FAA requirements, AS9110/AS9100 standards, customer      requirements, and company policies.
• Lead      the development, implementation, monitoring, and continuous improvement of      the company’s QMS.
• Establish      quality objectives, performance indicators, and reporting mechanisms to      evaluate organizational quality performance.
• Oversee      internal, supplier, customer, regulatory, and third-party audits and      ensure appropriate preparation, execution, response, and follow-up.
• Lead      and support corrective and preventive action activities, including root      cause analysis, containment actions, corrective actions, and effectiveness      verification.
• Identify      quality trends, systemic issues, and opportunities for continuous      improvement through the collection and analysis of quality data.
• Ensure      appropriate investigation and resolution of quality escapes,      nonconformances, audit findings, and process deficiencies.
• Provide      leadership and oversight for supplier quality performance and collaborate      with Supply Chain and Operations to address supplier-related quality      concerns.
• Ensure      repair and production processes are properly evaluated and monitored for      compliance, reliability, and effectiveness.
• Partner      with Engineering and Operations to develop sustainable solutions to      recurring quality and process issues.
• Ensure      quality procedures and work instructions are properly documented,      maintained, controlled, and aligned with regulatory and corporate      requirements.
• Provide      executive leadership with quality metrics, audit results, risk      assessments, trends, and recommendations for improvement.
• Promote      a proactive quality and compliance culture throughout the organization.
• Lead,      coach, develop, and evaluate Quality Assurance personnel while      establishing clear expectations and accountability.
• Support      regulatory authorities, customers, and external auditors during      inspections and audits.
• Collaborate      with Technical Training to ensure personnel understand applicable quality      procedures, regulatory requirements, and organizational standards.
• Participate      in management reviews and provide recommendations regarding QMS      performance, organizational risks, resource requirements, and improvement      opportunities.
• Lead      cross-functional quality initiatives and ensure corrective actions are      completed within established timelines.
• Serve      as a key Quality representative in organizational and leadership meetings.
• Perform      additional responsibilities as required to support organizational quality,      compliance, and operational objectives.

Experience and Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Aviation,      Business, or a related technical field preferred. Equivalent combination      of education and relevant aviation/MRO quality experience may be      considered.
2. Minimum 8–10 years of progressive experience in      Quality Assurance, Quality Engineering, Quality Management Systems, or      aviation regulatory compliance, with demonstrated leadership experience.
3. Previous experience in an aviation engine MRO or      FAA-regulated repair station environment strongly preferred.
4. Strong working knowledge of AS9110/AS9100 Quality      Management Systems and auditing requirements.
5. AS9110/AS9100 Auditor or Lead Auditor certification      preferred. The source JD currently requires AS9110/9100 Auditor      certification for the Senior Quality Engineer. Senior Quality Engineer JD
6. Strong knowledge of root cause analysis, corrective      action, risk management, process improvement, and quality performance      methodologies.
7. Demonstrated experience leading internal and external      audits and interacting with customers, auditors, suppliers, and regulatory      authorities.
8. Proven ability to lead and develop teams and      influence cross-functional stakeholders at all levels of an organization.
9. Excellent leadership, communication, interpersonal,      problem-solving, and negotiation skills.
10. Strong analytical skills with the ability to      interpret quality data, identify trends, assess organizational risk, and      present recommendations to executive leadership.

Leadership Competencies

The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Quality      and regulatory leadership
• Strategic      decision-making
• Continuous      improvement mindset
• Accountability      and integrity
• Root      cause and problem-solving expertise
• Risk-based      thinking
• Cross-functional      collaboration
• Effective      communication and professional assertiveness
• Team      development and coaching
• Strong      situational awareness
• Ability      to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced MRO environment

Preferred Aviation/MRO Experience

Experience supporting an FAA Part 145 repair station, particularly within an aircraft engine MRO environment, is highly desirable. Experience working with regulatory audits, customer audits, quality escapes, corrective action systems, supplier quality, technical documentation, and engine repair processes is preferred.

One recommendation: because this is a QA Director rather than a Senior Quality Engineer, I would make the FAA Part 145/regulatory leadership component much stronger than it is in the original JD. The original document only explicitly states that engine MRO experience is preferred, while the Director should ideally have demonstrated responsibility for compliance within a regulated aviation maintenance environment.