Senior Principal Quality Engineer

***Active DoD Security Clearance Preferred*** ***US Citizenship Required*** ***NO VISA SUPPORT or C2C*** Primary Function Long Wave Inc. is seeking a Senior Principal Quality Engineer – Program Quality Assurance (PRQA) to support program execution, contractual quality compliance, and Quality Management System (QMS) activities within an aerospace and defense environment. Essential Responsibilities Program Quality Assurance & Contractual Compliance - Serve as lead PRQA for assigned programs, providing quality oversight throughout program development, production, testing, integration, and acceptance. - Review and analyze contracts, Statements of Work (SOW), Supplier Quality Assurance Requirements (SQAR), purchase orders, specifications, and other customer requirements to identify quality obligations, compliance gaps, and risks. - Develop and maintain program quality plans, contractual quality requirements matrices, compliance documentation, and associated program quality records. - Identify contractual quality concerns and coordinate recommended clarifications, exceptions, or resolutions with Contracts, Program Management, and other responsible organizations. - Coordinate with program and functional teams to ensure quality requirements are incorporated into program planning, schedules, technical activities, and deliverables. - Review technical documentation, design changes, inspection and test requirements, and contractual deliverables for applicable quality compliance. - Support program design reviews, technical reviews, production readiness activities, verification, testing, and customer acceptance. - Coordinate applicable First Article Inspection (FAI), source inspection, product verification, and acceptance requirements with responsible functional organizations. - Support supplier quality oversight, contractual quality flowdowns, nonconformance resolution, and corrective action activities in coordination with Supply Chain Management and Hardware Quality Assurance. - Review and coordinate Quality Assurance inputs and approvals for contractual deliverables, including applicable SDRLs/CDRLs. - Identify, document, communicate, and track program quality risks, nonconformances, corrective actions, and compliance concerns through resolution. - Support nonconformance reporting, Material Review Board (MRB) activities, root cause analysis, and corrective and preventive action (CAPA) processes. - Interface with customer and government quality representatives to support program reviews, inspections, audits, and quality issue resolution. - Develop and report program quality metrics, compliance status, risks, trends, and corrective action performance. - Serve as QA Control Account Manager (CAM) for assigned program, supporting budget and resource planning, ETC/EAC forecasting, cost and schedule performance monitoring, variance analysis, and applicable EVMS reporting requirements. Senior Technical Quality Leadership - Serve as a senior technical resource for complex aerospace and defense quality engineering, customer quality requirements, and compliance matters across the organization. - Provide technical guidance and recommendations to Quality Assurance, Engineering, Program Management, Operations, Supply Chain Management, and other functional organizations. - Lead or support complex cross-functional quality investigations, risk assessments, and improvement initiatives. - Evaluate existing quality processes, systems, and controls; recommend and implement improvements to strengthen compliance, effectiveness, and operational performance. - Provide technical mentoring, coaching, and knowledge transfer to quality personnel and other functional stakeholders. - Advise Quality leadership on complex quality concerns, technical risks, and opportunities for improvement. QMS Compliance & Continuous Improvement - Support implementation, sustainment, and continual improvement of the AS9100/ISO 9001 Quality Management System. - Support QMS process improvements, digital quality management applications, and associated workflows, including TipQA/TipSFE, as assigned. - Participate in internal, customer, and certification audits, including objective evidence reviews, corrective actions, and follow-up activities. - Support integration of program-specific contractual quality requirements into established QMS processes and controls. - Perform other assigned QA and QMS support activities based on department priorities. Work Conditions - Remote or on-site work arrangement based on business needs and position requirements. - Occasional travel may be required in support of program, customer, supplier, QMS, audit, or inspection activities. - Remote employees must be able to perform assigned duties and access authorized company systems in accordance with company and contractual requirements. Minimum Qualifications - U.S. Citizenship required. - Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality Assurance, Manufacturing, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline with a minimum of 12 years of relevant experience; graduate degree with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience; or 16 years of directly related experience in lieu of a degree. - Mastery-level knowledge of quality engineering, program quality assurance, contractual quality requirements, and related disciplines. - Extensive experience in aerospace, defense, or similarly regulated industries performing quality engineering, program quality assurance, or related quality functions. - Demonstrated experience reviewing, interpreting, and implementing complex contractual, customer, technical, and regulatory quality requirements. - Advanced knowledge of AS9100 and/or ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems and applicable aerospace/defense quality practices. - Experience developing or implementing program quality plans, contractual requirements matrices, compliance verification activities, and associated quality documentation. - Demonstrated ability to independently assess complex quality issues, identify compliance risks, recommend solutions, and coordinate resolution across functional organizations. - Experience with nonconformance management, root cause analysis, corrective action, and quality risk management. - Ability to provide technical leadership, influence stakeholders, and communicate complex quality matters with management, customers, and cross-functional teams. - Strong analytical, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills. Preferred Qualifications - Direct experience serving as a lead Program Quality Engineer or Program Quality Assurance representative supporting aerospace/defense programs. - Experience supporting major defense contractors, Department of Defense programs, or government contractual quality requirements. - Experience performing detailed contractual quality requirements analysis, developing compliance matrices, and establishing program-specific quality controls. - Experience with AS9102 First Article Inspection, customer/government source inspection, product acceptance, and supplier quality requirements. - Knowledge of AS9145/APQP/PPAP, configuration management, engineering change control, and technical data requirements. - Experience supporting complex quality investigations, RCCA/CAPA activities, and cross-functional process improvement initiatives. - Experience implementing, sustaining, or improving AS9100-certified Quality Management Systems. - Experience implementing or supporting electronic QMS applications, including TipQA, TipSFE, or similar systems. - Experience with CAM, program budgeting, ETC/EAC forecasting, or Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS) in a DoD program environment. - ASQ or other relevant professional Quality certification, including CQE, CQA, CRE, CMQ/OE, or equivalent. - Demonstrated experience providing technical mentoring and guidance to quality engineering personnel. - Active or previously held Secret security clearance. Position Benefits: As a full-time employee of Long Wave, you are eligible for our benefits package including: - Competitive Salary - Medical, Dental & Vision coverage - 401k - Educational Assistance - Life Insurance - Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions - Paid Time Off - This position’s standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off. EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability Originally posted on Himalayas