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Director of Supplier Quality

BAE Systems · Fort Wayne, IN

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Level
Director+
Team
Quality
Base pay
$153k–$261k
Travel
25%
Degree
Required (or equivalent experience)
Experience asked
10+ years
Certification
Black Belt preferred
Industry
Aerospace & defense
Posted
Today

The role in 30 seconds

A director-level quality role at BAE Systems (aerospace & defense) in Fort Wayne, IN. Engage/lead in all supply chain discussions to ensure proper selection of sourcing (throughout entire product life cycle) to mitigate risk and reduce overall cost of ownership of the parts.

They ask for
10+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience) · Black Belt preferred
Tools it names
Lean, Six Sigma, Black Belt, Root cause, SPC, FMEA
Base pay
$153k–$261k
Day to day
some off-shift / weekend coverage · about 25% travel

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026

Quality Engineer roles in Indiana: typical posted base $98k–$146k. This one lists $153k–$261k.

Median of the low and high ends of 14 live postings that list pay, out of 48 quality engineer openings in Indiana, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

Indiana plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 47 other live quality postings in Indiana.

Base pay
About 71% above similar roles

Typical $97k–$145k, from 13 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
More than usual (10+ vs 5+)

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • ✓ Root cause 67%
  • ✓ SPC 46%
  • ✓ FMEA 42%
  • ✓ Control plans 40%
  • ✓ Supplier quality 35%
  • New product launch 33%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

It asks for 10+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Off-shift / weekend coverage

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

  1. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Quality team at BAE Systems

    We found 4 people at this company and state: 4 in this kind of role. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓

  2. 2

    Send a short, curious note

    One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.

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  3. 3

    Turn a reply into a short call

    Questions worth asking about this team:

    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • Which standards drive the work here: ISO 13485, IATF 16949, AS9100?
    • How much of the job is customer complaints versus prevention?
    • How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
    • The posting says about 25% travel. Between which sites?
  4. 4

    Apply with someone vouching for you

    If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.

  5. 5

    Bring proof to the interview

    One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

This plant: BAE Systems in Fort Wayne

7 other open roles at this site · 4 people we found in quality roles at BAE Systems.

All 8 roles at BAE Systems →
Full description from BAE SystemsAs posted on their careers site.Show

requirements

into a robust supplier quality executable plan that prevents disruptions and customer defects. In support of your supplier quality strategy, you will closely partner with the core teams of the sector supplier quality function to ensure the supply base is assessed, qualified, and consistently delivering a quality product. This will be a highly visible and key role to delivering value for the business. This individual must be a self-starting leader who can effectively partner with multiple functional organizations, internally, and suppliers, externally for success.

Key Responsibilities

  • ◆Develop, communicate and drive a proactive Supplier Quality program for the business
  • ◆Measure, maintain, analyze and communicate all Supplier Quality metrics, risks, and planned actions, and drive continuous improvements efforts at suppliers for improvement (CAR meetings, SRB, Mitigation meetings, etc.)
  • ◆Partner with the Supplier Chain function to enforce contract/purchase order requirements, assess and develop suppliers, and drive robust RCCA with suppliers
  • ◆Investigate, evaluate, and resolve supplier quality problems by analyzing defect trends, issuing SCARs, implementing improvement plans, conducting audits, and leading continuous improvement projects to drive a zero defects mindset
  • ◆Responsible for developing a collaborative environment with suppliers, engineering, program quality, supplier chain, and operation leaders to resolve supplier issues
  • ◆Engage/lead in all supply chain discussions to ensure proper selection of sourcing (throughout entire product life cycle) to mitigate risk and reduce overall cost of ownership of the parts
  • ◆Partner with the sector Supplier Quality team to engage key supplier’s management in a business review process to monitor metrics, identify trends and implement programs to assure demonstrated performance improvements
  • ◆Manages and develops a high performing team of Supplier Quality Engineers who can build relationships, interpret contractual and product requirements, and assist with flow down to suppliers
  • ◆Owns and manages the Supplier Quality budget
  • ◆Required travel of approximately 25%

Required Education, Experience, & Skills

  • ✓Bachelor’s degree in technical field and 10+ years of experience or 14+ years of experience in lieu of degree
  • ✓Experience in quality assurance/management within a regulated industry (aerospace, defense, medical), or the overall equivalent
  • ✓Strong technical knowledge of quality science tools and methodologies, including statistical process control, APQP (PFMEA, Control Plans), and robust root cause analysis
  • ✓Demonstrated success managing supplier improvements through audits and strong CAPA processes
  • ✓Strong and demonstrated communication skills (written, verbal, visual) and interpersonal skills (listening and communicating within group working environment).
  • ✓Organizational skills – can marshal resources to get things done, orchestrate multiple activities at once to accomplish a goal, use matrixed resources effectively and efficiently, and arrange information in a useful manner.

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

  • ✓Engineering or Technical Bachelor's Degree
  • ✓Master’s degree
  • ✓Strong knowledge of AS9100/AS9102/AS9145
  • ✓Supply Chain management experience
  • ✓Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt or Black Belt Certified
  • ✓ASQ Certification

Pay Information

Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.

Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and an

Show full description ↓

Job Description You don’t see it, but it’s there. Our employees work on the world’s most advanced electronics – from saving emissions in the City of Lights to powering the Mars Rover to protecting the F-35 fighter jet. At Electronic Systems, you’ll be among the brightest minds, working on the aerospace and defense industry’s most difficult problems. Drawing strength from our differences, we’re innovating for the future. And you can, too. We put our customers first – exemplified by our missions: “We Protect Those Who Protect Us®” and “We Innovate For Those Who Move The World®.” Sound like a team you want to be a part of?

Come build your career with BAE Systems at Fort Wayne, IN. Our flexible work environment provides you with a chance to change the world without giving up your personal life. Fort Wayne is centrally located between Indianapolis, Detroit, and Chicago for nearby cultural offerings and professional sports. It is the perfect size city; having enough selections of a big city yet small enough for convenience.

The Successful Candidate

BAE Systems is seeking a Director of Supplier Quality, who will report to the Controls and Avionics Solutions (CAS) Senior Director of Quality and dotted line to the sector Senior Director of Supplier Quality. This role will be accountable for developing, maintaining, and optimizing Supplier Quality assurance strategy, reducing supplier quality risks and ensuring conforming products from the supply base. You will need to build strong relationships with the supply chain, operations, programs, and other quality functions to understand and translate

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