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Director of Quality, Site

GKN Aerospace · Tallassee, AL

Apply on GKN Aerospace ↗
Level
Director+
Team
Quality
Degree
Required (or equivalent experience)
Experience asked
10+ years
Industry
Aerospace & defense
Posted
7 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A director-level quality role at GKN Aerospace (aerospace & defense) in Tallassee, AL. In this role, you will drive the site's quality transformation strategy, advancing from compliance to performance excellence.

They ask for
10+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
Tools it names
Lean, Six Sigma, APQP, ISO 9001, AS9100

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

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

Quality Engineer roles in Alabama: typical posted base $88k–$150k.

Median of the low and high ends of 4 live postings that list pay, out of 22 quality engineer openings in Alabama, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

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

How this role compares

Against 21 other live quality postings in Alabama.

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

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • Root cause 64%
  • ✓ AS9100 36%
  • Team leadership 36%
  • ✓ Six Sigma 36%
  • ✓ Lean 32%
  • New product launch 32%

✓ = 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

Promotion path mentioned

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 GKN Aerospace

    Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find 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.

  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 did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  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: GKN Aerospace in Tallassee

3 other open roles at this site.

Full description from GKN AerospaceAs posted on their careers site.Show

Job Summary

As Site Quality Director, you will be more than the leader of the Quality Management System. You will be the architect of a culture where quality is embedded in every process, every decision, and every product delivered to our customers.

In this role, you will drive the site's quality transformation strategy, advancing from compliance to performance excellence. You will champion Zero Defect thinking, operationalize customer and regulatory requirements, strengthen process discipline, and lead initiatives that prevent escapes before they occur. Through standardization, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision making, you will improve customer satisfaction, reduce the Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), and elevate overall business performance.

Working across engineering, operations, and leadership teams, you will build organizational capability, drive robust problem solving, and create a culture where quality is a competitive advantage.

If you are passionate about leading change, developing high-performing teams, and delivering world-class aerospace quality, we want to hear from you.

Job

requirements

are effectively translated into processes, operational controls, training, and performance measures that drive consistent execution and defect prevention.

  • ✓Establish and maintain information transparency through common quality data, meaningful performance measures, and risk-based insights that support informed decision making.
  • ✓Monitor and improve Quality KPIs, including Quality Escapes, Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), corrective action effectiveness, process capability, and customer performance.
  • ✓Analyze QMS/BMS performance, trends, risks, and improvement opportunities to support management reviews and business decision-making.
  • ✓Promote standardized quality methods and common approaches that enable consistency, visibility, and scalable performance improvement.

requirements

are effectively deployed, maintained, and verified throughout the product lifecycle.

Job

Qualifications

  • ✓Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering, Business, or Quality Management—or equivalent experience.
  • ✓10+ years in quality leadership within aerospace or complex manufacturing.
  • ✓Working knowedge in ISO 9001, AS9100, and aviation regulatory standards.
  • ✓Strong command of Lean, APQP, and risk-based thinking.
  • ✓Proven audit leadership using IAQG OASIS and Nadcap eAuditnet databases.
  • ✓Exceptional communication and influence skills in a matrixed environment.
  • ✓US Person with ability to work under ITAR compliance standards
Show full description ↓

Fantastic challenges. Amazing opportunities.

GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! Fuelled by great people whose expertise and creativity sets the standards in our industry, we’re inspired by the opportunities to innovate and break boundaries. We’re proud to play a part in protecting the world’s democracies. And we’re committed to putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do, opening up and protecting our planet. With over 16,000 employees across 32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.6bn in 2025. There are no limits to where you can take your career.

Leadership

  • •Partner with site leadership to foster a strong Quality culture, providing governance, assurance, and strategic leadership to embed quality as a competitive advantage across the business.
  • •Lead the site's transformation journey by aligning customer expectations, business objectives, and quality priorities into a shared operating vision across all functions.
  • •Coach leaders and teams on GKN Aerospace Global Standards while building quality capability, operational discipline, and ownership for quality at every level.
  • •Manage Quality resources, organizational capability development, and delegated Quality authorities to ensure effective execution and continual improvement.
  • •Champion a culture where problems are surfaced early, quality is owned by the business, and every issue creates an opportunity for learning and improvement.
  • •Represent the site in all Quality-related matters with customers, certifying bodies, aerospace authorities, and internal stakeholders.

Systems, Performance & Connected Information

  • •Lead the planning, deployment, governance, and continual improvement of the site's QMS/BMS, ensuring compliance with industry standards, aviation regulations, customer requirements, and APMS.
  • •Ensure customer, regulatory, and business

Governance, Risk, Compliance & Learning

  • •Plan and execute internal, customer, and third-party audits, ensuring effective resolution of findings while leveraging audit outcomes to strengthen process maturity and organizational performance.
  • •Lead product and process audits, risk assessments, and opportunity analyses to ensure product safety, conformity, and operational effectiveness.
  • •Drive quality maturity by ensuring lessons learned, corrective actions, best practices, and problem-solving knowledge are effectively shared across functions and sites.
  • •Establish and maintain Connected Governance through consistent standards, risk-based decision making, accountability, and effective oversight of quality processes.
  • •Manage systemic quality risks, ensuring emerging issues are identified, escalated, and mitigated using structured methodologies.
  • •Hold delegated authority for product compliance and approval of regulatory and customer-required conformance documentation.
  • •Ensure customer, regulatory, and certification

Preferred

  • +Experience with AS13100 and aviation design/manufacturing regulations (Part 21G, Part J, Part 145).
  • +Six Sigma certification and continuous improvement leadership.
  • +Familiarity with IAQG SCMH, APQC frameworks, and AATT/IRCA AS9100/AS9110 training.
  • +Commercial acumen and stakeholder engagement experience.

We’ll offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities. This

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