Head of Aircraft Quality (R6146)
Shield AI · Seattle, WA
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Quality
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 24 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level quality role at Shield AI (aerospace & defense) in Seattle, WA. You’ll own product and process quality across prototype, pre-series and production builds, ensuring that lessons from development become effective controls as the program scales.
- They ask for
- 10+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Lean, Root cause, ISO 9001, AS9100, Supplier quality, Tooling
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Quality Engineer roles in Washington: typical posted base $100k–$135k.
Median of the low and high ends of 17 live postings that list pay, out of 26 quality engineer openings in Washington, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Washington plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 25 other live quality postings in Washington.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (10+ vs 3+)
Typical $100k–$135k, from 17 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 3+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Root cause 100%
- ✓ Lean 88%
- ✓ AS9100 58%
- ✓ New product launch 58%
- Six Sigma 54%
- ✓ Supplier quality 54%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
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
Pick 2–3 people on the Quality team at Shield AI
We found 1 person at this company and state: 1 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 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.
Write to Nick → (free) - 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
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
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: Shield AI in Seattle
16 other open roles at this site · 1 person we found in quality roles at Shield AI.
- Senior Engineer, Reliability (R6440) · Reliability · Senior
- Compensation Director, Aircraft Engineering and Manufacturing (R6270) · Manufacturing · Director+
- Director, Avionics Mechanical Engineering · Reliability · Director+
- Head of Aircraft Production (R6147) · Production · Director+
- Staff Electrical Specialist - Hardware Test (R6122) · Reliability · Senior
- Engineer I, Quality (R5976) · Quality
Full description from Shield AIAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
into tooling, work instructions and test plans.
- ✓Establish configuration and traceability controls with Engineering and Production, ensuring each aircraft’s build status, deviations and nonconformances are understood and documented.
- ✓Capture lessons from build, integration and test issues, and drive their incorporation into design changes, manufacturing processes and future builds.
- ✓Define quality readiness criteria for pre-series builds and production launch, validating inspection methods, process controls, workforce competence and closure of significant risks.
requirements
before release.
- ✓Use digital quality tools and manufacturing data to strengthen traceability, expose trends and reduce manual administration as production scales.
- ✓Give leadership a clear view of quality performance, product risks and readiness; escalate or stop affected work when
requirements
or product integrity cannot be assured.
Required qualifications
- ✓Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quality or a related technical field.
- ✓10+ years of leadership experience in quality, product assurance or reliability within aerospace, defense technology or high-reliability manufacturing.
- ✓Demonstrated success leading quality through prototype or new product introduction and into sustained production.
- ✓Proven ability to build and scale quality teams and systems while supporting fast-paced development and manufacturing operations.
- ✓Deep expertise in containment, root cause analysis, MRB, corrective and preventive action, and continuous improvement.
- ✓Strong working knowledge of AS9100 and ISO 9001, with practical implementation and audit leadership experience.
- ✓Experience with complex assembly, inspection, configuration control, traceability and product acceptance.
- ✓Ability to influence and challenge senior leaders constructively across Engineering, Production and Supply Chain.
- ✓A hands-on leadership style and sound technical judgment, balancing timely execution with clear quality standards and accountability.
Preferred qualifications
- ✓Direct experience taking a new aircraft program from prototype through production launch and rate ramp.
- ✓Experience establishing quality capability at a new manufacturing facility or
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Shield AI
Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Our products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies.
Job Description
We’re looking for a hands-on quality leader to take X-BAT from early prototype builds through production launch and into rate production.
You will build the aircraft quality organization and establish the quality capability for our new Seattle-area production facility, X-Forge 3. You’ll own product and process quality across prototype, pre-series and production builds, ensuring that lessons from development become effective controls as the program scales.
This role owns the Quality Management System, quality engineering, inspection, nonconformance management and audit readiness for the X-BAT manufacturing operation. You’ll partner with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Production and Supply Chain to prevent defects, resolve recurring problems and deliver aircraft that meet technical, customer and applicable regulatory requirements.
We need a technically credible leader who can build practical, scalable systems, make sound decisions under schedule pressure and challenge senior stakeholders constructively while keeping execution moving.
Build quality into prototype and launch
- •Lead quality planning and execution for X-BAT prototype and development builds, establishing appropriate inspection, test evidence and build records as designs evolve.
- •Partner with Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering to identify product and process risks, define critical controls and build quality
Establish the Seattle quality operation
- •Recruit, develop and lead the quality team, building the technical capability and frontline support needed as aircraft production grows.
- •Establish and maintain a lean, effective QMS for X-Forge 3, aligned with Shield AI’s wider quality framework, AS9100, ISO 9001 and applicable customer requirements.
- •Lead certification readiness and internal, customer and external audits, driving timely closure and sustained effectiveness of corrective actions.
- •Set up receiving, in-process and final inspection capability, including measurement equipment, calibration, training and quality records, in partnership with relevant functions.
Deliver quality at rate
- •Own production quality performance, using first-pass yield, defects, rework and escapes to focus action where it improves aircraft quality and production flow.
- •Lead containment, root cause analysis and corrective action for manufacturing quality issues, with clear functional ownership and verification that fixes prevent recurrence.
- •Own the nonconformance and MRB process, ensuring disposition decisions follow approved technical authority and that affected hardware remains controlled.
- •Partner with Supply Chain and supplier quality teams to resolve incoming quality issues and improve supplier performance before defects disrupt aircraft builds.
- •Work with Engineering and Production to define acceptance evidence and ensure aircraft meet approved