About the Role Otto Aerospace is seeking a Director of Product and Supplier Quality to lead the execution of product quality and supplier quality activities across the organization.
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), this role is responsible for ensuring quality requirements are effectively implemented across supplier development, procurement, manufacturing, assembly, inspection, test, and aircraft build activities.
The Director serves as the operational leader for quality execution within Integrated Operations and is accountable to the COO for achieving quality performance outcomes that support program execution, certification, and production readiness.
This role maintains a strong partnership with the Chief Safety and Quality Officer (CSQO) and operates under a dotted-line relationship for compliance with company policies, procedures, regulatory requirements, and Quality Management System (QMS) requirements established by the Safety and Quality Assurance Office.
Role Clarification: The Director owns execution of product and supplier quality activities. The CSQO retains ownership of enterprise governance, quality systems, regulatory interface, and enterprise-level quality oversight.
What You'll Do Quality Leadership and Strategy
- Lead execution of product quality and supplier quality activities across the organization
- Establish departmental objectives, priorities, staffing plans, and operational performance targets aligned with company goals
- Build, lead, and develop a scalable quality execution organization capable of supporting aircraft development, certification, and production
- Drive continuous improvement focused on defect prevention, process capability, and supplier performance
- Represent Product and Supplier Quality within the Integrated Operations leadership team
- Utilize enterprise quality data systems, dashboards, and performance metrics established by the Safety and Quality Assurance Office to manage operational performance
- Ensure personnel are trained and qualified in accordance with training programs and standards defined by the Safety and Quality Assurance Office
Operational Quality Execution
- Execute product quality activities including incoming inspection, in-process inspection, final inspection, first article inspection, conformity, and nonconforming material control
- Integrate quality requirements into manufacturing planning, production execution, inspection processes, and aircraft assembly operations
- Monitor operational quality performance for product and supplier execution and drive corrective actions when performance objectives are not achieved, in alignment with enterprise performance frameworks
- Support flight-test vehicle assembly, certification activities, and production readiness initiatives
Supplier Quality Leadership
- Accountable for supplier quality performance within assigned programs and suppliers
- Execute supplier qualification, surveillance, and performance management activities in accordance with approved supplier quality processes and governance frameworks
- Partner with Supply Chain and Engineering to ensure supplier capability, product conformity, and risk mitigation
- Drive supplier development and improvement initiatives across the supply base
Quality Compliance and Governance
- Execute product and supplier quality activities in accordance with approved company procedures, regulatory requirements, and QMS standards
- Maintain dotted-line accountability to the CSQO for compliance with quality system, regulatory, and governance requirements
- Support internal audits, external audits, FAA assessments, and certification activities as directed by the Safety and Quality Assurance Office
- Execute corrective actions and nonconformance resolution in accordance with the enterprise corrective action system
- Escalate compliance concerns, systemic risks, and significant quality issues through established governance channels.
Boundary of Responsibility: The Director does not own Quality Management System governance, audit programs, regulatory interface, or enterprise quality system frameworks, which are the responsibility of the Safety and Quality Assurance Office.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Partner with Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Flight Test, Program Management, and Certification teams to support program execution
- Provide quality leadership across product development, supplier selection, manufacturing, assembly, testing, and certification activities
- Support organizational readiness for FAA production approval, AS9100 certification, and production scaling.
Organization Development
- Lead and develop Product Quality and Supplier Quality organizations
- Initially supervise the Supplier Quality Manager and perform Product Quality Manager responsibilities until the role is established
- Build and scale the Product Quality organization, including future leadership and technical roles
- Establish talent development, succession planning, and organizational growth strategies.
Who You Are Education
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Operations, or related technical discipline required.
Experience - 15+ years of progressive aerospace quality experience.
- 8+ years of leadership experience managing quality organizations.
- Demonstrated experience leading both supplier quality and product quality functions.
- Experience supporting aircraft development programs, certification programs, manufacturing operations, or production environments.
- Experience working within FAA-regulated and AS9100-based quality systems.
Required Skills & Attributes - Strong leadership and organizational development capabilities.
- Thorough understanding of aerospace quality systems, supplier quality management, inspection systems, conformity processes, and nonconformance management.
- Working knowledge of FAA certification and production approval environments.
- Strong understanding of AS9100, AS9102, APQP, PPAP, FAI, root cause analysis, and corrective action methodologies.
- Ability to balance operational execution with compliance and governance requirements.
- Excellent communication, influence, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to operate effectively within a fast-paced startup environment while driving organizational maturity and accountability.
Where You'll Be This role will be remote with 25% travel until late 2026, at which time it will transition to full onsite in Jacksonville, FL
Benefits Otto Aerospace provides a robust benefits package that includes competitive salaries, subsidized medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) opportunities, paid short term disability, voluntary long-term disability and additional term life, with 15 paid days off, 13 paid company holidays, and paid sick leave. Depending on seniority and role, some roles qualify for potential bonuses and stock options.
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