Reports To: Quality Manager
Position Summary Help support the technologies taking us back to the Moon, expanding commercial space, and advancing the future of aerospace and defense.Join Powell Electronics and build your career in the exciting field of military electronics, space, and aerospace. This position offers the opportunity to work with innovative customers and suppliers supporting next-generation lunar missions, commercial spacecraft, advanced aircraft, drones, and missile-defense systems. Behind these technologies are high-reliability electronic components-and quality professionals who help ensure they perform as required.
As a Quality Engineer, you will help ensure that the connectors, cable assemblies, sensors, switches, relays, and related components we supply meet demanding customer specifications, contractual requirements, and applicable industry standards before shipment. Your attention to detail, technical judgment, and problem-solving skills will help protect product integrity, support customer production schedules, and contribute to applications where reliability is essential.
Working closely with the Quality Manager, customers, suppliers, and internal teams, you will conduct inspections, prepare and review customer-required documentation, coordinate source inspections, investigate nonconformances, and drive continuous improvement. You will also support the company's quality management system and compliance with applicable aerospace standards, military specifications, and customer-specific requirements.
Industry Connections, Training & Career Development Build professional relationships with the industry's leading Tier 1 military contractors, aerospace manufacturers, commercial space companies, and electronic-component suppliers. Through direct collaboration with customer and supplier quality, engineering, and manufacturing teams, you will gain exposure to demanding technical applications and develop a professional network across the aerospace and defense industry.
Powell will provide extensive training in
applicable SAE Aerospace Standards (AS), military specifications (MIL-SPEC), and high-reliability electronic-component requirements. Training will include relevant AS9100 and AS9120 quality-system requirements, AS9102 First Article Inspection practices, product inspection and verification, traceability, certificates of conformance, corrective action, and customer-specific quality documentation.
Key Responsibilities include: - Customer requirements and shipment readiness: Review purchase orders, engineering drawings, specifications, and customer quality clauses to confirm that all applicable inspection, testing, documentation, and approval requirements are satisfied before shipment. Support daily shipment commitments without compromising product conformity or required approvals.
- Product inspection and verification: Perform and document incoming, in-process, and final inspections, as applicable. Verify part numbers, drawing revisions, dimensions, workmanship, identification markings, packaging, and compliance with specified acceptance criteria.
- Quality documentation: Prepare, review, and submit customer-required documentation, including First Article Inspection Reports, mechanical inspection reports, Production Part Approval Process submissions, certificates of conformance, test reports, and supporting manufacturer certifications.
- Customer and supplier portals: Manage quality-related activities within customer and supplier portals, including documentation submissions, inspection requests, nonconformance responses, approval tracking, and timely closure of outstanding requirements.
- Source inspections: Coordinate customer and government source inspections, as required. Ensure products, inspection records, certifications, and supporting documentation are complete and available before the scheduled inspection.
- Traceability and product integrity: Verify and maintain manufacturer, lot, date-code, and serial-number traceability, as applicable. Support controls for product authenticity, suspect or counterfeit parts, electrostatic discharge, foreign object debris, and preservation of product condition.
- Quality systems and certification support: Assist the Quality Manager in maintaining the quality management system, supporting internal, supplier, customer, and certification audits, and updating procedures and inspection instructions within the company's approved scope of operations.
- Nonconformance and corrective action: Identify, document, and control nonconforming products. Investigate audit findings, customer complaints, and supplier quality issues; determine root causes; implement corrective and preventive measures; and verify effectiveness. Escalate unresolved issues and prevent unauthorized product release.
- Quality data and continuous improvement: Collect, analyze, and report quality performance data, including inspection results, customer rejections, supplier defects, documentation accuracy, and corrective-action closure. Recommend improvements that reduce errors, prevent recurrence, and improve shipment readiness.
Aerospace, Space, and Military Standards Knowledge Candidates should demonstrate working knowledge of relevant standards and the ability to apply the revisions specified by customer contracts and the company's quality management system.
Standard or Specification Relevant Knowledge and Application SAE AS9100 Quality management system requirements for aviation, space, and defense organizations; experience supporting implementation, compliance, and audit readiness.
SAE AS9120 and ISO 9001 Quality management requirements applicable to aerospace, space, and defense distribution. AS9120 incorporates ISO 9001 requirements and additional industry-specific requirements.
SAE AS9102 Preparation, review, and documentation of aerospace First Article Inspections when required.
SAE AS9145 Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), where applicable to the product and customer contract.
SAE AS6496 Counterfeit electronic-parts prevention and control requirements applicable to authorized/franchised distribution.
Applicable military specifications, including MIL-DTL-38999 Interpretation and verification of product-specific requirements for high-reliability electrical connectors and related components.
IPC/WHMA-A-620, where applicable Cable and wire-harness assembly requirements and acceptance criteria, including applicable space and military addenda when contractually required.
Education and Experience - Bachelor's degree in engineering, quality, electronics, manufacturing, or a related technical discipline preferred; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
- Experience in quality inspection, auditing, testing, or quality engineering within aerospace, space, military electronics, electronic-component distribution, or electromechanical assembly preferred.
- Experience interpreting engineering drawings, technical specifications, customer quality requirements, and manufacturer inspection or test documentation.
- Demonstrated experience with root-cause analysis, corrective-action programs, inspection equipment, and quality-data analysis.
- Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office and electronic document management. Experience with SAP, Net-Inspect, or similar customer quality portals is a plus.
Preferred Professional Certifications and Training ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) certification is preferred. These are individual professional credentials, separate from an organization's quality management system certification.
AS9100 or AS9120 internal- or lead-auditor training, together with practical experience supporting certification and surveillance audits, is desirable. Relevant first-article inspection, APQP/PPAP, and electronic-assembly inspection training is also preferred.
Key Compentencies Exceptional attention to detail; clear verbal and written communication; sound technical judgment; structured problem-solving; accurate data collection and analysis; effective planning and prioritization; customer responsiveness; cross-functional teamwork; and the ability to meet urgent delivery requirements while maintaining quality, traceability, and documentation integrity.
Interested qualified applicants should send their current resume to
[email protected] .
