Lead Quality Engineer

About ILC Dover

ILC Dover is a global leader in engineered products that protect people, products, and brands. From space exploration and defense systems to pharmaceutical and industrial applications, ILC Dover delivers mission?critical solutions where performance, reliability, and safety matter most. ILC Dover offers competitive compensation and benefits within a collaborative
, engineering?driven culture that values innovation, teamwork, and technical excellence.

Job Summary:

The Lead Quality Engineer is responsible for leading quality engineering activities ensuring that products, processes, and systems consistently meet customer requirements, regulatory standards, and company quality objectives. This role supports the development and production of spacesuits, space systems, and engineered solutions. This role ensures compliance with customer, regulatory, and internal quality requirements by driving product and process quality initiatives, monitoring manufacturing performance, leading root cause and corrective action efforts, and supporting product acceptance activities. The Lead Quality Engineer serves as a technical leader and subject matter expert, partnering with engineering, manufacturing, and program teams to ensure product conformity, operational excellence, and on-time delivery of high-quality products. This role includes providing customer coordination efforts on significant product issues to ensure customer satisfaction. Additionally, this position provides guidance and mentorship to quality personnel, supports audit and First Article Inspection (FAI) activities, and fosters a culture of quality, accountability, customer focus, and continuous improvement across the organization.

*Essential Job Duties:

• Drive quality strategy by providing direction, mentoring, and coaching to Quality Engineers and Quality Technicians.
  
• Develops and maintains quality plans to ensure effective implementation for programs.
  
• Assign and prioritize daily workload for Quality Engineers and Quality Technicians.
  
• Monitor key quality metrics and report performance to leadership.
  
• Facilitate risks assessments and FMEA activities, implementing controls to prevent customer escapes and recurring defects.
  
• Lead investigations into significant quality issues, escapes, and customer complaints.
  
• Drive process efficiency and resource optimization by identifying opportunities to streamline workflows while maintaining compliance with quality and customer requirements.
  
• Defines and specifies activities, processes, and standards to fulfill the quality requirements for the spacesuit, space systems, defense, and engineered solutions.
  
• Builds and maintains the infrastructure and systems necessary to consistently ensure the timely delivery of quality products.
  
• Audits, monitors, and determines the quality of internal and external manufacturing processes and/or outputs against defined internal and regulatory standards.
  
• Reports and troubleshoots manufacturing process deviations and defects in finished goods.
  
• Investigates non-conformances and customer complaints; performs root cause analysis, implements corrective actions, and monitors progress and improvements.
  
• Reports monthly on program non-conformances and implements corrective and preventative actions across programs.
  
• Applies statistical process control (SPC) methods for analyzing data to evaluate the current process and process changes.
  
• Prepares and presents technical and program information to team members and management.
  
• Reviews and approves drawing changes, test procedures, and manufacturing instructions according to established QMS protocols.
  
• Ensures all engineering requirements are met prior to performing product acceptance.
  
• Responsible for generating and maintaining First Article Inspection (FAI) reports for complete product including fabricating applicable required mechanical and physical test reports.
  
• Collaborate with the engineering and manufacturing functions to ensure quality standards and quality plans are implemented.
  
• Acts as mentor to less experienced quality members and may recommend development programs to enhance team member performance.
  
• Provides performance feedback on group members to the Quality Engineering Manager.
  
• Foster a culture of quality, accountability, customer focus, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.
  

*

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Must be able to access shared databases supporting U.S. Government programs. Due to U.S. export control regulations, applicants must qualify as a U.S. Person, defined as a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident (Green Card holder), refugee, asylee, or otherwise be eligible to obtain any required U.S. Government authorizations.
  
• Bachelor's degree in a related discipline of study; or an equivalent combination of education, technical training, and progressively responsible work experience in a related field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform the essential functions of the position.
  
• 5+ years of progressive quality assurance and quality engineering experience in a manufacturing environment, including experience supporting aerospace, defense, medical device, or other highly regulated industries.
  
• 5+ years of experience supporting AS9100 or ISO9001 Quality Management Systems in a manufacturing environment
  
• Experience preparing, reviewing, and approving First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs).
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Quality/ statistical related certifications preferred (ASQ, Six Sigma, Lean)
  
• Experience in aerospace manufacturing industry with working knowledge of aerospace customer, regulatory, and quality requirements
  
• Experience using ERP/MRP and electronic QMS systems
  

Skills / Competencies:

• Provides leadership, direction, and guidance to support team members; Demonstrated ability to delegate and follow up
  
• Understanding and wide application of technical principles, theories, and concepts related to engineering, manufacturing, and compliance
  
• Solutions-oriented thinking for difficult, technical situations
  
• Self-directed and proficient with time and project management
  
• Strong attention to detail with excellent communication, active listening, and presentation skills, and the ability to effectively communicate with employees, customers, auditors, and leadership at all levels.
  
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite including Word, PowerPoint and Excel; Ability to adapt/ adjust to new technologies and methods
  

Organizational Relationships / Scope:

The Lead Quality Engineer assumes the responsibility for their core group. They use a wide latitude of discretion to manage tasks. This position uses influence to garner cooperation and to achieve buy-in from team members. They act as Subject Matter Experts in their area of expertise. Collaborative efforts with internal and external partners occur regularly and leadership in group work meetings is expected.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to work near moving mechanical parts; occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles; and chemicals or solutions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The employee regularly sits, stands and walks. The employee occasionally lifts and/or moves up to 40 pounds. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee will regularly use visual attention, eye focusing, visual perception. The employee will regularly use reason, logic, and critical-thinking skills.