Staff Product Quality Engineer, Low Observables

ABOUT THE TEAM

We are looking for a Staff Product Quality Engineer (Low Observable Systems) to support our Fury autonomous aircraft program at our Arsenal 1 facility in Ashville, OH. This role will be on the Quality Engineering Team and partner directly with the Air Dominance and Strike Team, as well as the broader product development, manufacturing, and field operations organizations. Our Low Observables engineering team is at the forefront of advancing LO technology to enhance the survivability and effectiveness of unmanned air systems. This Quality Engineer will play a critical role in ensuring the inherent quality, reliability, and performance of LO Vehicles. If you are someone who has passion for assuring the quality of cutting-edge aerospace systems, is hands-on with specialized LO/RF technologies and test methodologies, and is accountable for results in a high-stakes environment, then this role is for you.

ABOUT THE JOB

As a Staff Product Quality Engineer specializing in Low Observable Systems for the Fury program, you will be deeply integrated within the product realization lifecycle. You will define, develop, and execute quality processes that ensure high-performance, reliable, and LO autonomous aircraft components and systems, such as LO structures, LO coatings, integrated antennas, and RF subsystems, meet stringent survivability and mission requirements. This role focuses on collaborating and driving early quality engagement with our LO and RF design teams, as well as manufacturing and test organizations, to achieve our demanding aerospace standards the first time. You will ensure that the design, manufacturing, and testing of Fury's LO/RF features are robust, verifiable, and consistently achieve desired LO characteristics and RF performance. Everything comes down to clarity and action within our specialized LO/RF engineering, production, and test teams, ensuring Fury aircraft are inherently robust, LO, and perform reliably in contested environments. The right person for this role has knowledge of LO principles, RF system engineering, specialized manufacturing processes, advanced metrology for LO characteristics, and continuous improvement methodologies applied to complex aerospace systems. If you are someone who loves to build world-class quality processes for advanced aerospace technology, work hands-on with specialized engineering, and be accountable for critical results, then this role is for you.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Act as the primary quality interface for Low Observable and RF systems within the Fury program, deeply embedding yourself within design, manufacturing, and test teams to proactively influence and integrate quality principles from concept to high-rate production.
• Partner with LO and RF design teams to review designs and analyses of antennas and LO features, providing critical Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Testability (DFT), Design for Reliability (DFR), and Design for Inspectability (DFI) feedback. Ensure product specifications, drawings, material call-outs, and test requirements are robust and unambiguous for LO and RF performance.
• Review and approve the decomposition of system requirements for LO/RF, such as link-budget analysis and RCS requirements, ensuring they are measurable, verifiable, and traceable through quality plans.
• Develop and implement comprehensive Quality Control Plans for the manufacturing, integration, and sustainment of Fury's Low Observable structures, LO coatings, and integrated RF systems, ensuring adherence to specialized materials and processes.
• Lead the development and implementation of Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) and First Article Inspection (FAI) for specialized LO/RF components and assemblies, ensuring compliance with unique material and geometric requirements.
• Drive the implementation and continuous improvement of in-process and final product quality controls for LO and RF manufacturing. This includes defining critical process parameters for LO material application, developing Statistical Process Control (SPC) for critical features, and establishing robust inspection and test plans for Fury’s LO/RF elements.
• Ensure specialized LO/RF manufacturing processes and test capabilities are aligned to the system's performance and reliability requirements for LO and communication.
• Collaborate closely with the Air Dominance and Strike Low Observable Team, broader Engineering, Manufacturing, and Program Management to ensure predictable product quality for LO/RF features throughout prototyping, production ramp, and sustained production for the Fury autonomous aircraft.
• Drive manufacturing and product quality readiness by analyzing key and critical characteristics (KCCs/CTQs) from LO/RF designs, developing robust measurement systems (e.g., for RCS, IR, RF performance), and leading internal process and product qualification activities (e.g., capability studies, Gauge R&R, reliability testing, production validation testing) for Fury’s LO/RF systems.
• Develop, witness, and approve comprehensive test plans and procedures for LO/RF performance, including anechoic chamber testing, near-field/far-field RF measurements, and RCS measurements. Ensure test methodologies are robust, statistically sound, and meet stringent aerospace and LO validation standards.
• Own the identification and mitigation of manufacturing process and product quality risks specific to LO/RF systems to improve overall quality & reliability across the product lifecycle. Utilize process audits, production readiness reviews, and training & documentation to ensure compliance with LO/RF best practices.
• Lead Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) and Material Review Board (MRB) activities for in-house manufacturing defects, non-conformances, and field failures related to Fury’s LO/RF product quality. Drive effective containment and corrective actions.
• Analyze effectiveness of corrective actions and share lessons learned across engineering and production teams for the Fury program, focusing on LO/RF specific issues. Drive internal corrective action and preventive action (CAPA) processes.
• Audit the Quality Management System within specialized LO/RF manufacturing, test, and assembly operations for Fury, ensuring robust process controls and compliance with internal, customer, and regulatory requirements (e.g., AS9100, MIL-STD-882, relevant LO/RF standards).

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Able to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or other STEM Field
• 5+ years of Quality Engineering, Manufacturing Quality, or Product Test Engineering experience with a strong focus on RF systems, Low Observable technologies, or other highly specialized aerospace materials/processes.
• Proficient understanding of RF concepts including aperture antennas, impedance matching, link-budget analysis, and co-site interference, from a quality assurance and test validation perspective.
• Experience with quality validation of antenna modeling and prediction tools, such such as Computational Electromagnetic (CEM) tools (HFSS, CST Microwave Studio, SENTRi, ADS, FEKO).
• Proficient in quality assurance of specialized antenna measurement techniques including anechoic chamber, near field/far field RF measurements, and RCS measurements.
• Experience in developing quality control plans for the manufacturing and integration of LO/RF components, including specialized material handling and application.
• Working knowledge of AS9100/ISO 9001-based Quality Management System requirements, particularly pertaining to design, manufacturing, inspection, and test in aerospace. Lead / Internal Auditor Certification is a plus.
• Working knowledge of product development and manufacturing methodologies such as Design Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (DFMEA), Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (PFMEA), Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA), statistical process control (SPC), and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
• A strong ownership mindset with demonstrated capability to drive projects from start to completion in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
• Analytical skills and experiences for data mining, data quality, metrics generation, issue management systems, and statistical analysis tools (MatLab, JMP, MiniTab, etc) applied to LO/RF performance data.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• Master’s degree in a technical field related to RF, LO, or Quality Engineering.
• Experience with quality assurance of LO apertures, phased array designs, RF front-ends, and their associated testing.
• Understanding of LO aircraft sustainment and maintainability challenges from a quality perspective.
• Experience with government contracts and auditing standard requirements related to advanced aerospace production and quality assurance.
• Knowledge of aerospace certification processes (e.g., FAA Part 21/23/25, AS9145).
• Competence with test equipment such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, signal generators, thermal chambers, and automation of tests for LO/RF products.
• Experience with Teamcenter, SolidWorks, Oracle/Netsuite, Jira, Tableau, Foundry, Altium are preferred, Eagle and others acceptable.
• Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding environment.