BestLogic Staffing is seeking an experienced Quality Engineer with a strong Aerospace and Defense manufacturing background for a flexible, project-based consulting opportunity.
This position is ideal for an experienced quality professional who understands the demanding requirements of regulated aerospace and defense manufacturing environments and is comfortable working directly with customers, suppliers, and manufacturing teams.
The Quality Engineer will provide technical quality expertise for complex manufacturing projects, participate in customer discussions, review supplier quality plans and inspection requirements, and help ensure compliance with applicable aerospace, defense, and ITAR requirements.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as a technical quality resource during customer and supplier discussions involving aerospace and defense manufacturing programs.
- Review customer drawings, specifications, quality clauses, and flow-down requirements and translate them into actionable manufacturing and inspection requirements.
- Provide expertise related to AS9100, ITAR, GD&T, First Article Inspection (FAI), material certifications, inspection methodology, and supplier quality controls.
- Review complex manufacturing projects involving tight tolerances, GD&T-critical features, coatings, plating, welding, heat treatment, and other special processes.
- Define and review inspection and measurement requirements for critical dimensions, functional features, and tolerance-critical characteristics.
- Review inspection reports and sampling plans and ensure appropriate quality requirements are being followed.
- Verify Material Test Reports and applicable coating, plating, welding, and heat-treatment certifications.
- Support remote and on-site supplier audits, including evaluation of quality systems, process controls, documentation, and workforce competency.
- Assess supplier readiness for Aerospace and Defense programs, including AS9100 and ITAR requirements.
- Review supplier corrective actions, including 8D and CAPA reports, and evaluate root-cause analysis using methodologies such as 5-Why and Ishikawa/Fishbone.
- Support configuration control and identify situations where manufacturing, material, tooling, or process changes may require customer approval.
- Support AS9102 First Article Inspection requirements for new parts and manufacturing/process changes.
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of Quality Engineering experience within aerospace, aviation, defense, or a closely related regulated manufacturing environment.
- Hands-on experience working within an AS9100 Quality Management System.
- Working knowledge of ITAR requirements and export-controlled technical-data handling.
- Strong understanding of GD&T and dimensional inspection techniques.
- Experience with First Article Inspection (FAI) requirements.
- Experience reviewing manufacturing drawings, specifications, inspection reports, and quality documentation.
- Strong knowledge of structured corrective-action methodologies, including 8D, CAPA, 5-Why, and Fishbone/Ishikawa analysis.
- Experience working directly with manufacturing suppliers.
- Strong verbal communication skills with the ability to confidently participate in technical customer discussions.
- Ability to work independently and provide sound technical quality guidance.
- Must be currently located in the United States.
- Must meet applicable U.S. person/citizenship requirements associated with the program.
Preferred Qualifications
- ASQ certification such as CQE or CQA.
- Experience conducting supplier quality audits.
- Supplier Quality Engineering (SQE) experience.
- Experience with contract manufacturers or multi-supplier manufacturing environments.
- Experience supporting mission-critical or safety-critical aerospace/defense components.
- Experience working with specialized processes such as heat treatment, welding, coatings, plating, and precision machining.
Engagement Details
This is a flexible, hourly/project-based opportunity rather than a traditional full-time position. The Quality Engineer may be engaged for customer meetings, supplier-quality activities, complex manufacturing projects, audits, or other situations requiring specialized Aerospace/Defense quality expertise.
