Quality Engineer

About the Company

Heads Up Technologies is a global leader in aviation technology, redefining in-flight experiences through innovation and precision. Since 1985, we’ve grown from a Dallas hangar to a unified brand under STG Aerospace and ALTO Aviation, specializing in cabin systems integration for business and commercial aircraft. Our team of engineers, innovators, and problem solvers is passionate about building smarter solutions for the aviation industry, combining deep technical expertise with modern design thinking to support customers across every stage of the product lifecycle.

Our Culture

Our culture is grounded in shared values that guide how we work and grow:

• Integrity: We act with honesty, accountability, and respect in everything we do.
• Teamwork: We collaborate across teams and disciplines to achieve the best outcomes.
• Excellence: We are committed to delivering high-quality work and continuously improving.
• Expertise: We leverage our knowledge and experience to solve complex challenges.

Our mission is to elevate the aviation experience by delivering intelligent, integrated solutions powered by exceptional people.

Why Work With Us

Joining Heads Up Technologies means shaping the future of aviation in an environment where your contributions matter. We empower employees to grow their careers and make a direct impact on innovative products used globally, whether in technology development or business operations.

Benefits

We are committed to supporting the health, well-being, and financial security of our employees and their families. Eligible employees have access to a competitive benefits package, including:

• Medical plan options through Blue Cross Blue Shield (Company Paid)
• Dental and vision coverage (Company Paid)
• Health Savings Account option with company contribution, if eligible
• Company paid Basic Life and AD&D insurance
• Company paid Long Term Disability coverage
• Voluntary Short Term Disability, Accident, and Critical Illness insurance
• Employee Assistance and Wellness Support resources
• Virtual care access
• Benefit Resource Center support
• Paid time off and paid holidays

Benefit eligibility and coverage are based on employment status, plan documents, and company policy. Official plan documents govern all benefits.

About the Role

The Quality Engineer supports the design, development, and post-delivery of Innovative Advantage's cabin management electronic products within a regulated aerospace environment. As an engineering firm whose products are built by contract manufacturers, this role ensures product conformity, reliability, and airworthiness across the full lifecycle—from design assurance through supplier build to field support. The Quality Engineer executes and drives day-to-day quality activities supporting the company's AS9100 quality management system and applicable airborne systems standards (DO-178, DO-254), working closely with engineering, operations, and external manufacturing partners.

This role requires protecting product conformity, reliability, and airworthiness by applying quality principles consistently and objectively. With several years of experience, the Quality Engineer works with substantial independence, owning nonconformance and corrective-action processes end-to-end, making sound quality judgments, and escalating airworthiness-critical or high-risk matters. They analyze field return and failure data to provide actionable reliability insights that inform engineering and supplier decisions. The role also involves maintaining accurate, audit-ready records, treating traceability and documentation as core deliverables, and contributing proactively to continuous improvement of both product and process.

Responsibilities

• Review incoming, in-process, and final inspection data from electronics contract manufacturers for conformity to drawings, specifications, and purchase order requirements.
• Own the nonconformance report (NCR) process, including documentation, disposition coordination, and follow-up to closure.
• Lead and support root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action (CAPA) activities using structured problem-solving methods (e.g., 5-Why, 8D, fishbone).
• Analyze product returns and field failures to determine failure modes, root causes, and product reliability, and translate findings into corrective actions and design/process improvement recommendations.
• Track and trend reliability data (e.g., failure rates, MTBF, warranty/return rates, defect escape rates) and report insights to engineering and operations to drive improvement.
• Support failure analysis of returned units, coordinating with engineering and suppliers to close out root causes.
• Perform and review first article inspection (FAI) per AS9102 for new or changed parts and assemblies.
• Maintain and update quality records, inspection reports, certificates of conformance, and traceability documentation.
• Support and help drive supplier quality activities including defective product dispositions, supplier corrective action requests (SCARs), and monitoring of supplier performance metrics.
• Participate in design assurance and configuration control activities, verifying that documentation, drawings, and revisions are correct and released properly, and that processes are adhered to.
• Conduct and support internal audits, and assist in preparation for external/customer/regulatory audits.
• Maintain and improve QMS documentation (procedures, work instructions, forms) in alignment with AS9100.
• Support engineering change, deviation, and waiver processes from a quality perspective.
• Compile and present quality and reliability metrics to support continuous improvement initiatives.

Requirements

• 2–5 years of experience in a quality engineering or quality assurance role, preferably in aerospace, avionics, or another regulated electronics manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience with nonconformance handling, root cause analysis, and corrective action processes.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
• Experience analyzing failure or return data and drawing conclusions about product quality or reliability.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy in documentation and record-keeping.
• Solid written and verbal communication skills for interfacing with internal teams and external suppliers.
• Proficiency with standard office and data tools (spreadsheets, documentation systems).
• Legal authorization to work with technical data subject to U.S. export control regulations (ITAR/EAR), as applicable to the role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of aerospace quality standards, particularly AS9100 and AS9102 (First Article Inspection).
• Familiarity with airborne systems development assurance standards such as DO-178 (software) and DO-254 (hardware).
• Understanding of FAA regulatory context for airborne equipment (e.g., TSO, PMA, or DO-160 environmental qualification concepts).
• Experience with reliability engineering concepts and methods (e.g., FMEA, Weibull analysis, MTBF, reliability prediction).
• Experience with data analysis tools such as PowerBI, QMS apps, and other engineering and quality applications.
• Experience working with or auditing contract manufacturers or external suppliers.
• Experience with cabin management, avionics, or other electronic/electromechanical aerospace products.
• Internal auditor training or certification (e.g., AS9100 internal auditor); ASQ certification (CQE, CQA, or CRE) a plus.
• Experience with configuration management and engineering change control processes.
• Applied experience with the IPC (J-STD-001, IPC-A-610) electronics manufacturing standards.

Schedule

Full-time, onsite in Kirkland, WA. Occasional travel to supplier locations in the Puget Sound area and other U.S. locations may be required.

Pay

The pay range for this role is:

• $95,600 - $112,400 USD per year (Innovative Advantage, Inc)
• $115,000 - $135,400 USD per year (Innovative Advantage, Inc)

Work eligibility: U.S. Citizenship or U.S. Green Card required. Individuals on OPT or visa sponsorship are not eligible.