Quality Engineer (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

Desired start date: No later than 2 weeks after award
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Clearance: Active Secret Security Clearance required at time of employment

About the role

Fairwinds Technologies is seeking an experienced Quality Engineer to support a military avionics modernization and aircraft integration program focused on airborne communications, mission systems, and ground support system upgrades. This position partners with engineering, integration and test, manufacturing, supply chain, cybersecurity, configuration management, and government stakeholders to ensure compliance with contractual, regulatory, and aerospace quality requirements. The Quality Engineer will oversee quality assurance activities for aircraft modifications, avionics hardware integration, software quality, supplier quality, non-conformance management, configuration control, and acceptance testing. The ideal candidate has experience in aerospace or defense programs and a strong understanding of AS9100/ISO 9001 quality systems, airworthiness requirements, and military aircraft integration environments.

Responsibilities

• Support and maintain an AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 compliant Quality Management System.
• Ensure quality processes align with contract requirements, aerospace regulations, and customer expectations.
• Conduct internal quality audits and process assessments.
• Monitor compliance with engineering, manufacturing, testing, logistics, and configuration management requirements.
• Develop and maintain quality metrics, dashboards, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide quality oversight for avionics integration projects.
• Verify compliance of aircraft modifications with approved engineering drawings, specifications, and installation procedures.
• Support First Article Inspection (FAI), installation inspections, and acceptance activities.
• Participate in laboratory, aircraft ground, and flight test readiness reviews.
• Support supplier qualification, surveillance, and audit activities.
• Review supplier quality plans and corrective action responses.
• Monitor compliance with counterfeit parts prevention requirements.
• Evaluate supplier performance and quality trends.
• Assist in supply chain risk management and component traceability initiatives.
• Investigate hardware, software, process, and installation non-conformances.
• Lead root cause and corrective action investigations.
• Coordinate Material Review Board (MRB) activities.
• Track corrective and preventive actions through closure.
• Support variance, waiver, and deviation processes.
• Ensure configuration-controlled documentation is maintained throughout the program lifecycle.
• Review engineering changes, deviations, and Engineering Change Proposals (ECPs).
• Support Functional Configuration Audits (FCA) and Physical Configuration Audits (PCA).
• Ensure objective evidence supports verification and validation requirements.
• Review discrepancy reports and test deficiencies.
• Support qualification testing in system integration laboratories and aircraft environments.
• Lead software quality activities associated with avionics and mission systems integration.
• Ensure compliance with software development plans and configuration controls.
• Participate in software reviews, audits, and verification activities.
• Monitor software discrepancy reporting and resolution.
• Assist engineering teams with airworthiness certification documentation and compliance evidence.
• Ensure required documentation is complete, traceable, and auditable.
• Drive process improvements utilizing Lean, Six Sigma, and risk-based quality methodologies.
• Analyze quality trends and develop corrective actions to improve program performance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Quality Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Avionics Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification a plus.
• 9+ years of Quality Engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or military aviation environments.
• 5+ years experience supporting aircraft modification, avionics integration, or mission systems programs.
• Experience with AWACS, ISR, C2, airborne communications, or large aircraft mission systems.

Skills

• Excellent leadership, communication, problem-solving, and customer relationship management skills.

Schedule

This is a full time, exempt position.

Work authorization: Must be eligible to work in the US.