Quality Program Manager

Primary Responsibilities

• Leadership & Team Development
• Lead the IFPC program quality team, ensuring compliance with AS9100, ISO, and Army quality standards.
• Provide hands-on leadership to the IFPC quality team, mentoring and developing quality engineers and inspectors to ensure efficient operational support and continuous improvement.
• Coach, train, and guide program quality staff to align with the corporate Quality Management System and Defense Systems Sector requirements.
• Foster a program quality strategy and culture committed to excellence and Leidos values, enabling rapid manufacturing scaling.
• Quality Program Management & Compliance
• Maintain close coordination with the Leidos site quality team to ensure consistent process control, product acceptance, and effective execution of corrective actions.
• Oversee inspection and test documentation, ensuring compliance with customer requirements and configuration baselines.
• Serve as the primary interface with external quality stakeholders, including the U.S. Army Program Office, SHIELD IFPC Project Office, and DCMA.
• Maintain oversight of supplier quality performance, ensuring supplier metrics, audits, and corrective actions align with program standards.
• Metrics, Analysis & Improvement
• Establish, monitor, and analyze quality metrics (yield, rework, NCR rates, escape rates) and targeted KPIs to drive performance visibility, process health, improvement, and compliance.
• Analyze KPI trends and inspection data to proactively identify systemic issues, drive root cause investigations, and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Drive continual improvement initiatives to enhance product conformity, reduce rework, and strengthen mission assurance.
• Process & Issue Management
• Develop, implement, and oversee inspection strategies, including statistically valid sampling plans aligned with customer, regulatory, and corporate standards.
• Drive Material Review Boards (MRB), Failure Review Boards (FRB), and ensure timely closure of root cause and corrective actions across all program areas.
• Ensure timely and sustained resolution of internal and external audit findings and requirement escapes by conducting root cause analysis and implementing corrective and preventive measures.
• Effectively address escalated quality issues in a timely manner.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality Management, or related discipline with 5+ years of experience, including prior leadership of quality or mission assurance teams in defense/aerospace production.
• In lieu of degree, 10+ years’ experience in a low-rate/ high-rate Manufacturing and Quality production environment.
• OR Master's degree in Engineering, Quality Management, or related discipline with 3+ years of experience, including prior leadership of quality or mission assurance teams in defense/aerospace production.
• Proven experience in AS9100/ISO9001 systems, configuration management, and corrective action systems.
• Strong background in production quality management for complex defense hardware or weapon systems.
• Demonstrated ability to lead customer interactions with Army quality offices and DCMA.
• U.S. Citizenship required; must have or be eligible for a Secret clearance.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Relevant experience with all aspects of quality in a defense and space-focused manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in root cause analysis and continual improvement.
• Prior experience with implementing AS9100.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Must be a US Citizen, possess a DoD secret clearance or able to obtain and maintain an active secret clearance.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain credentials to access government installations.
• Must be proficient in utilizing Microsoft Office products.
• Must have exceptional verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or Six Sigma Black Belt.
• Experience with Earned Value Management (EVM) and metrics-based quality reporting.
• Familiarity with IBCS integration and Army missile system production.
• Experience with Deltek Costpoint, Windchill, Oracle Agile, or Solumina MES systems.
• Experience in medium-volume/high-mix production environments.
• Experience in both component fabrication and assembly/integration production environments.