Quality Engineer III (Propulsion) Verified today

About Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly was the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing.

The Role

Quality Assurance owns the processes and tools by which Firefly identifies, contains, eliminates, and prevents non-conformances. You will develop and maintain processes, equipment, and plans for inspection and acceptance of qualification and flight hardware and software products. You are responsible for containment, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and periodic auditing to ensure products are reliable and economical. Verifying that all key performance and design characteristics are met prior to launch, you play a critical role in ensuring mission success.

This position is located at our Production and Test facility north of Cedar Park in Briggs, TX.

Your Responsibilities

• Partner with design engineering and manufacturing teams to create quality plans for flight products, including identification of key characteristics, development testing for functionality and manufacturability, first article and detailed inspection planning.
• Develop and maintain inspection plans on propulsion components and sub-assemblies (engines, valves, and tubing).
• Develop and maintain equipment, training, and standard work instructions for detailed inspection programs which assure adherence to design, specification, and testing requirements.
• Ensure that all actions required for product acceptance are conducted accurately and efficiently, in alignment with all customer requirements and regulatory standards.
• Generate accurate records for traceability and pedigree of customer-deliverable products, including records of First Article Inspection.
• Lead and support Quality Inspectors in workflow priority, inspection process efficiency, and best practice inspection methodologies.
• Identify and document non-conformances affecting product reliability and production efficiency.
• Collect, track, and trend production data on first-pass yield and non-conformance issues, performing basic statistical analysis on variable data.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to investigate and resolve non-conformance or quality issues, including development and implementation of robust corrective actions.
• Develop and execute quarantine plans to identify, control, and disposition all affected non-conforming product.
• Maintain tool control and calibration processes within assigned department, including validation of metrology systems.
• Plan and perform periodic product and process audits to ensure compliance with Firefly Quality Management System.
• Implement standards, tools, and methods to ensure the effectiveness of quality processes and sustain quality performance improvements.
• Execute projects and process improvements to reduce cost of poor quality.
• Review designs and provide feedback to mitigate manufacturability and inspection challenges.
• Review procedures and production metrics that impact quality and make necessary changes to ensure compliance with standards and requirements for mission success.
• Provide research and interpretation of regulations and requirements to ensure compliance with external standards.
• Participate in technical operations and offer guidance as an additional technical engineering resource.
• Initiate and execute plans to improve product quality, reliability, and inspection efficiency.
• Apply 5S workplace organization and follow Lean initiatives.
• Support manufacturing compliance to customer and internal specifications to meet contractual and mission requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, industrial, or electrical engineering or related discipline (e.g. computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry)
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in a manufacturing, quality, and/or design engineering role
• Demonstrated ability to apply engineering fundamentals, interpret technical information, develop technical instructions, and understand technical drawings, specifications, GD&T, and related quality control documentation and standards.
• Experience with aerospace quality, military, or government standards.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and written.
• Flexibility regarding workflow and process.
• Excellent organization skills and willingness to work with a team, share expertise, and follow instructions to accomplish established goals.

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, industrial, or electrical engineering or related discipline
• 8+ years of hands-on experience in aerospace manufacturing, quality, and/or design engineering
• Demonstrated experience applying quality assurance principles, methods, and processes, including inspection techniques, equipment, and tools used in quality control.
• Comprehensive understanding of aerospace manufacturing processes, materials, and specifications.
• Demonstrated competency in fluids/propulsion disciplines and related manufacturing processes (machining, casting, bending, welding, cleaning, integration, testing)
• Full capability to read and understand blueprints, drawings, GD&T, and Model-Based Definitions.
• Knowledge of quality tools such as Lean principles, measurement systems analysis, design of experiments, statistical process control, root cause analysis and corrective action, advanced product quality planning (APQP), metrology, process failure mode and effects analysis (PFMEA), control plans, and various problem solving approaches.
• Demonstrated experience with application of aerospace quality standards, such as AS9100 or ISO 9001
• IPC Certification (IPC J-STD-001, IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610, IPC-A-620, IPC-7711/21)
• Experience operating in and maintaining cleanroom per FS209E, ISO 14644-1, or equivalent
• ASQ CQE