The Senior Quality Manager for Repair & Overhaul (R&O) is responsible for leading all aspects of quality, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement for a high-volume aerospace repair station operation. This leader ensures compliance with FAA Part 145 requirements, AS9100 quality management standards, customer requirements, and internal quality procedures while driving operational excellence, product reliability, customer satisfaction, and business performance.
The role partners closely with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Customer Support, and Regulatory Affairs to maintain a robust quality system, reduce escapes and defects, improve turnaround time (TAT), and foster a culture of quality accountability throughout the organization.
ResponsibilitiesKey Responsibilities
Quality Leadership
- Provide strategic and operational leadership for all R&O quality functions.
- Develop and execute the site's quality strategy aligned with business objectives.
- Lead and mentor quality managers, supervisors, engineers, auditors, and inspectors.
- Foster a culture of compliance, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Regulatory & Compliance Management
- Ensure compliance with FAA Part 145 Repair Station requirements.
- Maintain compliance with AS9100, NADCAP, EASA, customer-specific requirements, and applicable regulatory standards.
- Serve as primary site quality representative during regulatory and customer audits.
- Oversee corrective actions resulting from audits, findings, and nonconformances.
Quality Systems & Process Excellence
- Maintain effectiveness of the Quality Management System (QMS).
- Drive CAPA, root cause analysis, risk management, and preventive action processes.
- Monitor quality metrics and lead improvement plans.
- Ensure robust document control, configuration management, and process compliance.
Operational Quality Support
- Partner with Operations leadership to improve repair quality, productivity, and turnaround performance.
- Lead containment and resolution efforts for quality escapes and customer issues.
- Support introduction of new repair capabilities, technologies, and processes.
- Establish robust inspection and verification processes throughout the repair cycle.
Customer Quality
- Act as senior interface for customer quality concerns and escalation management.
- Lead investigations and corrective actions related to field returns and customer complaints.
- Drive customer-focused quality improvements that improve satisfaction and delivery performance.
Continuous Improvement
- Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and Quality Operating System initiatives.
- Utilize statistical methods and data analytics to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
- Eliminate systemic causes of defects, rework, scrap, and delays.
- Benchmark best practices and implement sustainable process improvements.
Talent Development
- Build organizational capability through coaching, succession planning, and employee development.
- Develop technical expertise across inspection, auditing, engineering, and quality functions.
- Drive accountability through performance management and talent assessments.
Due to compliance with U.S. export control laws and regulations, candidate must be a U.S. person, which is defined as, a U.S. citizen, a U.S. permanent resident, or have protected status in the U.S. under asylum or refugee status.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Aerospace, or related discipline.
- 10+ years of progressive quality leadership experience in aerospace, MRO, manufacturing, or repair environments.
- 5+ years leading managers and professional quality teams.
- Experience with FAA Part 145 and aerospace regulatory requirements.
- Experience with AS9100 quality systems.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in Engineering, Business, or related field.
- FAA Repair Station experience.
- AS9100 Lead Auditor certification.
- Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent continuous improvement certification.
- Knowledge of NADCAP and EASA requirements.
- Experience supporting military and commercial aerospace products.
- Experience leading quality transformation initiatives across complex operations.
Critical Competencies
- Strategic Leadership
- Regulatory Compliance Expertise
- Root Cause & Corrective Action Leadership
- Customer Focus
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Executive Communication
- Change Management
- Lean Manufacturing & Continuous Improvement
- Talent Development
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Customer PPM
- Internal Defect Rate
- Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)
- Audit Findings & Closure Rate
- FAA/EASA Regulatory Compliance
- CAPA Effectiveness
- First Pass Yield
- Escapes to Customer
- Turnaround Time Quality Impact
- Employee Engagement and Development Metrics
Tempe Site-Specific Considerations
The role supports a high-volume aerospace Repair & Overhaul operation that operates within an FAA-certified repair environment and serves a diverse customer base across commercial, military, space, and industrial aerospace markets. The position is expected to drive quality excellence while supporting aggressive delivery, turnaround-time, and growth objectives
BENEFITS
Beyond a performance-driven salary, you'll work alongside dedicated experts on technology that's advancing aviation. As a Honeywell Aerospace employee, you're eligible for a comprehensive benefits package that includes:
- Employer-subsidized medical, dental, vision and life insurance
- Short-term and long-term disability coverage
- 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts
- Employee assistance program and educational assistance
- Parental leave and 12 paid holidays
- Paid time off for vacation, personal and sick time
Explore your benefits: https://honeywellaerospacebenefits.com/
POSTING TIMELINE
The application period for the job is estimated to be 40 days from the job posting date; however, this may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.
Skills Required
- U.S. person (U.S. citizen, permanent resident, asylum or refugee status) due to export control laws
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Aerospace, or related discipline
- 10+ years of progressive quality leadership experience in aerospace, MRO, manufacturing, or repair environments
- 5+ years leading managers and professional quality teams
- Experience with FAA Part 145 and aerospace regulatory requirements
- Experience with AS9100 quality systems
- Master's degree in Engineering, Business, or related field
- FAA Repair Station experience
- AS9100 Lead Auditor certification
- Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent continuous improvement certification
- Knowledge of NADCAP and EASA requirements
- Experience supporting military and commercial aerospace products
- Experience leading quality transformation initiatives across complex operations
The Aerospace Corporation Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about The Aerospace Corporation and has not been reviewed or approved by The Aerospace Corporation.
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Retirement Support — The 401(k) plan provides a company‑paid contribution of 8–12% based on years of service with immediate eligibility and vesting, and eligible employees can access retiree medical benefits.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid time off includes 15 vacation days (rising to 20 after five years), nine paid holidays, and unlimited sick time for exempt employees with accruals for non‑exempt staff.
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Flexible Benefits — Flexible work models include a 9/80 schedule with alternating Fridays off, supported by backup care services, an EAP, relocation assistance, and home‑office stipends where applicable.
The Aerospace Corporation Insights
What We Do
The space enterprise has been transformed by rapid change and growth. New vehicles for national security space, a more rapid launch cadence, proliferated satellite constellations, the pursuit of interplanetary exploration, and thriving commercial ventures are changing the nature of the space industry. The Aerospace Corporation (Aerospace) is a leading architect for U.S. space programs, shaping efforts to outpace threats to our national security while cultivating the technologies needed to further this new era of space commercialization and exploration. Aerospace works across the space enterprise in service of the public interest. In addition to supporting the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community, our customers include NASA, NOAA, numerous federal agencies, and commercial space — all of whom benefit from our deep technical knowledge. We only pursue business related to the space mission and complementary fields, operating as the nation’s trusted partner to solve the toughest challenges and develop reliable and innovative technologies. Innovation in space occurs when people have the freedom to imagine and do. At Aerospace, we take pride in our readiness to solve some of the most complex challenges in the space enterprise.
Why Work With Us
We are a non-profit corporation chartered by the government to work on the hardest problems in space. We employ technical experts in every discipline of space-related science and engineering who touch every part of the US space program. Come join us as we make an impact bigger than ourselves.
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