Principal Engineer Quality

Mission Systems is seeking a Principal Engineer Quality to provide product‑focused quality leadership for the NIMS program located in Salt Lake City, UT.

This role owns and executes the Sell‑Off / End Item Data Package (EIDP) process and provides quality engineering support across the product lifecycle.

The Principal Quality Engineer will work closely with engineering, program management, manufacturing, supply chain, and customer representatives to ensure that quality requirements are clearly defined, properly flowed down, and effectively verified from incoming material through final product acceptance.

• →Serve as the primary quality point of contact for NIMS Sell‑Off / EIDP activities in Salt Lake City.
• →Plan, develop, and maintain Sell‑Off / EIDP content, including configuration listings, as‑built records, test data, inspection reports, material certifications, waivers/deviations, and other required artifacts.
• →Ensure customer, contractual, and internal quality requirements are correctly interpreted, flowed into program plans, and verified at product acceptance.
• →Lead and/or support customer Sell‑Off events, including agenda preparation, package walk‑throughs, discrepancy resolution, and formal acceptance documentation.
• →Coordinate with Systems, Test, Manufacturing, and Software Engineering to ensure requirements traceability and objective evidence are complete and accurate.

• Support the MRB process for NIMS hardware, including review of nonconformances, participation in MRB activities, and ensuring that dispositions align with engineering, quality, and contractual requirements.
• Work with engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain to support evaluation and disposition of nonconforming product, including use‑as‑is, repair, and scrap decisions, and to ensure proper documentation and traceability.
• Provide quality engineering support to Receiving Inspection, including review and support of inspection plans, sampling plans, and acceptance criteria for incoming material and supplier hardware.
• Support the Vendor Material Disposition Area (VMDA) by helping ensure timely and accurate segregation, tagging, disposition, and documentation of nonconforming supplier material.

• Collaborate with manufacturing and test organizations to ensure build records, test data, nonconformance documentation, and rework/repair records meet program and customer expectations.
• Identify, document, and help drive closure of nonconformances, defects, and escapes associated with product acceptance and EIDPs.
• Support and/or lead Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) using structured problem‑solving methods (e.g., 5‑Why, Fishbone, 8D) and help ensure effective corrective/preventive actions are implemented and sustained.
• Develop and maintain program‑level quality plans, inspection plans, and acceptance data requirements for NIMS, spanning incoming inspection through final Sell‑Off.
• Provide quality input to program reviews (e.g., design, production readiness, gate reviews) and deliver concise quality status to leadership and the customer.
• Analyze quality metrics and trends related to nonconformances, rework, supplier performance, and acceptance issues; recommend and help implement improvement actions.
• Support audits and assessments (internal, customer, regulatory) related to product quality, configuration, and documentation.
• Mentor early‑career quality engineers and act as a technical resource for product acceptance, MRB, and EIDP practices.

The ideal candidate must be able to communicate and collaborate in a team environment, interface with customers, internal personnel, suppliers, and must be proficient using Microsoft Office Suite.

• Bachelor of Science in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field with a minimum of 5 years of experience in Quality Assurance, or investigating failures and identifying root causes, or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical, Mechanical Engineering field of work performing technical job functions; Master's with 3 years of experience.
• Experience in hardware product quality, systems quality, or manufacturing quality in an aerospace/defense or similarly regulated environment.
• Experience supporting the MRB process and nonconformance management, including documenting defects and participating in MRB or similar review activities.
• QMS (AS9100, ISO 9001, or similar) experience.
• Experience reading and interpreting engineering drawings, specifications, test procedures, and requirements documents.
• Experience with digital quality systems (e.g., nonconformance/MRB tools, PLM/ERP).
• U.S. Citizenship required;
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance.

• Direct experience developing and executing EIDPs/Sell‑Off packages for government contracting customers.
• Experience with Receiving Inspection or supplier quality activities (e.g., incoming inspection, supplier defects, return‑to‑vendor).
• Experience with configuration management and as‑built/as‑maintained traceability.
• Experience with industry standards used in the manufacture and assembly of electrical/electronic devices, such as:
  • IPC‑A‑610 – Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies
  • IPC‑J‑STD‑001 – Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies
  • IPC/WHMA‑A‑620 – Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies
  • IPC‑7711/7721 – Rework, Modification and Repair of Electronic Assemblies
  • UL / IEC electrical safety and insulation standards relevant to electronic equipment
• Green Belt / Black Belt, CQE, or other relevant quality certifications.
• Experience leading cross‑functional teams, influence without direct authority, and drive closure of complex issues under schedule pressure.
• Current Active Secret Clearance.