Quality Director

Job Description You don’t see it, but it’s there. Our employees work on the world’s most advanced electronics – from saving emissions in the City of Lights to powering the Mars Rover to protecting the F-35 fighter jet. At Electronic Systems, you’ll be among the brightest minds, working on the aerospace and defense industry’s most difficult problems. Drawing strength from our differences, we’re innovating for the future. And you can, too. Our flexible work environment provides you a chance to change the world without giving up your personal life. We put our customers first – exemplified by our missions: “We Protect Those Who Protect Us®” and “We Innovate For Those Who Move The WorldTM.” Sound like a team you want to be a part of? Come build your career with BAE Systems.

BAE Systems is seeking a Quality Director in support of our Navigation and Sensing Systems Product Line. Reporting to the Director of Quality of the Precision Strike and Sensing Solutions Business Area (PS), this resource will lead quality assurance at the Cedar Rapids, Iowa facility. The Quality Director has significant cross functional influence, and requires the ability to partner across functions, customers, and suppliers to provide strategic thought leadership as well as proactive, value-added solutions that systemically benefit the value chain.

The successful candidate:

• Enjoys working with and coaching a quality assurance staff to continuously improve and execute success across programs.
• Has the ability to influence without authority at times, in a dynamic highly matrixed environment, and respond to changing customer and market demands quickly.
• Possess strong communication and presentation skills to facilitate effective communication at all levels of the organization and across multiple cultures as well as to the customer and partner communities.
• Needs to be a hands-on leader willing to take responsibility for resolving technical challenges, ensuring successful tactical execution, as well as creating and implementing the strategic vision
• A visible, influential leader who takes a collaborative approach with others and comes across as approachable.
• Can diffuse even high-tension situations effectively.
• Has an agile leadership style and able to adjust one’s approach to fit the situation as a driver, coach, mentor, or teacher.

• Provide direction, supervision, and guidance to ensure alignment with quality policy, strategic objectives and organization goals that drive to Zero Defect plans and Strategy.
• Develops a highly capable quality assurance staff by recruiting, organizing and developing team.
• Collaborate with management for planning, execution, and management of risk mitigation, process improvements, projects, and Product Line or Business Area related initiatives.
• Manage compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and minimize risk to employees and liability to the Product Line and Business Area.
• Lead integrated management teams to determine strategy and tactical deployment, improve performance, lower costs, and generate innovative solutions with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ensure products conform to customer requirements, established company and regulatory performance, and quality standards.
• Investigate problems and develop disposition and corrective actions for discrepancies using proven RCCA techniques and driving sustainable preventive improvements.
• Interface with stakeholders to ensure requirements are met.
• Partners to implement corrective actions, dispositions, process optimization and modifications – makes the news, doesn’t just report the news.
• Review, analyze and report on quality KPIs and data.
• Organizational skills – can marshal resources to get things done, orchestrate multiple activities at once to accomplish a goal, use matrixed resources effectively and efficiently, and arrange information in a useful manner.
• Exhibits a high degree of technical credibility and communicates highly technical information in a simplistic and easily understandable way.

Required Education, Experience, & Skills

• Bachelor's Degree
• Leadership experience in Engineering, Operations, and Quality
• Experience in regulated industries, such as automotive or aerospace, commercial and defense hardware and software technology risk management.
• Experience in Quality Sciences (six sigma), strategies, standards, and controls. Ability to guide implementation in appropriate applications through design and development into a manufacturing and supply base.
• Strong written, analytical, and verbal communication skills.
• Capable of influencing a wide range of audiences, demonstrated leadership skills to win support without direct reporting structure.
• Formulate strategic vision, define implementation plan of action, execute to achieve success.

• Able to effectively work and collaborate across functional disciplines

• Track record of building teams with high levels of Quality acumen.

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

• Bachelor's Degree in an Engineering or Technical Field
• 12 years of relevant leadership experience in Engineering, Operations, and Quality
• 10 years of project, program and portfolio Quality Leadership and management experience in regulated industries, such as automotive or aerospace, commercial and defense hardware and software technology risk management.
• Formulate strategic vision, define implementation plan of action, execute to achieve success.

• Able to effectively work and collaborate across functional disciplines

• Track record of building teams with high levels of Quality acumen.

• Practical experience of product development lifecycle through transition to production.

• AS9145/APQP working knowledge

• Green Belt/Black Belt certification
• ASQ CMQ, CQE certification or similar.
• Approachable hands-on style with the ability to engage with people at all levels of management. Customer experience and Quality Excellence.
• Experience in leading matrixed direct and indirect teams.
• Demonstrated track record of recruiting, retaining and promoting talent and creating a high performing organization.

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $150370 - $255630

Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.

Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave. Employees may participate in the company recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards. Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics.
About BAE Systems Electronic Systems BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, an international defense, aerospace and security company which delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. Improving the future and protecting lives is an ambitious mission, but it’s what we do at BAE Systems. Working here means using your passion and ingenuity where it counts – defending national security with breakthrough technology, superior products, and intelligence solutions. As you develop the latest technology and defend national security, you will continually hone your skills on a team—making a big impact on a global scale. At BAE Systems, you’ll find a rewarding career that truly makes a difference. Electronic Systems (ES) is the global innovator behind BAE Systems’ game-changing defense and commercial electronics. Exploiting every electron, we push the limits of what is possible, giving our customers the edge and our employees opportunities to change the world. Our products and capabilities can be found everywhere – from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of space. At our core are more than 14,000 highly talented Electronic Systems employees with the brightest minds in the industry, we make an impact – for our customers and the communities we serve.