Does the prospect of transitioning a company from prototype to volume manufacturing  excite you? Can you cut through the fog of multiple, competing requests to focus on the important and urgent priorities required to accomplish a long-term goal? If your answers here are yes, then we’ve been looking for you: Please read on.

In this role, you will own our Manufacturing Quality initiatives. This is going to be a dynamic and ever-evolving role. We are working in close partnership with the FAA to design a quality system that will be the first of its kind in the UAS space.

What You'll Do  

The Long Term Goal:

• Reduce the outgoing inspection at Zipline to virtually zero by driving advanced quality planning and Root Cause Analysis / Corrective Action / Preventive Action (RCCAPA) activities.
• Improve first pass yield, eliminate rejects, rework and scrap issues.
• Plan, organize, direct and conduct quality planning activities within the Design Engineering , Manufacturing, Material Planning, New Product Introduction (NPI) and Supply Chain teams.
• Implement and maintain Zipline's Quality System in compliance with FAA CFR 21.137.

Quality Planning:

• Develop, manage, audit and correct planning and execution of component manufacturing and assembly techniques and quality control processes to ensure they meet increasing quality, delivery and reliability requirements.
• Track and improve manufacturing process development and launch readiness for design changes and new products.
• Guide Design and Manufacturing in developing exceptionally robust processes and procedures to promote seamless and efficient production of high quality assemblies.
• Collaborate with Zipline Design, Supplier Quality and Manufacturing/NPI to understand ideal performance requirements and metrics.

Quality Improvement.

• Push quality upstream by ensuring that issues are permanently corrected at the source through root cause analysis.
• Drive improvements utilizing Lean methodologies, Statistical Process Control (SPC), and key performance metrics.
• Ensure regulatory compliance, while driving systematic problem solving and process-improvement plans.
• Develop strong and positive relationships with all cross functional teams to implement and track design changes, capacity studies and New Product Introductions.

Process Optimization.

• Participate in Design for Manufacturability (DFM) reviews, guide manufacturing in efficient use of poka-yokes, best methods of gauging, and correct tools or assembly equipment to use.  Provide feedback to Zipline Design teams to ensure alignment and incorporation of feedback during validation build phases.
• Drive advanced quality planning and RCCAPA so that the quality of our parts is excellent at the source and thus require no receiving inspection at our customers.
• Guide and implement improvements in scalability, cost, and quality.

What You'll Bring 

• You have worked for at least 3 years in a fast paced and high growth environment as a Quality Engineer and/or Supplier Quality Engineer. 
• You have successfully launched, into volume production, complex assemblies using quality planning from prototype through mass production stages.
• You have worked with an established Quality System and applied it to improve product quality (applicable standards are AS9100/ISO9001/IATF16949).
• You have achieved measurable results with implementing Product Quality Planning (applicable examples are Advanced Product Quality Planning, Production Part Approval Process, Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, SPC).
• You have participated in a product design effort and thus know what it takes to transition from prototype to volume production (if you used any CAD system like NX, Altium, OrCAD, Solidworks that is a big plus!).
• You understand the value of methods such as 8D, 5-WHY, Pareto Charts and Fishbone Diagrams because you have achieved measurable results by using them and influencing others to do the same.
• You can thrive in structured and unstructured environments and are not  dissuaded at the prospect of making hard choices about what is important and urgent against a backdrop of limited resources.
• You have a good understanding of and have successfully implemented gates within a product development process and achieved the intended results.
• You have strong project management skills with demonstrated ability to drive tough timelines with key stakeholders internally and externally.

What Else You Need to Know   

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!