Customer Quality Engineer Jobs in Tennessee (NOW HIRING)

Overview

We're hiring a Quality Engineer & Manager to lead quality planning, execution, and overall quality performance for complex, close-tolerance components and fabricated assemblies supporting critical aerospace and defense programs.

This is a hands-on aerospace quality leadership role supporting large CNC-machined components, complex fabrications, and highly controlled manufacturing processes where documentation, traceability, dimensional compliance, and customer requirements are critical. You'll have significant ownership of the site's quality function while remaining directly involved in the engineering work-from initial contract and drawing review through manufacturing, inspection, First Article Inspection (FAI), customer source inspection, and final delivery documentation.

You'll work directly with Engineering, Manufacturing, Inspection, suppliers, leadership, and aerospace and defense customers to establish quality expectations, translate demanding technical requirements into executable plans, resolve issues at their root, and ensure every component leaves the facility with the documentation and objective evidence required to prove compliance.

Why Join Us

• Lead quality for critical aerospace & defense programs: Take meaningful ownership of quality strategy and execution for demanding military, aerospace, and energy applications.
• Own quality from planning through delivery: Lead quality requirements, manufacturing execution, FAI, traceability, source inspection, and final documentation.
• Work on technically challenging hardware: Support large CNC-machined components, fabricated assemblies, tight tolerances, complex GD&T, and rigorous customer specifications.
• High-visibility leadership role: Work across the shop floor, engineering, leadership, suppliers, and customers with the authority to drive quality improvements throughout the operation.

Compensation

• Salary: $100,000-$150,000 / year
• Competitive benefits including paid healthcare, 401(k) match, paid holidays and vacation, and education reimbursement

Responsibilities

• Quality Leadership: Provide technical leadership and direction for the site's quality function, establishing priorities, driving accountability, and ensuring quality requirements are effectively executed throughout manufacturing.
• Aerospace Quality Planning: Review customer contracts, engineering drawings, specifications, and statements of work to translate technical requirements into actionable manufacturing and inspection quality plans.
• AS9100 & Quality Systems: Lead implementation, auditing, and continuous improvement of AS9100, ISO 9001, NADCAP, and other applicable aerospace and defense quality requirements.
• FAI & Delivery Documentation: Prepare and review AS9102 First Article Inspection Reports and compile complete final documentation packages including material certifications, special process certifications, inspection records, and Certificates of Conformance.
• Manufacturing Quality: Work directly with machinists, fabricators, inspectors, and engineers to establish process controls and resolve quality issues involving complex machined and fabricated components.
• Customer Source Inspection: Serve as a primary quality representative for customers and source inspectors, coordinating inspections and confidently presenting parts, records, processes, and objective evidence of compliance.
• Root Cause & Corrective Action: Lead containment, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and effectiveness verification using structured problem-solving methods; manage supplier corrective actions when required.
• Inspection & GD&T: Interpret complex engineering drawings and GD&T requirements and support dimensional inspection of close-tolerance components using conventional metrology and CMM data.
• Traceability & Compliance: Ensure material, heat lot, special process, inspection, and manufacturing records maintain the rigorous traceability required for aerospace and defense hardware.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's or Associate's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent hands-on manufacturing quality experience
• Quality engineering experience within aerospace, defense, precision machining, fabrication, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment
• Ability to take ownership of quality activities and provide technical leadership across manufacturing, engineering, and inspection teams
• Strong understanding of engineering drawings, GD&T, dimensional inspection, and manufacturing processes
• Experience supporting Quality Management Systems and formal customer quality requirements
• Experience with root cause analysis, corrective actions, and manufacturing quality problem solving
• Strong documentation skills with an understanding of material, process, and product traceability
• Ability to work directly with manufacturing teams, inspectors, engineers, suppliers, customers, and company leadership

Preferred

• Aerospace or defense manufacturing quality experience
• Working knowledge of AS9100 and AS9102 requirements
• Experience preparing First Article Inspection Reports (FAIs)
• Experience with NADCAP-controlled special processes
• PPAP, Control Plan, or advanced quality planning experience
• Customer or government source inspection experience
• CMM experience; Zeiss/Calypso exposure is a plus
• Experience supporting large, complex CNC-machined components or fabricated assemblies
• Previous experience leading quality initiatives, mentoring quality personnel, or owning a manufacturing quality function