Director, Quality

Airbus · Columbus

Airbus is committed to providing reasonable accommodations as an Equal Opportunity Employer to applicants with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation to complete your application, please contact us at USCareers@airbus.com

Job Description:

Are you ready to steer quality operations for a global leader in vertical flight?

Airbus Helicopters is seeking a visionary, results-oriented Site Quality Director to lead our site-level Quality Management System (QMS) and daily operational integrity. Reporting directly to the VP of Quality, you will serve as the operational anchor for aviation safety, manufacturing excellence, and regulatory compliance across FAA, EASA, TCCA, and AS9100 standards.

In this high-visibility leadership role, you will direct a team of quality professionals across logistics, assembly, component repair, and final conformity. We are looking for a strategic change-maker who can embed a "First Time Right" mindset, harmonize site practices with global Airbus standards, and bridge the gap between engineering, regulatory bodies, and frontline operations.

Your working environment:

On the eastern border of Mississippi you’ll find Columbus, home to our Helicopter manufacturing and assembly lines and Center of Excellence for the entire North America region. It’s here that we produce the UH-72A Lakota Helicopters for the U.S. Army in addition to the H-125 aircraft for civil and commercial customers.

How we care for you:

Financial Rewards: Competitive base salary, incentive compensation which may include profit sharing schemes, retirement savings plan and the ability to participate in an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”)
Work/Life Balance: Paid time off including personal time, holidays and a generous paid parental leave program.
Health & Welfare: Comprehensive insurance coverage including medical (traditional and high-deductible health plans), prescription, dental, vision, life, disability, Employee Assistance Plan (“EAP”) and other supplemental benefit coverages.
Individual Development: Upskilling and development opportunities through our global Leadership University, including unlimited access to 10,000+ e-learning courses focusing on ways to develop your employability, certifications, career path as well as the opportunity to participate in accelerated development programmes and both national and international mobility.

Your Challenges:

Sustain Regulatory & Quality Certifications: Maintain, uphold, and expand site compliance for FAA, EASA, and TCCA repair station and production certificates, certified personnel, and AS9100 QMS credentials.
Drive Executive QMS Governance: Administer the site Quality Management System, collaborating directly with the Executive Committee to embed strategic quality objectives into the business planning cycle.
Standardize Operational Inspections: Supervise and enforce rigorous inspection standards across supply chain, logistics, receiving, in-process assembly, quality gates, and final aircraft conformity for components, aerostructures, and rotorcraft.
Mitigate Quality Escapes & Risk: Identify and eliminate operational and airworthiness risks to safeguard customer flight safety, business continuity, delivery schedules, and operating costs.
Lead and Develop Personnel: Directly manage, mentor, and evaluate a team of 3–5 exempt supervisors/engineers and 10–25 non-exempt inspectors, directing career progression, staffing, and technical competence.
Establish & Track SQCDP KPIs: Implement robust enterprise metrics tracking Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, and People (SQCDP) to systematically capture non-conformances, process capability, and customer complaints.
Manage Financials & Quality Budget: Direct departmental budgeting, manage financial forecasts, analyze cost variances, and allocate capital for advanced measurement tools, calibration, and ergonomic work environments.
Execute Root Cause & Corrective Action (RCCA): Drive practical problem solving (PPS), Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), and structured RCCA workflows to resolve manufacturing anomalies and prevent recurrence.
Harmonize Global Airbus Standards: Coordinate with international Airbus Helicopters facilities to standardize quality procedures, digital architectures, and enterprise systems (including SAP, MES, and non-conformance portals).
Champion Safety and "First Time Right" Culture: Spearhead a proactive, psychological safety culture anchored by "First Time Right" execution and a robust "Speak Up / Listen Up" mindset across all shifts and departments.
Direct Internal & External Audits: Lead preparation, execution, and reporting for internal, regulatory (FAA/EASA/TCCA), and customer audits, ensuring all corrective action milestones are closed transparently.
Collaborate on Design & New Product Introduction (NPI): Partner with design engineering and certification teams to support new product development, configuration integrity, obsolescence management, and manufacturing build cycles.
Reduce Cost of Non-Quality (CoNQ): Lead enterprise continuous improvement, Lean, and Kaizen initiatives to eliminate scrap, minimize rework, reduce the Cost of Non-Quality, and improve delivery reliability.
Optimize Workload & Production Flow: Coordinate with operations and program management to balance inspection staffing and shift priorities against critical flightline and customer delivery schedules.
Oversee Technical Training & Qualifications: Build and finance comprehensive onboarding and recurrent training programs covering aviation safety, specialized processes (NDI, composites, dynamic components), and regulatory requirements.

Your Boarding Pass:

Must possess a Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace/Aviation/Industrial Engineer/Engineering related field or equivalent experience (4 years)
Have ten (10) + years of Aerospace/Aviation Industry, Military or Quality experience and three (3) + years in a Leadership role, Civilian and/or Military
Able to support functions in multiple areas such as repair station, manufacturing, composites, electrical/avionics Backshop, warehousing/logistics, dynamic component repair, blades and tail boom
Knowledge of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Regulations 14 CFR Parts 21, 43 and 145 in addition the related sections for Transport Canada and EASA
Knowledge of AS9100 Quality Requirements and Systems
Knowledge of aircraft design, maintenance, and manufacturing processes and build cycles
Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Access), Onbase, Orion eTechPub, Adobe Acrobat , SAP, Smartsheet, G Suite. OCE/ARAS/Bflow T.I.P.I.

Preferred Education/Skills:

Master’s Degree as described above
12 years of Aerospace/Aviation Industry, Military or Quality experience and 3 years in a Leadership role Civilian and/or Military
A&P License
ASQ or CMQ certified

Travel Required:

15% Domestic and International

Citizenship:

Must be a US Person under ITAR definition (U.S. Citizen, green card holder or person covered under our existing ITAR license)

Physical Requirements:

Onsite or remote: 100% in Columbus, MS unless traveling
Vision: able to see and read computer screens and other electronic equipment with screens, able to read documents, reports and engineering drawings daily. Must have correctable near and far vision if applicable.
Hearing: able to hear to participate in conversations in person and via teleconference or phone and to hear sounds on the production floor including safety warnings or alarms. Daily
Speaking: able to speak in conversations and meetings, deliver information and participate in communications. Daily
Equipment Operation (personal computer, telephone, copies, fax machine, and related office equipment and using electronic identification card to enter building floors and internal doors): able to operate most office and personal electronic equipment and some tools including production tools .
Carrying: able to carry documents, tools, drawings, electronic equipment up to 30lbs/14kgs. Daily
Lifting: able to lift documents, tools, drawings, electronic equipment up to 30lbs/14kgs. Daily
Pushing / Pulling: able to push and pull small office furniture and some equipment and tools. Daily
Sitting: able to sit for long periods of time in meetings, working on the computer. Several times a week
Squatting / Kneeling: able to squat or kneel to retrieve or replace items stored on low shelving. Daily
Standing: able to stand for discussions in offices or on the production floor. Daily
Travel: able to travel independently and at short notice. 15% or less yearly
Walking (include routine walking such as to a shared printer to retrieve documents): able to walk through office and production areas including uneven surfaces. Daily
Personal Protective Equipment required: Required PPE includes, but is not limited to, Safety Shoes, Safety Glasses, Hearing Protection, Respirators/Masks, and/or Protective Gloves as required by site and/or customer site
Administrative position only PPE required: Steel-toed shoes are required for all shop floor visits, appropriate hearing/eye protection may also be required when visiting the shop floor.

Take your career to a new level and apply now.

A full job description will be provided to candidates who progress to the interview stage or any candidate upon request.

This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.

Company:

Airbus Helicopters, Inc.

Employment Type:

US - Direct Hire

Experience Level:

Professional

Remote Type:

On-site

Job Family:

Leadership <JF-FA-EM>

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Airbus provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status. In addition to federal law requirements, Airbus complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, demotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, benefits and training. Airbus expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status. As a matter of policy, Airbus does not sponsor visas for US positions unless specified. Only applicants with current work authorization will be considered. Airbus does not offer tenured or guaranteed employment. Employment with Airbus is at will, meaning either the company or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. Airbus reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises. This position description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.

By submitting your CV or application you are consenting to Airbus using and storing information about you for monitoring purposes relating to your application or future employment. This information will only be used by Airbus.
Airbus is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of social and cultural background, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief.

Airbus is, and always has been, committed to equal opportunities for all. As such, we will never ask for any type of monetary exchange in the frame of a recruitment process. Any impersonation of Airbus to do so should be reported to emsom@airbus.com.

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