Director of Enterprise Quality & Configuration Management

The Panther Group is seeking an experienced Director of Enterprise Quality & Configuration Management for a leadership opportunity with a leading defense and aerospace organization in Franklin, MA. This is a senior leadership position responsible for leading Quality and Configuration Management across multiple U.S. business entities, supporting both hardware manufacturing and services. The role will have immediate responsibility for major defense hardware programs while also building and strengthening enterprise-wide quality and configuration management processes, systems, and teams. The ideal candidate will bring significant experience in Aerospace & Defense quality, configuration management, manufacturing, DoD programs, and organizational leadership.

Position Details Location: Franklin, MA Schedule: Full-time, onsite Travel: Up to 25% domestic travel, with occasional international travel Industry: Aerospace & Defense Employment Type: Direct/Professional Opportunity Citizenship: U.S. Person required under ITAR/EAR Clearance: Eligibility for a U.S. security clearance preferred/required as applicable

What You'll Do

Enterprise Quality & Configuration Management Lead the Quality and Configuration Management organization across multiple U.S. locations. Develop and execute enterprise-wide strategies that improve product quality, compliance, configuration control, and delivery performance. Lead and develop a team of approximately 25 quality engineering professionals. Establish scalable processes, systems, and best practices across the organization.

Production & Program Quality Own quality performance for major defense manufacturing programs from First Article Inspection and production readiness through sustained production and Government acceptance. Drive process control, first-pass yield, rolled throughput yield, and other quality metrics in partnership with Operations. Lead material review, nonconformance management, root cause analysis, and corrective action through verified closure. Reduce product escapes and cost of poor quality.

Customer & Government Interface Serve as a senior quality point of contact for customers, Government quality representatives, and DCMA. Lead customer and Government engagements involving audits, corrective action requests, deviations, and waivers. Provide executive-level briefings on quality performance, risks, configuration issues, and improvement initiatives.

Configuration Management Oversee configuration management throughout the product lifecycle. Maintain configuration baselines and configuration control. Lead engineering change management, including Engineering Change Proposals, deviations, waivers, and configuration control boards. Ensure traceability from as-designed through as-built configurations. Maintain configuration integrity while engineering changes and production activities are occurring simultaneously.

Supplier Quality Establish supplier quality requirements and flow-downs. Lead source inspections, supplier First Article Inspections, and corrective actions for critical suppliers and subcontractors. Support counterfeit parts prevention and applicable DFARS requirements.

Continuous Improvement & QMS Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement initiatives. Improve yield, quality, cycle time, escape rates, and cost of poor quality. Oversee compliance with applicable quality standards and certifications, including AS9100D, ISO 9001:2015, and CMMI-SVC ML3. Continue to mature and standardize the enterprise Quality Management System.

Cross-Functional Leadership Partner closely with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Program Management. Build quality and configuration requirements into program schedules, engineering change processes, and material flow. Influence decisions and drive results across a matrix organization without relying solely on direct authority. Mentor and develop quality professionals and build organizational capability for long-term growth.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical field. 12+ years of relevant experience in Aerospace & Defense Quality and Configuration Management within hardware manufacturing environments. At least 5 years of experience leading quality managers and engineers. Proven experience leading quality on a DoD or federal program through First Article/qualification testing and into production delivery and Government acceptance. Strong manufacturing and operational quality experience, including: Material review Nonconformance management Root cause and corrective action Process control Supplier quality Requirements flow-down Hands-on configuration management experience with: Engineering change proposals Deviations and waivers Configuration control boards Configuration baselines Strong knowledge of Quality Management Systems and quality tools. Working knowledge of AS9100D and AS9102. Experience working with Government quality representatives and/or DCMA. Demonstrated success leading geographically dispersed, cross-functional teams. Excellent executive-level communication and presentation skills. Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving abilities. Ability to manage multiple priorities and operate effectively in a fast-paced environment. U.S. Person as defined by ITAR/EAR.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree in Engineering, Business Management, or a related field. ASQ CMQ/OE, Six Sigma Black Belt, or Configuration Management certification such as CMII or EIA-649. Experience with ISO 9001, CMMI, and EIA-649. Experience harmonizing quality systems across multiple sites or business units. Experience working directly with U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, or other DoD customers. Strong knowledge of DFARS quality requirements and DCMA processes. Supplier quality leadership within defense hardware programs. Experience with Costpoint or another ERP system and PLM-based configuration management tools. Experience driving enterprise-level KPIs, annual operating plans, and measurable quality improvements. Eligibility to obtain a U.S. security clearance.

Why Join This Opportunity?

This is an opportunity to take a key leadership role in building and strengthening an enterprise-wide Quality and Configuration Management organization supporting critical defense hardware programs. The position combines strategic leadership, hands-on program quality, configuration management, team development, and continuous improvement.

Salary

Salary: $189,000 to $238,000 annually, depending on experience and qualifications.