Head of Quality

POSITION SUMMARY The Head of Quality is a senior leadership position responsible for establishing, implementing, and maturing all quality management functions across Atropos Group's development and production operations. This role is the company's primary quality authority and will serve as the central driver of the Production Approval process — leading the quality system infrastructure, processes, and organizational readiness required to achieve an FAA Production Certificate (PC). The Head of Quality will build and lead a high-performing quality organization from the ground up, shaping the culture, systems, and procedures necessary to support production certification activities, entry into service, and long-term operational excellence in a highly regulated aerospace environment. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES FAA Production Certification & Regulatory Compliance Serve as the company's primary quality authority and key point of contact for all FAA Production Certificate (PC) activities Lead development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the Quality Management System (QMS) to satisfy FAA PC requirements under 14 CFR Part 21 Coordinate directly with FAA personnel and Designated Airworthiness Representatives (DARs) throughout the PC application and approval process Develop and maintain the Production Approval Holder (PAH) quality manual, quality procedures, and associated command media in support of PC issuance Support Type Certificate (TC) activities by ensuring that design-to-production traceability, conformity inspections, and first article evaluations are executed in compliance with FAA requirements Monitor and interpret applicable FAA regulations, policy updates, and airworthiness directives for impact on quality processes and production readiness Lead internal and external quality audits in support of FAA oversight, including responses to findings and implementation of corrective actions Quality Management System (QMS) Development & Maintenance Architect and implement a scalable, AS9100D-aligned QMS that supports both current development activities and future high-rate production Establish and maintain the full suite of quality procedures, work instructions, and forms constituting the company's quality command media structure Drive QMS integration across all functional areas including engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and program management Develop and maintain Quality plans for all major programs, ensuring appropriate inspection, verification, and validation gates are defined and executed Own the internal audit program, including scheduling, execution, corrective action tracking, and management review inputs Establish and monitor quality KPIs and metrics to provide leadership with visibility into system health and performance trends Lead periodic Management Review processes and provide executive leadership with quality system status reports and improvement recommendations Ensure seamless integration between the QMS and the company’s Safety Management System (SMS), establishing clear interfaces between quality processes and the four SMS components defined under 14 CFR Part 5 (Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance, and Safety Promotion) Collaborate with the SMS program manager to ensure that nonconformance data, CAPA outcomes, and audit findings feed into the SMS Safety Assurance function, supporting