Job description:
Quality & Engineering Manager – Aerospace/Defense Manufacturing
Location: Monrovia, CA – 100% Onsite
Employment Type: Full-Time, Direct Hire
Salary: $140,000–$160,000
This position provides leadership across both Engineering and Quality, with a strong emphasis on technical engineering leadership, mentorship, and hands-on support of the engineering organization.
The ideal candidate comes from a Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Aerospace Engineering background and has progressed into leadership while remaining technically engaged. This individual will mentor engineers, provide technical guidance, review designs and manufacturing processes, support new product development, and help solve complex engineering and production challenges.
The Quality & Engineering Manager will also oversee an established Quality organization and support continued compliance with AS9100/ISO Quality Management Systems, customer requirements, audits, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
This is an excellent opportunity for an engineering leader who enjoys developing people while remaining close to the technical work.
Key Responsibilities
Engineering Leadership & Technical Support
Lead, mentor, and develop the Engineering team, providing technical guidance and support on design, manufacturing, and process-related challenges.
Serve as a hands-on technical resource and escalation point for engineering questions.
Oversee engineering projects including planning, scheduling, resource allocation, technical review, risk management, execution, and reporting.
Review designs, engineering drawings, customer design proposals, specifications, manuals, and technical data to evaluate feasibility, cost, manufacturability, product validation, and maintenance requirements.
Support research and development, new product development, product validation, testing, assembly methods, tooling, fixtures, and manufacturing process improvements.
Develop, improve, and validate test and assembly processes, methods, fixtures, tools, procedures, and work instructions.
Recommend and implement new testing equipment, tooling, fixtures, and process controls.
Support design changes and process improvements that enhance manufacturing efficiency, quality, cost, and customer satisfaction.
Work closely with Manufacturing and Operations to troubleshoot technical issues and improve manufacturability.
Quality Management & Continuous Improvement
Provide leadership and oversight for the Quality organization and established AS9100/ISO Quality Management System.
Ensure continued compliance with customer, regulatory, certification, and company requirements.
Support internal and external audits and maintain an audit-ready environment throughout the year.
Serve as a key representative for customer, supplier, regulatory, and certification quality matters.
Drive continuous improvement through root-cause analysis, CAPA, failure analysis, statistical methods, and data-driven decision-making.
Manage customer quality concerns, complaint investigations, production-related quality issues, and corrective-action follow-up.
Partner with Purchasing on supplier quality, including supplier performance, quality requirements, issue resolution, and improvement actions.
Track, analyze, and report key Engineering and Quality metrics, trends, risks, corrective actions, and continuous-improvement progress.
Manufacturing & Operational Support
Collaborate with Product Development, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Operations, Purchasing, and Quality Control to establish robust manufacturing processes.
Research and evaluate new procedures, materials, processes, equipment, products, and testing methods.
Implement and maintain technical and manufacturing information within ERP/MRP systems.
Create and maintain BOMs, MOMs, routings, material requirements, labor requirements, tooling requirements, and other manufacturing information as needed.
Assist with cost estimates for new or redesigned products.
Develop and support training for Quality, Manufacturing, Engineering, machine operators, and other personnel on applicable technical, process, and quality requirements.
| Location | Monrovia, CA |
| Job Type | Full-time |
| Salary | $140,000–$160,000 Per Year |
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline.
5+ years of progressive engineering/manufacturing experience, including significant experience in design and/or manufacturing engineering.
Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring, and developing engineers or other technical personnel.
Strong technical understanding of manufacturing processes and the ability to provide hands-on engineering guidance and troubleshooting support.
Experience working within an AS9100 and/or ISO Quality Management System.
Knowledge of quality processes including internal/external audits, documentation control, root-cause analysis, CAPA, failure analysis, process validation, and continuous improvement.
Ability to read, interpret, review, and create technical drawings.
Experience with AutoCAD or similar engineering design software.
Experience with research and development, new product development, product validation, testing, assembly methods, fixtures, tooling, or process improvement.
Strong project-management capabilities including planning, scheduling, technical review, resource allocation, risk management, and deadline accountability.
Strong analytical, troubleshooting, communication, and interpersonal skills.
Ability to work 100% onsite in Monrovia, California.
Preferred Qualifications
Aerospace or defense manufacturing experience.
Strong experience operating within an AS9100-certified manufacturing environment.
AutoCAD experience; SolidWorks, Inventor, or similar CAD experience is also valuable.
Experience with RF welding / RF heat sealing of flexible materials such as vinyl or polyurethane.
ERP/MRP experience, including BOM/MOM creation, routings, and manufacturing data maintenance.
EPICOR experience.
Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) and/or Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt.
Experience applying statistical techniques to manufacturing-process monitoring and control.
Experience overseeing both Engineering and Quality teams.
What We're Looking For
The successful candidate will be an engineering leader first and foremost—someone with enough technical depth to mentor engineers, review their work, help troubleshoot difficult problems, and confidently provide direction when technical questions arise.
At the same time, this individual should understand how Engineering and Quality work together within an aerospace/defense manufacturing environment and be comfortable providing leadership to an established Quality team.
We're looking for someone who is:
Technically credible and comfortable remaining hands-on
A strong mentor and people leader
Analytical and solutions-oriented
Comfortable working across Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, and Operations
Focused on continuous improvement and root-cause problem solving
Able to balance technical rigor with manufacturing realities
Comfortable taking ownership in a fast-paced environment
Schedule & Work Environment
This position is 100% onsite in Monrovia, CA, Monday through Friday. Remote and hybrid work are not available for this role.
KORE1, a nationwide provider of staffing and recruiting solutions, is seeking a Quality & Engineering Manager for an established and growing manufacturer serving the aerospace, defense, medical, and high-performance industrial markets.
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