Sr. Quality Engineer
- US citizenship
- IPC J-STD-001
- IPC-A-610
How this pay compares
This posting states $137k–$186k a year. Open quality engineer jobs in Washington post a median of $155k a year, the middle half $139k–$162k, across 33 jobs that state their pay, so this one is within the middle half of what they post.
Quality engineers and inspectors in Washington: pay by town and employer
About the job
Have you ever wanted to be part of a team who is building industry changing technology? Amazon Leo is an initiative to launch a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites that will provide low-latency, high-speed broadband network connectivity to unserved and underserved communities around the world. We are looking for a Sr.
Quality Engineer who will own the end-to-end non-conformance (QN) lifecycle for PCB and mechanical part receiving inspection, from identification and immediate containment through disposition, root cause corrective action, and verified closure, driving resolution at the speed and scale required to protect satellite production schedules.
This role carries direct disposition authority for nonconforming material (scrap, rework, no defect) and collaborates with Engineering and Manufacturing on elevated dispositions (Use-As-Is, Repair) through the Material Review Board process.
Beyond resolving individual QNs, this engineer will drive supplier quality improvement by leading containment, corrective action, and collaborative engagement with suppliers to strengthen their detection and prevention capabilities, ensuring nonconforming material does not reach the production floor and that systemic issues are resolved at the source.
On the preventive side, this role will develop systemic process improvements (including inspection criteria refinement, pre-approved disposition development, and supplier qualification strategies) to reduce non-conformance recurrence and improve receiving throughput.
The ideal candidate is a systems thinker with excellent analytical abilities, strong technical skills in non-conformance management and SAP QM, effective written and verbal communication, and most importantly, a passion for driving rapid defect resolution while building the mechanisms that prevent issues from recurring, delivering mission-critical hardware to the production line on time and at the highest quality standards. ## Export Control Requirement Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.
Key job responsibilities Non-Conformance Lifecycle Management - Own the end-to-end QN lifecycle in SAP from identification, containment, root cause investigation, disposition, execution, through verified closure - Exercise direct disposition authority (scrap, rework, no defect) and drive elevated dispositions (Use-As-Is, Repair) through the Material Review Board with cross-functional engineering partners - Develop and document root cause corrective actions using structured methodologies (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone) ensuring corrective actions address systemic causes, not just symptoms - Manage non-conformance backlog and cycle times to meet SLA compliance targets, prioritizing based on production impact and material criticality - Track and drive resolution of aged nonconforming material to prevent accumulation in quality hold status Supplier Quality Improvement - Lead containment and corrective action activities with suppliers when receiving inspection identifies nonconforming material - Collaborate directly with suppliers to strengthen their outgoing quality, detection methods, and process controls to prevent recurrence at the source Initiate and manage Supplier Corrective Action - Requests (SCARs) and track supplier response effectiveness - Partner with Supplier Quality Engineering to escalate systemic supplier performance issues and inform supplier development strategies Data Analysis and Metrics Ownership - Own and report receiving quality KPIs including Defects Per Unit, SLA Compliance, First Pass Yield, and Cycle Time through weekly and monthly business reviews - Perform trend analysis and Pareto of NC data to identify top contributing suppliers, defect categories, and repeat failure modes - Translate NC data into actionable insights for leadership, engineering, and supply chain stakeholders - Monitor and communicate path-to-green when metrics fall below targets Process Improvement and Prevention - Develop systemic process improvements to reduce non-conformance volume and improve receiving throughput - Refine inspection criteria and acceptance standards based on NC trend data and engineering feedback - Develop pre-approved dispositions for known, recurring conditions to accelerate NC cycle time - Build supplier qualification strategies (reduced inspection, skip-lot, source inspection qualification) based on demonstrated supplier performance - Support New Product Introduction (NPI) from a receiving quality perspective, ensuring inspection readiness for new or changed parts Cross-Functional Collaboration - Serve as the primary quality representative for receiving inspection non-conformances - Work directly with Receiving Inspection, Supplier Quality, Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, and Supply Chain teams to resolve non-conformances - Provide quality engineering support to inspectors on defect identification, acceptance criteria interpretation, and NC documentation standards - Collaborate with fellow MQEs and PSQEs to share learnings and improve mechanisms across the business - Communicate and present quality status, risks, and improvement plans to leadership Systems and Compliance - Serve as subject matter expert for SAP QM as it relates to receiving inspection non-conformance workflows and quality record management - Ensure NC processes comply with AS9100 quality management system requirements - Develop and maintain NC categorization standards to ensure consistent defect coding and accurate reporting - Perform audit activities to verify NC process compliance and closure effectiveness ## About the team Here at Amazon, we embrace our differences.
We are committed to furthering our culture of inclusion. Amazon has ten employee-led affinity groups, reaching 40,000 employees in over 190 chapters globally. We have innovative benefit offerings, and host annual and ongoing learning experiences. Amazon’s culture of inclusion is reinforced within our 16 Leadership Principles, which remind team members to seek diverse perspectives, learn and be curious, and earn trust.
At Amazon, our mission is to be the most customer-centric company on Earth. To get there, we need exceptionally talented, bright and driven people. We're dedicated to supporting new team members.
Our team has a broad mix of experience levels and Amazon tenures, and we’re building an environment that celebrates knowledge sharing and mentorship. ## Basic qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, or related technical discipline - 5+ years of experience in quality engineering, manufacturing quality, or supplier quality within automotive, medical, aerospace, defense, or high-reliability hardware production - Experience managing non-conformances through the full lifecycle (identification, investigation, disposition, corrective action, closure) - Experience with Material Review Board processes and material disposition decisions - Experience with root cause analysis methodologies (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, or equivalent) - Experience with quality management systems (ISO 9001, AS9100, or equivalent) ## Preferred qualifications - 8+ years of experience in quality engineering, manufacturing quality, or supplier quality within automotive, medical, aerospace, defense, or high-reliability hardware production - Experience with SAP QM module (Quality Notifications, inspection lots, material status management) - Knowledge of electronics and harness inspection standards (IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC/WHMA-A-620) - Knowledge of mechanical and material acceptance standards (ASTM, AMS, AS9102) for machined parts, panels, and COTS hardware - GD&T proficiency per ASME Y14.5 for mechanical part disposition decisions - ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or equivalent professional certif
From Amazon Leo's job posting, checked 7 Nov 2026. The employer's own page is the final word on requirements and availability.
Selected agencies hiring now
Chipton-RossEngineering and technical staffing agency
Aerospace and defense engineering staffing firm with offices in El Segundo, Long Beach and Playa Del Rey, California, Charleston, Pascagoula and Newport News, placing engineers, designers and technicians on contract and direct hire.
Places: Mechanical, Avionics, Systems & Test, Technicians
Contract Professionals Inc (CPI)Engineering and technical staffing agency
Aerospace and defense staffing firm in Waterford, Michigan, placing engineers, maintenance technicians, mechanics, welders and CNC machinists.
Places: Propulsion, Mechanical, Avionics, RF & Payloads
These agencies and apps pay SpaceJobs.Now a referral fee when someone we introduce is placed or signs up. It costs you nothing and never changes your pay. Employers' own jobs below keep their own order.
Sponsored jobs from job networks, which pay SpaceJobs.Now when you click one.
Free tools for this application: check your resume against this job, answer the application's questions or see every free tool.
New quality and mission assurance jobs in space in Washington, by email
One email a week with the newest ones, straight from the employers' own careers sites, with the pay each posting states. Free, stop anytime.
About Amazon Leo
Amazon's satellite internet constellation, formerly Project Kuiper: satellites, launches, ground stations and the terminals customers use.
Pay on its listings: 93.1% of its open jobs state an hourly rate
How it pays: Paid as an employee on Amazon's own payroll (salaried or hourly, as each posting states).
More open jobs at Amazon Leo
- Software Development Engineer, Amazon Leo, Embedded Platform$165,200–$223,600/yr
- Data Scientist, Phased Array Antenna System Validation$136,000–$184,000/yr
- Electrical Engineer, Amazon Leo Government, Amazon Leo Government$126,300–$164,800/yr
- Executive Assistant, Amazon Leo Global B2B$82,700–$129,800/yr
- Global Category Sourcing Manager - PCBA
- Mechanical Engineer, Electronics Packaging, Avionics Mechanical
More quality and mission assurance jobs in space
- Metrology Engineer$68,000–$80,000/yr
- Sr. Equipment Safety Engineer
- Process Safety Engineer
- Senior Supplier Quality Engineer$117,500–$185,500/yr
- EHS Specialist II - Environmental Compliance$74,000–$112,000/yr
- Program Quality Engineering Asc Mgr - L4$118,000–$219,100/yr
A quality or mission assurance professional?
One profile for every employer here. Space companies and their recruiters ask us for people with a specific degree, clearance, specialty or location: add yours once, and when a job fits, we introduce you, only with your yes. Free.
Amazon Leo openings, sent to you weekly
Each week we send the newest postings from Amazon Leo's own careers site, along with similar openings at other space employers. It costs nothing and you can stop anytime.