The Company
Astra’s mission is to Improve Life on Earth from Space® by creating a healthier and more connected planet. Today, Astra offers one of the lowest cost-per-launch dedicated orbital launch services of any operational launch provider in the world, and one of the industry’s first flight-proven electric propulsion systems for satellites, Astra Spacecraft Engine™. Astra delivered its first commercial launch to low Earth orbit in 2021, making it the fastest company in history to reach this milestone, just five years after it was founded in 2016.
Astra (NASDAQ: ASTR) was the first space launch company to be publicly traded on Nasdaq.
The Team
The Mission Assurance team at Astra is responsible for the quality, safety, and reliability of our products and processes. We work closely with our counterparts in design engineering, supply chain, production, and test to ensure that the products that leave our doors are of the highest quality and meet or exceed our customers' expectations. Our north star is ensuring a successful mission for every one of our customers.
The Opportunity
As the Quality Manager for our Spacecraft Engines business, you will lead our quality management system and all quality activities at our Sunnyvale, CA engineering and production facility. Expect to get your hands dirty - you'll help solve some of the hardest technical problems that we face, while having a tangible impact and significant responsibility for the quality of the spacecraft engines that leaves our factory. You will help us establish processes that put quality first and ensure that we are setting ourselves up for success in a mass-production environment.
You will interface directly with customers while leading the Sunnyvale quality team and collaborating closely with your production and engineering peers.
How You’ll Fulfill Your Mission
- Lead and coach the quality engineering team in Sunnyvale.
- Dive head-first into solving complex production problems, root cause analysis, risk analysis, and corrective action triage.
- Enable high quality and throughput of spacecraft engines by assisting the team with reviewing non-conformances and work instructions, developing control plans and PFMEAs, and other improvement activities.
- Develop Sunnyvale's Quality Management System and lead certification to ISO9001 and AS9100 standards.
- Ideate and implement innovative new processes and software tools that help Astra maintain quality while scaling up production.
- Deliver first-class service to our customers while managing audits, customer deliverables, and quality escapes.
Why We Value You
- You are an expert in Quality Engineering and are comfortable championing the discipline for the spacecraft engine business
- You are a thoughtful people leader, invested in your team members' growth, development, and impact
- You partner seamlessly with engineering, production, and test teams, including with shop floor technicians
- You are eager to jump in & learn how we build our rocket, and bring skills and knowledge that will help us build it better
- You know your way around an engineering drawing and can help us prioritize Design for Manufacturing (DFM)
- You ask insightful questions and are excited to explore problems that are several layers deep – a champion of the “5-Why” approach to problem solving, never content with the surface-level answer
- You help us anticipate issues that haven’t occurred yet, using frameworks such as Process Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (PFMEA)
- You think carefully about how to instill quality in a product from the very beginning, using tools such as process control plans and Lean Six Sigma
- You have strong critical-thinking skills combined with the ability to break down complex technical problems into their digestible component parts
- You have the professional self-esteem and confidence to “push back” on peers and executives when necessary – even when it could mean delaying a launch
- You are an energetic individual with excellent communication skills (written and oral) and interpersonal skills
Desired Multipliers
- 5+ years previous experience as a quality engineer or manufacturing engineer
- Proven results improving quality in a fast-paced production environment
- Previous experience managing a high-performing team
- Previous experience in an industry with stringent quality requirements (aerospace, automotive, medical, etc.)
- Previous experience with high-performance metallic structures, fluid systems, and/or electronic assemblies
- Knowledgeable about a variety of manufacturing processes, such as metallic component machining, sheet metal fabrication, welding, and assembly
- Familiar with ISO9001 and AS9100
$144,000 - $187,000 a yearThe stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base salary range in the San Francisco Bay Area and excludes additional earnings such as bonus and benefits. If your salary requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply.
ITAR Requirements:
This position requires compliance with U.S. Government space technology trade restrictions, specifically the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and additional regulations governing satellite, launch vehicle, missile, and other related technologies. All jobs restricted by these regulations will be contingent upon the applicant’s status as a documented U.S. Person or their ability to receive a trade license from the cognizant government agency; in addition to any required company background checks and in compliance with applicable U.S. and California laws. Similarly, positions requiring the ability to work on government contracts or a security clearance are also contingent upon the applicants ability to receive the appropriate clearance and be allowed to work on U.S. government contracts.
You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Astra, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.
San Francisco Applicants:
Astra will consider applicants with arrest and conviction records (criminal histories) in a manner consistent with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. Apply for this job
