{"id":747514,"url":"https://alion.io/job/spacekinetic-quality-engineer","title":"Quality Engineer","company":{"id":685289,"name":"Space Kinetic","domain":"spacekinetic.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/spacekinetic","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":95,"open_postings":35,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":145,"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"middle","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["El Segundo, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":88000,"max_usd":161000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":4330},"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"AS9100","optional":false},{"name":"CAPA","optional":false},{"name":"CMMC","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-30T21:04:08Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-12","last_verified_at":"2026-10-31T19:47:58Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":92,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":92},"description":"A New Paradigm For Space Operations.\nWho We Are:\nSpace Kinetic is a dual-use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations - one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different - an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures - where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.\nThis is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.\nWhat You’ll Do:\nWe are seeking a Quality Engineer to help ensure the successful development, integration, and delivery of spacecraft and flight hardware as well as build and scale our Quality Management System (QMS). This role serves as a technical partner throughout the product lifecycle, helping engineers design quality into our products rather than inspecting it after the fact. This role will support the implementation and certification of our first manufacturing process to AS9100 standards while working side-by-side with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Operations. As we transition from building our first flight hardware to producing many vehicles, this engineer will own quality for one of our major space programs, driving the systems, processes, and standards needed to ensure every product is built to meet the demands of spaceflight. Success in this role means helping Space Kinetic move from proving we can build one exceptional vehicle to reliably produce many with consistent quality, repeatability, and mission readiness. \nJob Responsibilities:\nPartner with mechanical, electrical, systems, manufacturing, and test engineers throughout the product lifecycle to ensure quality is designed into products from concept through flight.\nDevelop product quality plans and inspection strategies for spacecraft hardware and assemblies. \nReview engineering drawings and technical documentation for manufacturability, inspectability, GD&T application, and quality requirements. \nDevelop and maintain inspection plans and acceptance criteria for components, assemblies, and integrated systems. \nFacilitate Material Review Board (MRB) activities and disposition of nonconforming hardware. \nParticipate in hardware failure investigations and support implementation of corrective actions. \nWitness manufacturing, integration, environmental, and functional testing to verify compliance with engineering requirements. \nSupport metrology activities including measurement planning, fixture validation, and measurement system analysis (MSA). \nCollaborate with suppliers and manufacturing partners to resolve technical quality issues. \nSupport supplier qualification and occasional supplier visits as required.\nSupport implementation and maintenance of the AS9100 Quality Management System. \nDevelop and maintain quality procedures, work instructions, inspection plans, and quality records. \nPerform First Article Inspections (AS9102). \nSupport internal audits, corrective actions (CAPA), and root cause investigations. \nPrepare inspection reports and non-conformance documentation. \nSupport process validation, machine qualification, and production readiness. \nAnalyze quality data and recommend process improvements. \nSupport customer, regulatory, and certification audits. \nWork closely with Manufacturing and Engineering to resolve quality issues. \nHelp develop quality metrics and monitor performance. \nSupport certification activities and continual improvement initiatives.\nWhat It Takes:\nBachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, or related technical field.\n3-7 years of experience in aerospace, defense, or another regulated manufacturing environment.\nWorking knowledge of AS9100D and AS9102.\nExperience with inspection methods, GD&T, and manufacturing documentation.\nExperience with CAPA and root-cause analysis.\nStrong communication and problem-solving skills. \nAbility to thrive in a startup environment. \nWhat We’d Love:\nASQ Certified Quality Engineer or a similar certification.\nExperience supporting precision machining or aerospace hardware.\nKnowledge of NIST SP 800-171, CMMC, ITAR, and export-controlled environments.\nExperience with ERP, QMS, and electronic document-control systems.\nPhysical Requirements:\nAbility to work in office and manufacturing environments.\nAbility to stand and walk through production areas as needed.\nAbility to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.\nWhat We Offer:\nEquity-Based Compensation\n401(k) retirement plan with a 3.5% company match\nHighly Competitive PTO\nPaid company holidays + winter break \nComprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance\nUnique Performance-based bonus opportunities\nITAR Requirements:\nTo conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.\nEqual Employment Opportunity:\nSpace Kinetic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.\nThe annual base salary for this role is below. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education/experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity. \nPay Range\n$120,000—$160,000 USD","description_format":"text","description_chars":6569,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Retirement plans","Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Missiles","Space Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-11T14:41:29Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":57,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.786,"p_room":0.72,"age_days":92,"expected_fill_days":145,"reasons":["conf:1","win:mid","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/spacekinetic-quality-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/spacekinetic-quality-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-31T20:23:45Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":32057,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-01T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":685289},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=685289"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fspacekinetic-quality-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fspacekinetic-quality-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fspacekinetic-quality-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/spacekinetic-quality-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fspacekinetic-quality-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":747514}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"spacekinetic.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":747514},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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