Mission Assurance Lead (R5896)

What you will do:

• Build and operate a Mission Assurance model for Shield AI Aircraft operations, covering maintenance procedures, documentation, configuration control, support equipment, and field execution
• Define inspection strategy, audit cadence, evidence requirements, data standards, and reporting rhythms.
• Conduct independent inspections of maintenance tasks, logbooks, technical data use, service bulletin compliance, configuration accuracy, release practices, tool/FOD control, ground handling, and field operations.
• Verify maintenance quality, data integrity, critical-step completion, serial/time-tracked item accuracy, deferred discrepancy management, and in-process inspection discipline.
• Develop and execute standardized evaluation programs, including sampling plans, audits, acceptance criteria, and documented finding categories.
• Maintain dashboards and indicators such as maintenance quality, data error rates, open findings, CAPA status, repeat discrepancies, tool/FOD events, and potential readiness blockers.
• Partner with Maintenance, Field Operations, Engineering, and Airworthiness to standardize processes across locations while maintaining independent oversight.
• Escalate safety-of-flight, compliance, or data integrity risks; recommend stop-work, restrictions, additional inspections, or impounds when warranted.
• Support investigations of mishaps, near misses, maintenance errors, and field failures, ensuring accurate reconstruction of maintenance, configuration, and operational timelines.
• Will perform associated follow up inspections to ensure finding are sufficiently resolved
• Maintain the evidence trail required for customer confidence, safety assurance, governance, and quality expectations in a scaling UAS operation.

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in aviation maintenance, maintenance QA, maintenance control, field service leadership, or equivalent mission-critical operational roles.
• Demonstrated ability to build or mature maintenance QA or mission assurance programs.
• Practical expertise with maintenance procedures, logbooks, MIS/work orders, discrepancies, configuration control, service bulletin compliance, tool/FOD control, and aircraft release discipline.
• Hands-on experience in operational environments (hangars, flightlines, test ranges, customer sites, or deployed locations).
• Strong data discipline and ability to generate accurate, actionable reports and dashboards.
• Working knowledge of audit practices, root-cause methods, CAPA, and safety/quality systems.
• High ownership and independence; able to ask difficult questions, build trust, and drive corrective actions without unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to travel and support non-standard operational tempos.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with military aviation maintenance/QA.
• Experience with NASA-style mission assurance, DoD QA, AS9100, ICAO safety assurance, or similar frameworks.
• Experience supporting developmental flight test programs or rapidly evolving aircraft platforms
• Training in auditing, root-cause analysis, CAPA, HFACS, TapRooT, Six Sigma, human factors, or maintenance evaluation.
• Experience with autonomous systems, configuration management, telemetry-based maintenance, or digital maintenance systems.
• Familiarity with aviation safety assurance, risk management, and continuous monitoring.
• Active or eligible security clearance.