Quality Assurance (QA) Audit Team Lead

The Quality Assurance (QA) Audit Team Lead is accountable for leading a team of auditors in the conduct of Quality Assurance audits of all DHC certificate holders. They are responsible for assuring that certificate holders are compliant with applicable regulations as well as AS9100 requirements in support of maintaining their respective operating certificates. The QA Audit Team Lead is a champion of continuous improvement who facilitates the completion of corrective action plans with process owners, as findings are raised. The QA Audit Lead is a highly motivated individual with a passion for Quality Management in Aviation that uses their strong leadership and interpersonal skills to run a world class QA Audit program at De Havilland Aircraft of Canada.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Oversee the daily operations of the QA audit team, providing guidance, support, and coaching to team members.
• Create and implement a comprehensive master audit schedule and audit plans to assess compliance with applicable airworthiness regulations, and where applicable the AS9100 standard.
• Perform a portion of scheduled audits in the master audit schedule.
• Prepare detailed audit reports, highlighting key findings, recommendations, and corrective actions.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment on quality standards and audit outcomes.
• Drive initiatives to improve QA processes, methodologies, and tools. Identify best practices and incorporate them into the internal audit processes. In support of continuous improvement, responsible for the company's root cause and corrective action system. Provides training and guidance to users based on documented procedures and work instructions.
• Assure that certificate holders comply with applicable airworthiness regulations in support of maintaining their respective Operating Certificates.
• Through the execution of the audit program, identify hazards and risks to the Safety Management System.
• When required, serve as the primary contact with TCCA or foreign airworthiness authorities during the conduct of external surveillance audits, as well as responding to any external findings.
• Set goals and objectives for the QA audit program and be accountable meeting those goals and objectives. Monitor and measure QA auditing performance, based on external audit results and feedback, overall effectiveness, and document results.
• Assure that the QA auditor's training program covers all the mandatory requirements for an internal auditor.
• Prepare an annual budget for the Corporate Audit program cost center, including provision of funds for any travel required by the audit team.
• Provide a monthly and quarterly executive report with internal and external audit results applicable to this organization.
• Other duties as assigned by the Director of Quality Management.
• Ability to travel audit other sites / operations.

Education & Experience

• Minimum five years' experience in auditing, including planning and developing checklists, hosting audit meetings, preparing reports. Experience should include experience performing quality audits based on airworthiness regulations and industry standards (AS9100, AS9110, or ISO9001).
• Minimum 2 years' experience leading a team, preferably a QA Audit team.
• Quality Lead Auditor or QA auditor certification.
• AME license, or training in an aerospace-related program is considered an asset. Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered, including military experience.
• Experience with Enterprise or Material Resource Planning software (i.e., Visual Manufacturing or IFS) is an asset.

Skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to manage conflicts.
• Good organizational skills and ability to work independently with minimum supervision and direction.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Demonstrated ability to read and understand technical documents, regulations, and industry standards.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Previous experience with SharePoint is considered an asset.
• Knowledge of statistical techniques and data analysis and preparing executive reports.