Quality Engineer

TILT Autonomy, Inc. — Annapolis, MD Full-Time | $90,000–$135,000 DOE

About TILT

TILT Autonomy designs and builds the autonomy that runs uncrewed aircraft and boats — the boards, the firmware on them, and the ground software crews command them from. We do all of it in house, out of our shop in Annapolis. What we build is out in the field, and the people using it are not forgiving.

We're scaling into rate production through contract manufacturers. That only works if "built at a vendor" reliably means "safe to put in the water."

The Role

You're the gate. When a boat control module comes back from a shop three states away, you are the reason we know whether it's good — not a hunch, not a bench test someone improvised, but a documented answer we can defend to a program office.

Today our quality practice lives in the heads of the engineers who designed the hardware. That does not scale, and it does not survive an audit. You'll build the quality system that lets us say yes or no quickly, and make the evidence hold up.

You'll do this hands-on. We're a small team — you'll write the inspection plan, then go run the first article yourself.

What You'll Own

Acceptance and inspection - Define what "conforming" means for each assembly, and the inspection that proves it - Own first-article inspection with our contract manufacturers - Build acceptance test procedures with the test and manufacturing side so the ATP is something a technician can run, not an engineer's judgment call

Nonconformance and corrective action - Run the nonconformance process: disposition, root cause, corrective action, and the follow-up that confirms the fix held - Decide use-as-is, rework, or scrap — and be able to show why

Supplier quality - Assess and monitor the shops that build for us - Own incoming inspection and the supplier corrective action loop

The system itself - Stand up a quality management system that is proportionate to a company our size — AS9100-aligned, genuinely followed, not a binder nobody opens - Keep records audit-ready for government customers - Feed what you learn back into design, so recurring defects get engineered out

What We're Looking For

Must have: - 4+ years in quality engineering in aerospace, defense, medical device, or another regulated hardware environment - Hands-on first-article inspection and nonconformance disposition - Fluent in engineering drawings and GD&T; comfortable with measurement and what it costs - You can write a procedure someone else can follow, and will go run it yourself - U.S. citizenship or permanent residency

Strongly preferred: - AS9100 or ISO 9001 in practice — implementing or being audited against it - Supplier quality and supplier corrective action - Electronics quality: IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC/WHMA-A-620 - ASQ CQE, CQA, or Six Sigma - DFMEA, PFMEA, and tolerance analysis

Nice to have: - Maritime or NAVSEA requirements; marine environmental exposure - UAS, USV, or other uncrewed systems - Standing up a QMS at a company that did not have one - Active security clearance

Why TILT

• You define the standard. There is no inherited QMS to administer. You decide what good looks like here, and you'll be the first person to hold that seat.
• Close to the hardware. You'll see the boat, the shop, and the water.
• The stakes are real. These vehicles operate in front of people who depend on them.
• Sustainable pace. We work hard and build for the long haul.
• Benefits. ICHRA health benefit, 401(k), and 31 days of paid time off (16 holidays + 15 discretionary + 5 sick days).

Location & Schedule

On-site in Annapolis, MD, with travel to contract manufacturers and occasional time on the water for acceptance testing.