Senior Quality Engineer

Founded in 2024 and headquartered in Signal Hill, California, Karman Industries is at the forefront of revolutionizing industrial thermal energy. Our mission is to electrify global thermal systems across data centers, manufacturing, and energy industries. Karman is developing the revolutionary Heat Processing Unit (HPU) to reinvent thermal handling for giga-scale data centers & AI factories. The HPU is built around a supercritical CO2 chiller system utilizing a high-speed electrically driven turbomachinery core. Our system aims to reduce energy consumption in data center thermal management by greater than 25% and increase energy density by 10x.

At Karman Industries, we are committed to fostering a dynamic and inclusive work environment where innovation thrives. Our team is composed of passionate professionals dedicated to making a tangible impact on the future of industrial manufacturing. Join us in our mission to transform the industry and contribute to a more sustainable world.

We are building our quality function and this is our first dedicated quality hire. You will design and own our Quality Management System, drive ISO 9001 certification, and embed quality engineering into product development and operations. You will report directly to senior leadership and have broad latitude to set the direction of our quality program.

Key Responsibilities:

QMS ownership

Build and own the QMS end-to-end: document control, internal audits, CAPA, management review, supplier quality, and certification body liaison

Lead ISO 9001 stage 1 and stage 2 certification; maintain ongoing surveillance readiness

Serve as the internal authority on quality standards, requirements, and compliance obligations

Quality controls

Define inspection criteria, control plans, and acceptance criteria across the product lifecycle

Own nonconforming material handling, calibration system, and quality metrics dashboard (yield, defect rate, CAPA cycle time, customer complaints)

Establish customer complaint handling with CAPA linkage; evaluate measurement system adequacy (MSA/GR&R)

Quality engineering

Embed in product development: design reviews, DFMEA/PFMEA, quality gates, and process validation (IQ/OQ/PQ)

Drive SPC adoption and structured problem-solving (8D, 5-Why, Ishikawa) on critical processes

Own the long-term certification roadmap — assess emerging requirements and leverage the QMS foundation to add standards without duplicating systems

Champion quality culture — provide training, coach teams on tools and standards, foster source ownership.

Basic Requirements

5+ years in quality engineering, quality assurance, or quality management

Hands-on experience building or owning a QMS

Working knowledge of ISO 9001 requirements and audit process

Experience writing quality documentation (procedures, control plans, inspection criteria)

Proficiency with CAPA, root cause analysis, and structured problem-solving methods

Ability to work autonomously and make decisions without established precedent

Comfortable operating as an individual contributor and functional owner simultaneously

Preferred Requirements

ISO 9001 Lead Auditor certification (or equivalent internal auditor training)

Experience taking an organization through ISO 9001 stage 1/stage 2 certification

Familiarity with ISO 14001 or experience with integrated management systems (IMS)

Background in a relevant industry: hardware, manufacturing, industrial, or similar

Experience with SPC, MSA/GR&R, or statistical quality tools

FMEA facilitation experience (DFMEA and/or PFMEA)

Exposure to ISO 45001, IATF 16949, or AS9100 a plus

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options , and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan .

Karman Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Karman Industries is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Direct applicants only — we are not working with outside recruiters or agencies for this role.