About Preece Machining & Assembly
Preece Machining & Assembly (PMA) is an AS9100D/ISO 9001:2015 certified aerospace and defense job shop in Longmont, Colorado. We specialize in geometrically complex, tight-tolerance components in titanium, Inconel, stainless, and other demanding materials — for defense primes, space, and advanced industrial customers. We’re ITAR registered, pursuing CMMC Level II, and run a technology-forward shop on ProShop ERP with ZEISS CMM inspection. Founded in 2018. Serious about quality.
The Role
We need a Quality Engineer who is ready to work on day one — not learning the job for six months, but actually in the work: bubbling drawings, building measurement plans, assembling cert packets, and completing FAI documentation. You’ll work directly with the quality team, machinists, and CMM programmers. The standard we hold: quality is never the bottleneck.
This is not a clipboard role. You need to understand why the requirements exist, translate a customer’s PO obligations into specific shop-floor direction, and have the drive to make the process around you better every week.
What You’ll Do
- Bubble engineering drawings systematically — every callout accounted for, every time.
- Build measurement plans and First Piece Inspection (FPI) plans before production starts, not after.
- Assemble cert packets: certifications, material records, outside process docs, and inspection data — complete before anything ships.
- Complete AS9102 First Article Inspection documentation (Form 1, 2, and 3), mapped to customer requirements line by line.
- Read purchase orders and customer flow-down documents and extract every quality obligation — then translate them into actionable shop direction.
- Author and maintain quality procedures and work instructions that reflect how the shop actually operates, and enforce them on the floor.
- Triage and disposition non-conforming material same-day. NCRs don’t age here.
- Lead or support corrective action investigations (8D, 5-Why) and drive them to closure.
- Review incoming material and outside process certifications for compliance before they hit the floor.
- Support internal and customer audits as the documentation owner.
Qualifications
Required:
- 3–5 years of quality engineering experience in precision manufacturing — aerospace or defense strongly preferred.
- Direct, hands-on experience completing AS9102 FAI documentation (Forms 1, 2, and 3).
- Strong GD&T literacy (ASME Y14.5) — composite tolerances, datum shift, profile of surface, MMC/RFS. You don’t look these up mid-job.
- Proven experience bubbling drawings and generating formal measurement or inspection plans.
- Experience distilling customer PO requirements, quality clauses, and flow-down obligations into shop-level instructions.
- Track record writing and maintaining quality procedures under AS9100 or ISO 9001.
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Technology, or a related field preferred. Equivalent aerospace quality experience will be considered.
- Highly organized and relentless about closing loops — you don’t leave things open.
Strongly Preferred:
- ProShop ERP or equivalent manufacturing ERP/MES experience.
- Familiarity with ZEISS CALYPSO output — you don’t have to program it, but you need to read the data.
- Experience supporting AS9100 audits (customer, registrar, or DCMA).
- Root cause analysis and corrective action writing.
- Knowledge of ITAR/DDTC requirements in an aerospace manufacturing context.
Nice to Have:
- CQE (ASQ Certified Quality Engineer) or actively pursuing.
- Control plan development for production work.
- Exposure to special process records (anodize, plating, heat treat).
Who Thrives Here
- You’re organized and relentless — cert packets don’t leave with missing docs, measurement plans exist before the job starts, and loops get closed.
- You chase root cause, not just the closeout.
- You’re comfortable being measured by how clean your packets are, how fast your FAIs close, and whether quality ever held up a shipment.
- You live our core values: Truth Over Comfort, Own The Outcome, Fiercely Improve, Be Of Service, Craftsmanship.
- You want to build something — not just fill a role. As PMA grows, the QE who owns the process today has a clear path to Quality Manager.
This is a small, focused shop. You will not be siloed. Your work has direct impact on what leaves the building and what our customers receive. If that accountability sounds like home, keep reading.
Compensation & Benefits
- 75K-90K depending on experience.
- Health, dental, and vision insurance.
- Unlimited PTO (Colorado HFWA compliant).
- 401(k) with 3% company match.
- A shop that invests in the right tools, the right systems, and the right people.
- Long-term: direct path to Quality Manager.
Pay: $75,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
