Product Development Quality Engineer (PDQE)
Phoenix, AZ /St Petersburg, FL /Grand Rapids, MI
Avionics - Surveillance - Engineering /
Full Time Reg | F /
On-site
About Acron Aviation (Avionics - Surveillance):
Acron Aviation designs, engineers, and manufactures certified avionics systems that support safety-critical flight operations across commercial and military aviation. Within Avionics, the Surveillance product line develops and sustains systems that enable aircraft awareness, collision avoidance, and airspace interoperability. Our portfolio includes TCAS, Mode S transponders, ADS-B, and integrated surveillance solutions deployed across commercial, military, and rotorcraft platforms. This work is performed in highly regulated environments and demands deep expertise across systems, hardware, software, certification, and quality disciplines throughout the full product lifecycle.
Position Summary
The Product Development Quality Engineer (PDQE) serves as the independent Quality Assurance authority for avionics product development programs. This role ensures compliance with applicable aviation development standards, certification requirements, customer design assurance obligations, and internal quality management system requirements throughout the product lifecycle.
The PDQE partners with Engineering, Program Management, Certification, Manufacturing, Configuration Management, and customers to provide objective oversight of software, hardware, systems, database, and certification activities. The role supports both ACSS and Acron product development programs and serves as a key participant in regulatory compliance, development audits, design assurance activities, certification releases, and customer-facing quality engagements.
Product Development Quality Assurance
Provide independent Quality Assurance oversight for product development activities
Ensure compliance with approved development plans, standards, procedures, and certification requirements
Verify adherence to:
DO-178C Software Considerations
DO-254 Complex Electronic Hardware
ARP4754A System Development
DO-200B Data Processing Standards
DO-330 Software Tool Qualification
Participate in development planning activities, lifecycle reviews, and project audits
Review development artifacts and confirm transition criteria are satisfied before progression to subsequent lifecycle phases
Development Process Compliance & Auditing
Develop, maintain, and audit Process Compliance Statements (PCS)
Conduct software, hardware, systems, database, and certification audits
Document findings, observations, and opportunities for improvement
Initiate and track Corrective Action Requests (CARs) for systemic or recurring issues
Provide objective compliance visibility to management and certification authorities
Certification & Release Assurance
Support certification programs involving TSO, STC, AML-STC, ETSO, and customer-specific approval requirements
Review certification deliverables for compliance and completeness
Participate in product, software, firmware, and database release approval activities
Verify configuration control and release integrity
Perform independent reviews of certification and release documentation
Design Assurance & Customer Authority Support
Support Airbus, Thales, Northrop Grumman, Wisk, and other customer-specific design assurance requirements
Serve as Quality representative for DAC, DOA, and DOID-related activities
Support customer authority audits, assessments, and corrective action responses
Maintain compliance evidence required by customer design organization approvals
Program & Risk Management
Participate in development phase gates and program reviews
Identify product development quality risks and escalation requirements
Support root cause analysis and risk mitigation activities
Provide objective recommendations to program leadership regarding compliance readiness and certification risk
Continuous Improvement
Analyze recurring development findings and audit trends
Recommend improvements to development processes, standards, and procedures
Support Quality Management System (QMS) improvement initiatives and regulatory compliance efforts
Mentor engineering teams on quality and compliance expectations
Technical Knowledge: Demonstrated knowledge of
RTCA DO-178B/C
RTCA DO-254
SAE ARP4754A
DO-200B
DO-330 Software Tool Qualification
FAA and EASA certification processes
Configuration Management principles
Corrective Action and Root Cause Analysis methodologies
AS9100 Quality Management Systems
Product lifecycle development processes
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Aviation, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline
Preferred Qualifications:
8+ years of experience in aerospace, avionics, aviation certification, quality assurance, engineering, or a related field
Experience supporting certified airborne systems and software development programs
Experience conducting audits and compliance assessments
Equal Opportunity Statement
Acron Aviation is proud to be an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to treating all employees and applicants with respect and dignity and to maintaining a workplace free from unlawful discrimination. All applicants will be considered for employment regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other legally protected characteristic.
Additional Information:
Acron Aviation maintains a drug-free workplace and conducts pre-employment substance abuse testing and background checks, where allowed by law. Acron Aviation is an E-Verify employer.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
