Quality & Certification Lead Aerospace & Defence, with emphasis on regulatory approvals, certification management, customer qualification and aerospace documentation rather than ownership of the entire Quality Management System (QMS).

Job Title: Quality & Certification Lead Aerospace & Defence

Experience: 6-12 Years

Qualification: B.E./B.Tech in Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline

Industry: Aerospace, Defence, Aviation, Electrical Cables, Wire & Cable Manufacturing

Key Certifications: AS9100D and AS9102 First Article Inspection (FAI)

Job Summary

We are looking for an experienced Quality & Certification Lead to manage regulatory approvals, aerospace certifications, customer qualifications and quality compliance documentation for products supplied to the aerospace and defence sectors.

The role will be responsible for managing approval lifecycles with CEMILAC and DGAQA, coordinating AS9100D certification audits, maintaining customer Qualified Products List (QPL) approvals, managing First Article Inspection (FAI) documentation, and ensuring complete product traceability and shipment compliance.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in aerospace quality systems, regulatory coordination, certification documentation and cross-functional stakeholder management, preferably within aerospace-grade cable and electrical component manufacturing.

Key Responsibilities

1. Regulatory Approvals and Certification Management

- Maintain a centralised register of all regulatory approvals, certifications, renewal dates, agency contacts and submission timelines.
- Establish 90-day and 30-day alerts to ensure timely renewals and prevent approval lapses.
- Manage the complete certification and approval lifecycle for products supplied to military aircraft, helicopters, UAVs and other aerospace and defence applications.
- Coordinate regulatory submissions, approval amendments, surveillance visits and renewal activities.

### 2. CEMILAC and DGAQA Coordination

- Manage type approval activities and amendment applications with CEMILAC for applicable aerospace and defence cable products.
- Assess design, material and manufacturing process changes to determine regulatory approval or requalification requirements.
- Coordinate surveillance visits, technical submissions and follow-up actions with CEMILAC.
- Liaise with DGAQA representatives for defence production inspection, quality documentation and lot clearance before dispatch.
- Ensure complete production quality dossiers are available for review and approval by the relevant authorities.

### 3. AS9100D Certification and External Audits

- Serve as the primary point of contact with the external AS9100D certification registrar.
- Coordinate audit schedules, audit logistics, formal correspondence, certification renewals and external audit follow-ups.




- Work with the internal Quality Assurance team to obtain audit evidence and monitor closure of findings.
- Ensure timely submission of documentation and effective communication with the certification body.
- Coordinate certification activities without assuming ownership of the internal QMS, which remains with the Quality Assurance function.

### 4. Customer Approvals and Qualified Products Lists

- Manage customer qualification and source approval status for customers such as HAL, BEL, ISRO, DRDO and international aerospace OEMs, as applicable.
- Coordinate qualification testing, customer witnessing, technical submissions and approval documentation.
- Maintain updated records of customer-approved products, manufacturing sources, specifications and approval validity.
- Support customer audits, product qualification reviews and requalification programmes.

### 5. Engineering Change Management

- Review Engineering Change Notices (ECNs) within three working days of receipt.
- Evaluate the impact of design, material, process and specification changes on existing approvals and product qualifications.
- Determine whether regulatory amendments, customer notifications, requalification, First Article Inspection or additional testing are required.
- Ensure approved changes are incorporated into drawings, specifications, inspection plans and quality documentation before revised products are dispatched.
- Coordinate with Engineering, Production and QA teams to ensure change implementation is properly controlled and documented.

### 6. First Article Inspection (FAI)

- Prepare and manage AS9102-compliant First Article Inspection packages, including Forms 1, 2 and 3.
- Ensure FAI is completed for current part numbers and applicable significant design or manufacturing process changes.
- Coordinate internal reviews, customer submissions, review comments and approval closure.
- Maintain complete FAI records and ensure supporting inspection and material documentation is available.

### 7. Certificate of Conformance and Shipment Documentation

- Issue Certificates of Conformance (CoCs) for all applicable shipments.
- Verify part numbers, specification revisions, test results, batch or lot numbers, quantities and authorised signatories before release.
- Ensure CoCs are issued with or before shipment in accordance with contractual requirements.
- Coordinate with QA, Production and Dispatch teams to resolve documentation discrepancies before goods are released.

### 8.



Traceability and Quality Records

- Maintain end-to-end traceability from raw material certificates and production records through inspection, testing and final shipment.
- Ensure complete forward and backward lot traceability, with prompt retrieval of records during customer or regulatory reviews.
- Establish and maintain document archiving, record retention and retrieval procedures in line with contractual, regulatory and customer requirements.
- Ensure aerospace quality records are retained for the applicable prescribed period, which may be 10 years or as specified by contract or regulation.
- Maintain accurate, current and controlled approval, qualification and certification records.

Required Qualifications and Experience

- B.E./B.Tech in Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
- 6-12 years of relevant experience in aerospace quality, certification management, regulatory compliance or aerospace and defence manufacturing.
- Hands-on experience with AS9100D certification audits and AS9102 First Article Inspection documentation.
- Demonstrated experience coordinating with CEMILAC, DGAQA or equivalent aerospace and defence regulatory authorities.
- Experience managing product approvals, qualification programmes, certification renewals and technical documentation.
- Strong understanding of engineering change control, lot traceability, inspection documentation and Certificate of Conformance requirements.
- Excellent technical writing, document control, stakeholder management and cross-functional coordination skills.
- Ability to make timely, evidence-based compliance decisions in a production-driven environment.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

- Zero lapses in regulatory approvals and certifications attributable to missed renewals.
- Timely completion of regulatory submissions and certification renewals.
- Engineering change impact assessments completed within three working days.
- 100% accuracy and timely issuance of applicable Certificates of Conformance.
- Complete and retrievable production lot traceability.
- Timely preparation and submission of FAI and customer qualification packages.
- Readiness of complete quality dossiers before applicable defence production dispatches.
- Timely coordination and closure of external certification audit actions.

Preferred Candidate Profile Candidates from aerospace-grade cable and wire manufacturing, defence electronics, aviation components, military equipment or other regulated aerospace manufacturing environments will be preferred.

The candidate must be comfortable dealing directly with regulatory authorities, certification bodies and demanding aerospace customers, while ensuring that approvals, technical documentation and shipment compliance are maintained without compromise.

📌 Quality and Certification Lead (Ghaziabad)
🏢 Consult Shekhar Pandey
📍 Ghaziabad