Quality and Compliance Officer (apprentice/entry-level)

We are looking for an apprentice/entry-level Quality and Compliance Officer to join our growing team! Perellion is an ISO 9001 and AS9100-certified, ITAR-registered engineering firm. Our projects include designing, building, and deploying clean-sheet automation and manufacturing solutions for cutting-edge technologies of the future such as electric aircraft, commercial spacecraft, batteries, and clean energy. The projects we take on are challenging, rewarding, and often involve solving problems in ways that have never been done before.

Quality can be a tricky aspect of our business due to the nature of how our company works compared to the typical kinds of organization that the quality standard was originally written for. For example, we do not manufacture high quantities of anything, and we rarely build the same thing twice. Instead, we work on a small number of widely varying projects that involve delivering custom solutions to our customers. Moreover, although we do all assembly in-house, we perform effectively zero in-house fabrication work, and lean heavily on a trusted supplier network instead. This makes quality at Perellion a somewhat unique challenge, with interesting problems to solve and lots of flexibility to decide how things should be done. The ability to understand what the standard is really asking for and how it applies to our business is key.

Export compliance is another aspect of our business which you will eventually be expected to take on. Many of our projects involve handling or producing data and products that are controlled by US federal ITAR and EAR restrictions. It is important that we understand the nature of what we are working with from an export compliance perspective and follow the appropriate requirements. We will provide training to get you up to speed if you do not have direct experience in this domain.

In this position, you will initially work with the company’s quality and export compliance teams in an apprentice-level role, learning the fundamentals of our business. You will take on many responsibilities including supplier management, new employee training, internal audits, tracking KPIs, and maintaining calibrated equipment, all while working directly with project managers, engineers, and technicians. There will also be opportunities for you to get your hands dirty helping build cool machines and robotic systems so that you can truly understand how we work and why our approach works so well for us. It is our intention that once you are up to speed, you would be promoted to the senior role of Quality and Compliance Officer, take full ownership of the company’s QMS and export compliance program, and shepherd us through annual audits performed by outside organizations.

This is a leadership role that will provide tremendous opportunities for growth. Excellent communication skills and attention to detail are key. You will work with your colleagues face-to-face on a daily basis and will frequently need to interact with our customers and suppliers as well. We expect our business to continue to grow in the coming decades and you will grow with us as we expand our capabilities, build relationships with new and existing customers, improve our supplier network, and seek exciting new opportunities in other forward-looking industries to further diversify and strengthen the company.

This position is full-time in-person, in-the-office.

Requirements:

• Enjoyable person to be around. Our team is made up of great people with positive attitudes, we like to work with each other, and maintaining this culture is a very high priority.
• Strong communication skills. This is as important as technical capabilities.
• Self-directed and able to work independently in an environment that emphasizes individual ownership and responsibility, and where requirements may not always be well-defined
• Experience working in a quality-specific or quality-adjacent role within an organization which is certified to ISO 9001 and/or AS9100, and familiarity with the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard
• Due to the nature of our ITAR-restricted projects, applicants must be US Citizens or lawful permanent residents per 8 U.S.C. 1324b (a) (3).

Bonus points:

• Formal education/training in the principles of ISO 9000 series quality standards, such as through the American Society for Quality (ASQ) or similar organizations
• Experience working as a purchasing agent, buyer, or planner
• Experience performing risk assessments
• Experience working with export compliance

About us:

Perellion is an employee-owned, engineer-run business that focuses on solving tough engineering challenges. We strive to empower our employees with the tools they need to succeed and remove barriers preventing them from doing so.

More importantly, our company is a place where people want to come to work. To a large degree, maintaining and building that positive company culture comes down to the people that we bring onboard. We have been fortunate to assemble a team of people who are not only extremely talented but also great people in general and a pleasure to work with.

Legal compliance: Perellion is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all federal, state, and local regulations. Employees may be eligible for bonus pay at discretion of company management. Sick leave complies with WA state rules. Medical, dental, and vision insurance are offered. An HSA-based medical plan is offered. FSAs are offered. 401(k) matching of up to 4% is offered. Paid vacation is 10 days/year for candidates with under 1 year of relevant professional experience and 15 days/year otherwise. Our calendar typically includes 10 paid holiday days per year.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $60,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Paid time off
• Relocation assistance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person