Director of Quality

Company Overview
ACS (Allen Control Systems) is a defense technology company building precision robotic systems for the United States and its allies. Founded by two former U.S. Navy electrical engineers with deep experience in robotics and software ACS brings together AI computer vision precision motion and advanced hardware to solve complex defense challenges across land air and maritime environments.

Our flagship product Bullfrog is an autonomous precision weapon system that transforms existing weapons into highly accurate counter-drone systems giving warfighters a scalable cost-effective response to one of the fastest-growing threats on the modern battlefield. Bullfrog is deployed with U.S. forces and ACS works with organizations throughout the U.S. military and national security community.

Following a $200 million Series B at a $2.2 billion valuation ACS is rapidly expanding manufacturing accelerating Bullfrog deployments and developing the next generation of autonomous battlefield systems. This is an opportunity to join a proven fast-moving team and help scale technology with direct real-world impact on national security.

ACS is headquartered in Austin Texas with additional operations in Alexandria Virginia; Mountain View California; and Huntsville Alabama. For more information visit .

Position Overview
Were looking for a Director of Quality to build our quality function from the ground up including our path toward ISO 9001 and lead it for the long haul. This role sets the multi-year quality strategy while staying grounded in whats really happening on the floor in the supply base and with customers. Our hardware matters; defects here arent abstract metrics. Our core philosophy is quality at the source: quality cant be inspected in after the fact it has to be built right the first time. QA is the backstop not the primary defense an escape that reaches the customer is a production failure not a QA failure.
We want a pragmatic leader who favors simple practical problem-solving (5 Whys direct observation) over paperwork-heavy processes and who will build a genuine partnership with Supply Chain and supplier quality engineers to catch issues at the source rather than at receiving.

What Youll Do:

Strategic & Long-Range Leadership
Own the long-range quality strategy translating business goals into a multi-year plan for systems staffing and capability.
Architect our Quality Management System including our path toward ISO 9001 from the ground up building processes that are clear and simple not just audit-ready.
Own the audit calendar as the QMS matures treating findings as strategic input not a checkbox.
Set and report quality KPIs (defect rates first-pass yield complaints supplier performance); a data point is noise a trend is a signal.
Put every requirement gate and approval on trial if no one can name who owns it and why it exists thats the signal to cut it not preserve it.

Ground Truth & Root Cause
Get out onto the floor into supplier facilities and in front of customers regularly not just working from whats reported up the chain.
Personally lead or coach RCCA using practical lightweight tools (5 Whys direct observation) instead of heavy formal methodologies when they arent warranted.
Move with urgency: default to why cant this be fixed today not when can we fit this in.

Supply Chain & Supplier Quality
Build a close partnership with Supply Chain and supplier quality engineers treating supplier quality as a shared mission.
Drive supplier qualification scorecards and joint problem-solving to resolve issues at the source.
Serve as the primary quality point of contact for DCMA surveillance audits and findings.

Stakeholder Relationships
Partner especially closely with Engineering and Manufacturing closing the loop between field/production issues and design decisions and keeping quality and throughput goals aligned.
Own key external customer relationships on quality matters building credibility through transparency and follow-through.

Team & Culture
Manage mentor and develop the quality team with a bias toward action and practical problem-solving.
Keep the QMS lean every process should exist because it supports a real decision not because it looks good on paper.
Own customer complaints and non-conformances through to true root cause and permanent corrective action.

What Youll Need:
8 years in quality leadership ideally in manufacturing hardware or defense/aerospace.
Experience building or scaling a QMS; ISO 9001 experience strongly preferred (we are not yet certified youll help drive us there).
A track record of practical tool-light RCCA (5 Whys direct observation) over heavyweight paperwork-driven processes.
Experience partnering closely with Supply Chain and supplier quality engineers.
Comfort operating at both strategic altitude and on the floor this is a hands-on role not a desk job.
Strong communication skills and the ability to influence engineering manufacturing and executive leadership alike.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary

• ACS Equity Package

• Health Dental and Vision Insurance

• Paid Time Off

Allen Control Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Allen Control Systems prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race color religion age sex national origin disability status genetics protected veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local laws.

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Required Experience:

Director