The posting
Quality Technician Fairbanks Morse Defense Location: National City, California Service Center
Mission-critical quality work for hands-on professionals and veterans Use your field, shipboard, manufacturing, mechanical, electrical, or military inspection experience to help ensure aftermarket service work is completed safely, accurately, and right the first time.
Position Summary The Quality Technician provides direct quality support to Fairbanks Morse Defense aftermarket teams in service shops, shipyards, and field locations. Working alongside service technicians, this individual performs hands-on inspections, maintains objective quality evidence, verifies documentation, and supports first-time quality for defense and marine services. This position is well suited for transitioning service members, veterans, and civilian quality professionals with practical mechanical or electrical experience who are comfortable working where the work is performed—not solely in a laboratory or controlled inspection environment. Required Experience — Please Read
Minimum requirement: At least three years of hands-on commercial or military experience as a quality technician, quality inspector, or closely related role in field service, a service shop, manufacturing, a shipyard, or another industrial setting. Laboratory-only inspection experience does not satisfy this minimum requirement. Candidates must demonstrate practical inspection experience with equipment, components, technicians, and real-time quality documentation in an operational environment.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
Work directly with service technicians in the field and in service shops to ensure objective quality evidence records are completed accurately, submitted on time, and accepted by customers. Perform and document hands-on inspections of aftermarket products and services using standard measurement and test equipment. Develop inspection reports, draft quality reports, collect supporting data, and maintain complete, traceable records. Confirm that products and services comply with applicable drawings, specifications, quality requirements, safety standards, and company procedures. Verify that measurement and test equipment is calibrated, within its approved interval, appropriate for the inspection, and functioning correctly. Support root-cause investigations, corrective actions, lessons learned, and process improvements with the Quality Supervisor and Quality Engineer. Conduct or support internal and external quality-system audits as directed. Support maintenance and continual improvement of the ISO 9001 Quality Management System. Communicate quality concerns professionally and work across technicians, operations, engineering, customers, and quality teams to resolve issues without compromising requirements. Travel domestically and, at times, internationally to support service work, including short-notice assignments and occasional weekends, evenings, or holidays.
Required Qualifications
High school diploma or GED. Minimum three years of qualifying hands-on commercial or military quality technician or quality inspector experience. Working knowledge of ISO 9001 and experience applying quality requirements in an operational environment. Proficiency with standard measurement and test equipment and sound understanding of calibration controls. Ability to read and interpret blueprints, technical information, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), and acceptance criteria. Experience creating inspection documentation, objective quality evidence, reports, and accurate data records. Strong interpersonal communication, attention to detail, organization, and cross-functional problem-solving skills. Working knowledge of Microsoft Office. Ability to stand for extended periods and work safely in service shops, shipyards, and field environments. Ability to travel up to 75%, primarily to shipyards in California, Washington, and the East Coast, with some international travel and occasional short-notice, weekend, evening, holiday, or emergency support.
Preferred Qualifications
Associate degree or relevant technical education. ASQ Certified Quality Technician (CQT) credential. Hands-on knowledge of mechanical and/or electrical systems. Military quality assurance, maintenance inspection, shipboard, aviation, nuclear, propulsion, or related technical experience.
Citizenship and NOFORN Requirement This position requires access or potential access to Unclassified Naval Nuclear Propulsion Information that is Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals (NOFORN). To meet this requirement, the selected candidate must provide proof of U.S. citizenship and attest that they do not hold dual citizenship. Acceptable proof includes a U.S. passport, U.S. birth certificate, or naturalization certificate. Compensation and Travel Support Hourly pay range: $30.00-$36.00, based on experience and qualifications Travel: Up to 75%; per diem while traveling and additional company-provided benefits Language: English Our Commitment Fairbanks Morse Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value the leadership, accountability, teamwork, technical discipline, and mission focus that veterans and transitioning service members bring, and we encourage qualified military and civilian candidates to apply.
