Hardware Quality Engineer

Hardware Quality Engineer

Hawthorne, California, United States

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London.

Role Overview

Act as lineside quality authority for hardware inspection and acceptance · Own in-process and final inspection, buy-offs, and release decisions · Ensure hardware meets drawing, spec, and workmanship requirements · Execute quality control within ERP/MES systems (review, sign-off, traceability) · Serve as primary POC for manufacturing quality issues on the floor

Responsibilities

• Inspection & Buy-Off Authority
  • Perform in-process and final inspection of hardware (mechanical + electrical)
  • Execute first article inspection (FAI) and verification against drawings/specs
  • Approve/reject hardware and sign off on build completion
• Quality Control Execution
  • Review travelers, routers, and build records in ERP/MES
  • Ensure traceability, configuration, and documentation are complete and accurate
  • Enforce workmanship standards (IPC, internal specs)
• Nonconformance & Disposition
  • Identify, document, and segregate nonconforming material
  • Support MRB and disposition activities
  • Drive immediate containment on the floor
• Production Support
  • Act as first responder to quality issues during builds
  • Interface directly with Manufacturing, Test, and Engineering
  • Ensure no hardware progresses with unresolved quality issues

Minimum Requirements

• 5+ years in quality inspection / QC / manufacturing quality roles
• Experience with board-level and/or mechanical hardware inspection
• Ability to read drawings, schematics, and specifications (GD&T preferred)
• Experience with ERP/MES systems for build tracking and sign-off
• Familiarity with IPC standards (J-STD-001, IPC-A-610)

Preferred Requirements

• Experience in aerospace/defense or high-reliability hardware
• Experience in multiple production domains (R&D, T2P, LRIP, FRP)
• AS9100 environment experience, Experience performing FAI (AS9102)
• Strong MRB / nonconformance handling experience

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch, 'No meeting Fridays', unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $120,000 - $170,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.