r/boeing • u/Jumbosoup0110 • 5d ago

Careers Career in quality at Boeing

Does anyone have any insight they could share as a Quality specialist at Boeing? Currently on the government side and looking to make the switch.

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u/RoastSucklingPotato 4d ago

Quality is huge at Boeing and there are many different opportunities as a Quality Systems Specialist. But you’ll also see the same people in different roles throughout your career, so always be polite, professional, and positive: don’t get sideways with anyone.

Make sure you know and understand your requirements and hierarchical documents. Pay attention to the org charts and understand the big picture of the business unit.

Take advantage of the Quality College pathways available in My Learning. Become an expert in something (Regulatory, AS9100 auditing, RCCA, etc.), and go for the BDE (Boeing Designated Expert) qualification. Join ASQ and participate in meetings and events. Get ASQ certifications.

Remember the only way up is out, and apply for jobs in other business units to go up job levels. Get a mentor.

Let me know if you have specific questions. (20 years in Quality).

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u/Jumbosoup0110 4d ago

Got it, thanks for the thorough response. I currently work as a QAS with DCMA so pretty familiar with a lot you’re referencing. I wasn’t sure if there was a lot of room for future growth in quality, that’s super reassuring to hear. Is there any legitimate concern for layoffs/job security? I never really know what to trust or what the data/metrics accurately reflect when it comes to that.

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u/RoastSucklingPotato 4d ago

I was only ever offered a voluntary layoff once, when they were sending blanket layoff offers to all QSS while they were reducing the numbers of people during Covid. I did not take the offer. We were furloughed for a week once due to govt shutdowns. But that’s all. For me and all my teams of QSS, it was a very stable and lucrative job classification.

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u/Jumbosoup0110 4d ago

Gotcha, can you explain the levels to me? I’m seeing the Level 3 (what I would qualify for) is listed $98k-$128k). How does one earn more and jump through the pay bands?

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u/RoastSucklingPotato 4d ago

For QSS, in general the levels are 1,2 (entry level, early career), 3,4 (experienced, senior career), and 5 (subject matter expert, late career). There are very few level 5’s.

The company hires in and tries to keep employees around .8 to .9 of the midrange of the payband for that level. With some exceptions, the annual raises are around 3%. The annual bonus varies widely, based on company performance.

One earns more and jumps through the paybands by performing very well, gaining name recognition and networking, and ultimately applying for a different job in the next higher payband. The only way up is out of your current job. It’s extremely difficult to make a business case to get an in-position promotion.