THE WHY
At Blackwave, we develop and manufacture Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels and carbon fiber structures for the space industry — hardware where failure is not an option. As we scale from one site in Germany to two with our new facility in Texas, quality can't be an afterthought or a paper exercise. We're looking for a Quality Manager who builds a pragmatic, ISO 9001-compliant Quality Management System from the ground up for our Texas site, keeps our German QMS sharp, and creates a quality culture that engineers, operators, and management actually live — not one that gathers dust in a document folder.
THE WHAT
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Own ISO 9001 at both sites: Maintain certification in Germany and establish it in Texas, preparing all audits — internal, certification, and customer — together with the teams so they're passed without major findings. Blackwave Code: High Performance
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Build processes people actually use: Define and implement essential quality processes that are pragmatic and scalable enough for development, manufacturing, and management to apply confidently in daily work. Blackwave Code: Togetherness
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Make performance visible: Give leadership clear, up-to-date visibility into company performance through meaningful KPIs and management reviews that drive decisions rather than just report numbers. Blackwave Code: Candor
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Own risk end-to-end: Establish and actively maintain a company-wide risk management system covering organizational, process, and product risks — with clear ownership and follow-up on mitigations. Blackwave Code: Accountability
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Digitize quality: Establish a digital QMS platform as the mandatory system of record, with quality documentation and workflows fully migrated and adopted across the organization. Blackwave Code: Playfulness
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3–5+ years of experience in quality management within a manufacturing environment — you've stood on a shop floor, not just in an office
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Degree in a technical field (e.g. aerospace or mechanical engineering) plus relevant further training in quality management
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Hands-on ISO 9001 experience: you've managed audit cycles and can walk us through a process you set up yourself, end to end
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Pragmatic quality mindset: you build processes for usage, not just for compliance — standards are an enabler, not bureaucracy
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Builder mentality: you create structures from scratch rather than maintaining what's already there, and you see a bit of chaos as an opportunity
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Strong ownership and communication at all levels — from C-level to operator
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Fluent English is a must; German is a plus
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Freedom to Create: Extensive decision-making freedom and short decision paths – we trust your expertise to lead your team.
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Fresh Fuel Every Day: Shared lunch breaks with freshly prepared, varied meals to keep the team energized.
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Coffee Culture @ Blackwave: Enjoy premium coffee from our portafilter machine or join one of our barista courses.
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Choose Your Perk: Select from a Deutschland-Ticket, EGYM Wellpass, or a Give Card.
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Gear up for Take-off: Receive premium Blackwave team apparel during your on boarding.
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Grow in Aerospace: Expand your professional horizons in a high-growth company at the forefront of space technology.
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Rooftop Relaxation: End your day on our spacious rooftop terrace with a panoramic view of the Alps.
Blackwave designs, manufactures and ships flight-qualified, commercial off-the-shelf composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) for launch vehicles and satellites. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Munich, Germany, the company delivers COPVs from a standardized portfolio with flight heritage. The approach reduces lead time from months to days while ensuring that each tank is qualified and flight-ready. Blackwave's mission is to end COPV failure in spaceflight. The company employs more than 150 people across manufacturing facilities in Germany and Texas.
More information at Blackwave.com and the procurement platform COPV.com.
