Senior Quality Engineer

Senior Quality Engineer, Additive Manufacturing

SwirlX, Inc. | South Bay Los Angeles | Full time | Start February 2027 or earlier

About SwirlX

SwirlX designs and manufactures metal 3D printed liquid to liquid heat exchangers for AI data center cooling. Our Vortex product line uses a unique SwirlX core structure printed in stainless steel 316L and is in qualification with Tier 1 CDU manufacturers. Engineering is in Seoul and production is in Southern California. We are installing our first laser powder bed fusion printer now and ramping to a volume production in the second half of 2027.

The role

You will be the first quality hire and will own the quality system from first article through customer qualification. You will report directly to the CEO to keep quality independent from production. The Process Engineer owns the manufacturing process; you own whether parts ship.

What you will do

1. Build the quality management system from zero and lead the company to ISO 9001 certification by the middle of 2027.
2. Own supplier quality: qualify and audit our contract manufacturers in the US and Asia, run first article inspection on every new supplier and every new part, and manage corrective actions.
3. Lead customer qualification. Confirm Tier 1 customer audit requirements, build the evidence package, run mock audits, and be the primary quality contact for customer supplier quality teams.
4. Define inspection and acceptance criteria for printed heat exchangers: leak and pressure testing, dimensional inspection, powder removal verification, surface checks, and traceability from powder lot to shipped unit.
5. Write and maintain work instructions, control plans, and inspection records with the Process Engineer so that technicians can run production without you in the room.
6. Set up nonconformance, corrective and preventive action, and calibration processes that scale from small units to thousands.
7. Own Cal/OSHA compliance for metal powder handling (IIPP, combustible dust controls, PPE, respirator program) together with operations.

What you bring

1. 7 or more years in quality engineering in metal additive manufacturing, aerospace, or precision machined components.
2. Hands on experience building or substantially rebuilding a quality system to ISO 9001 or AS9100. Internal auditor training preferred.
3. Supplier audit and first article inspection experience, ideally on both sides of the table (auditing suppliers and being audited by a Tier 1 customer).
4. Working knowledge of laser powder bed fusion quality: powder management, build plate traceability, post processing verification, CT or leak test methods.
5. Comfortable being the only quality person for the first year. You write the procedures, run the inspections, and train others.
6. Able to work with an engineering team in Seoul across time zones with written, documented processes.

Nice to have

1. Experience with heat exchangers, pressure components, or fluid handling products.
2. Experience qualifying a new supplier into a Tier 1 OEM supply chain.
3. Six Sigma or similar problem solving certification.

Compensation and terms

1. Base salary $140,000 to $170,000 depending on experience.
2. Stock options with four year vesting.
3. Health benefits, 401(k).
4. Three month introductory period.
5. On site in the South Bay facility with occasional travel to Seoul and to customer sites.

Why this role

You will set the quality standard for a product category that does not have one yet, with a direct line to the CEO and customers who are waiting for your sign off. The first person to do this at SwirlX will lead the quality organization as it grows.