---
title: 'Director of Quality at Allen Control Systems'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-quality-allen-control-systems-pflugerville-svj0zb158bsn'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-11'
---

# Director of Quality at Allen Control Systems

- **Company:** [Allen Control Systems](https://feeny.ai/companies/allen-control-systems)
- **Location:** Pflugerville, TX
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-11-05
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-11
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/allen-control-systems/b593e4f6-3dca-4076-8300-3f8cbb460ee2

## Job description

Company Overview ACS (Allen Control Systems) is a defense technology company building precision robotic systems for the United States and its allies. Founded by two former U.S. Navy electrical engineers with deep experience in robotics and software, ACS brings together AI, computer vision, precision motion, and advanced hardware to solve complex defense challenges across land, air, and maritime environments. Our flagship product, Bullfrog, is an autonomous precision weapon system that transforms existing weapons into highly accurate counter-drone systems — giving warfighters a scalable, cost-effective response to one of the fastest-growing threats on the modern battlefield. Bullfrog is deployed with U.S. forces, and ACS works with organizations throughout the U.S. military and national security community. Following a $200 million Series B at a $2.2 billion valuation, ACS is rapidly expanding manufacturing, accelerating Bullfrog deployments, and developing the next generation of autonomous battlefield systems. This is an opportunity to join a proven, fast-moving team and help scale technology with direct, real-world impact on national security. ACS is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with additional operations in Alexandria, Virginia; Mountain View, California; and Huntsville, Alabama. For more information, visit [allencontrolsystems.com](http://allencontrolsystems.com).

Position Overview We're looking for a Director of Quality to build our quality function from the ground up — including our path toward ISO 9001 — and lead it for the long haul. This role sets the multi-year quality strategy while staying grounded in what's really happening on the floor, in the supply base, and with customers. Our hardware matters; defects here aren't abstract metrics. Our core philosophy is quality at the source: quality can't be inspected in after the fact, it has to be built right the first time. QA is the backstop, not the primary defense — an escape that reaches the customer is a production failure, not a QA failure. We want a pragmatic leader who favors simple, practical problem-solving (5 Whys, direct observation) over paperwork-heavy processes, and who will build a genuine partnership with Supply Chain and supplier quality engineers to catch issues at the source rather than at receiving.

What You'll Do:

Strategic & Long-Range Leadership

- Own the long-range quality strategy, translating business goals into a multi-year plan for systems, staffing, and capability.
- Architect our Quality Management System — including our path toward ISO 9001 — from the ground up, building processes that are clear and simple, not just audit-ready.
- Own the audit calendar as the QMS matures, treating findings as strategic input, not a checkbox.
- Set and report quality KPIs (defect rates, first-pass yield, complaints, supplier performance); a data point is noise, a trend is a signal.
- Put every requirement, gate, and approval on trial — if no one can name who owns it and why it exists, that's the signal to cut it, not preserve it.

Ground Truth & Root Cause

- Get out onto the floor, into supplier facilities, and in front of customers regularly — not just working from what's reported up the chain.
- Personally lead or coach RCCA using practical, lightweight tools (5 Whys, direct observation) instead of heavy formal methodologies when they aren't warranted.
- Move with urgency: default to “why can't this be fixed today,” not “when can we fit this in.”

Supply Chain & Supplier Quality

- Build a close partnership with Supply Chain and supplier quality engineers, treating supplier quality as a shared mission.
- Drive supplier qualification, scorecards, and joint problem-solving to resolve issues at the source.
- Serve as the primary quality point of contact for DCMA surveillance, audits, and findings.

Stakeholder Relationships

- Partner especially closely with Engineering and Manufacturing — closing the loop between field/production issues and design decisions, and keeping quality and throughput goals aligned.
- Own key external customer relationships on quality matters, building credibility through transparency and follow-through.

## Team & Culture

- Manage, mentor, and develop the quality team with a bias toward action and practical problem-solving.
- Keep the QMS lean — every process should exist because it supports a real decision, not because it looks good on paper.
- Own customer complaints and non-conformances through to true root cause and permanent corrective action.

What You'll Need:

- 8+ years in quality leadership, ideally in manufacturing, hardware, or defense/aerospace.
- Experience building or scaling a QMS; ISO 9001 experience strongly preferred (we are not yet certified — you'll help drive us there).
- A track record of practical, tool-light RCCA (5 Whys, direct observation) over heavyweight, paperwork-driven processes.
- Experience partnering closely with Supply Chain and supplier quality engineers.
- Comfort operating at both strategic altitude and on the floor — this is a hands-on role, not a desk job.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to influence engineering, manufacturing, and executive leadership alike.

## What We Offer

- Competitive salary
- ACS Equity Package
- Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- Paid Time Off

Allen Control Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer, providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Allen Control Systems prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

## #LI-AS1

## About Allen Control Systems

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a defense technology company building autonomous robotic weapon stations to counter drone swarms with cost-effective, AI-driven precision.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A; recent $200M round at $2.2B valuation)
- **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, USA (also office in Alexandria, Virginia)
- **Founded**: 2023 (seed round closed April 2024)
- **Founders**: Luke Allen (CTO), Mike Wior (CEO), and Steve Simoni (President) – all U.S. Navy veterans and nuclear engineers

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Defense and space manufacturing, counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), robotics, AI/computer vision
- **Target customers**: U.S. Department of Defense, allied militaries, national security agencies (B2G)
- **Mission/purpose**: To completely change battlefield economics by lowering the cost per kill of a drone to a few dollars, using existing weapon systems enhanced by proprietary hardware and software.

## Products & Services
- **Bullfrog™ Weapon Stations**: A family of autonomous, remotely operated weapon mounts (variants: M240C, M230, M2, M134, M240) that can be integrated with existing military platforms. Key features:
  - Passive sensing (no radar required) for stealth operations
  - Open architecture for integration with any C2 system
  - AI/ML-based fire control for precise targeting of Group 1–3+ UAS, including swarms and non-jammable drones
  - Effective range up to 1,500m depending on variant
- **Autonomous Fire Control Software**: Machine vision and synthetic data generation engine that continuously updates threat libraries and enables accurate engagement without human intervention.
- **Synthetic Data Training Pipeline**: Generates simulated threat scenarios to keep the system current with evolving drone threats.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: $2.2 billion (per 2026 $200M funding round; reported by company and media)
- **Total Funding**: ~$242M (Seed $12M led by Craft Ventures in 2024; Series A $30M led by Craft Ventures in 2025; undisclosed $200M round in 2026)
- **Notable Investors**: Craft Ventures (lead in multiple rounds)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew 262% year-over-year to 131 employees (LinkedIn, 2026)
  - Active job postings increased 392% year-over-year (64 open roles)
  - Recently won a contract for an "Autonomous Identification and Decision" drone solution (FAF contract)
  - Opened Innovation Lab and expanded to a second office (Alexandria, VA)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Passive sensing**: Operates without emitting radar, preserving battlefield stealth.
- **Cost per kill**: Drives engagement costs down to a few dollars per drone.
- **Open architecture**: Integrates with any existing command-and-control system and legacy weapon platforms.
- **Synthetic data generation**: Continuously trains AI models on emerging threats without needing real-world data.
- **Founders’ deep domain expertise**: Navy nuclear engineers with prior startup experience (Luke Allen co-founded Bbot, acquired by DoorDash).

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling production of Bullfrog systems for land and naval platforms.
- Advancing AI/computer vision to defeat larger (Group 3+) UAS and drone swarms.
- Expanding international customer base and partnering with allied defense forces.
- Building a robust supply chain and manufacturing capability in Austin.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission**: Directly contribute to protecting soldiers and changing the economics of drone warfare.
- **Culture**: Described as a remote-friendly organization with a strong engineering focus; HQ in Austin with a satellite office in Alexandria.
- **Work Model**: Remote core, but many roles require on-site presence in Austin for manufacturing and testing.
- **Growth**: Hyper-growth stage – employees have significant ownership and impact.
- **Tech Stack**: State-of-the-art tools: PyTorch, CUDA, Unreal Engine, ROS, Linux, Docker, Git, MLflow, and more.
- **Team**: High density of talent from SpaceX, Firefly, DoorDash, Lockheed Martin, and Carnegie Mellon.
- **Perks**: Not publicly detailed; typical for defense startups include competitive compensation, equity, and a chance to work on cutting-edge hardware-software integration.

## Sources
1. [Allen Control Systems – Company Page](https://www.allencontrolsystems.com/)
2. [Allen Control Systems – About/Team](https://www.allencontrolsystems.com/company)
3. [Allen Control Systems – Careers Page (Greenhouse)](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/allencontrolsystems)
4. [Allen Control Systems – LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/allen-control-systems)
5. [Allen Control Systems – Built In](https://builtin.com/company/allen-control-systems)

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