Derek Lord

About Derek Lord

I worked as a farmhand growing up, working long hours under strenuous conditions. From early on, my dad taught me basic electronics, circuit design, metal working, machining, and how to use voltmeters and oscilloscopes. I learned to troubleshoot and maintain electro-mechanical equipment while working at a hardware store after school. After graduation, I joined the Army. As a Tactical Specialist team leader, I was assigned to rapidly position soldiers and tactical field equipment. Our team was awarded achievement medals for deployment and set-up. My honorable discharge allowed me to earn an engineering degree. My mental and physical stamina were tested and toughened by mentors who included a farmer, wrestling coach, sergeants, and a senior executive from a multibillion-dollar Japanese automotive company. These experiences instilled a mental focus and ability to overcome hard tasks and obstacles, without excuse. Discipline, respect, and commitment to detail are among my core values. I’m often tapped for difficult projects and turnarounds. As an entry-level engineer for a global OEM, I served as an interim quality manager and led the certification effort. At corporate, I filled management roles alongside colleagues who were 20 years older and was selected to develop and launch global products. I completed these multinational projects back-to-back in record time to lure conquest business and earn a spot in a year-long executive leadership program. Additionally, I was entrusted with $80M in capital to launch the company’s first fully electric rack-drive power steering systems in North America, comprising $4.5B in global orders. As GM for NA Quality Management for a Toyota group company, I was selected to participate in its inaugural executive leadership program and subsequently implement regional and global quality improvement projects. Technical skill, resilience, and ambition are integral to my success. My superpowers are cross-team problem solving and HR leadership and development. I teach and facilitate eight-step problem solving and reinforce information gathering for root cause analysis and countermeasures. Corporately, I devise strategic plans to improve quality, performance, and customer satisfaction and consistently attract, develop, and retain talent to build committed, cohesive teams with a depth of capability and influence. I draw energy building teams that take initiative, overcome obstacles, and break barriers. I work to engage the hearts and minds of team members by building purpose, challenge, and contribution.

Experience

1. Manager, Quality Systems Management - Nasa Eva, Human Space Flight, Space Suit, Mission

   Ilc Dover Aerospace & Defense Solutions

   Nov 2023 — Present

   Tasked with leading the total quality function for Space and Engineered Solutions for the NASA Space Suit Assembly, Launch/Entry, and other human space flight systems.• Ensure adherence and compliance to established company quality policies, practices, SOPs and governmental Defense Contract Management Agencies, supporting NASA.• Direct multi-site quality improvement programs and ensure compliance with corporate quality initiatives, working with plant management.• Provide leadership and metrics to drive supporting processes such as internal audit, nonconformance/CAPA, and risk management for human space flight hardware. • Oversee Quality Management Systems (QMS) to ensure compliance with company objectives and requirements, customer requirements, and third-party requirements. • Operate within facilities certified to AS9100, ISO 13485, and other ISO quality systems. • Facilitate adherence to Defense Contract Management Agency requirements, Space Station Quality Assurance Requirements 41173, and Acceptance Data Packages 30695.

Education

• North Carolina State University

  Bachelor of Science - BS