Edward Rodriguez

Quality Engineer & AI Systems Builder — managing thousands of mission-critical aerospace assemblies while shipping production AI platforms. Bridging defense manufacturing precision with modern software development.

1000s

Cables Managed Monthly

IPC/NASA Certifications

Platforms (Web/iOS/Android)

About Me

Engineering Excellence
Meets Innovation

I bridge two worlds: aerospace manufacturing precision and modern AI systems. At Glenair, I manage quality for thousands of mission-critical cable assemblies monthly — Micro-D, Nano-D, D-Sub, and subsea connectors that undergo outgassing, thermal cycling, and government mandatory inspections for space, defense, and military programs.

I work directly with major defense primes, aerospace contractors, and government agencies — serving as the point of contact for quality issues, presenting root cause analyses, and negotiating dispositions. I have full MRB authority to disposition non-conforming material and drive corrective actions.

Simultaneously, I built Lokuli from the ground up — a full-stack booking platform with AI voice agents, now available on Web, iOS, and Android. I understand both the rigor of Class 3 aerospace compliance and the velocity of shipping production software.

I'm passionate about training and mentoring others on quality standards and attention to detail. I've trained operators and QA staff on IPC/WHMA-A-620 and NASA 8739.4 workmanship standards, developing best-practice guides that codify inspection discipline.

🎯
Mission-Critical Mindset
Managing assemblies for satellites, fighter jets, missiles, submarines, and government space programs. Every cable matters.

🔬
Full Inspection Authority
Visual/microscope, electrical testing, environmental (outgassing, thermal cycling), and dimensional/CMM verification.

📈
Process Optimizer
Data-driven corrective actions that minimize bottlenecks and maximize manufacturing efficiency.

👥
Team Developer
Training 5-10+ staff on workmanship standards, building inspection discipline and operational excellence culture.

🛡️
Supplier Quality Champion
Caught critical supplier issue that saved program contracts, prevented field failures, and avoided significant scrap costs.

Experience

Professional Journey

Glenair Inc.

Quality Engineer & Supplier Quality Assurance

May 2024 – Present

Arcadia, CA

Cross-functional Quality Engineer managing thousands of cable assemblies monthly for defense, aerospace, space, and subsea programs. Full authority over configuration management, supplier quality, documentation control, MRB decisions, and direct customer interface with prime contractors.

Volume & Program Management

Managing thousands of high-value Micro-D, Nano-D, D-Sub, and subsea cable assemblies monthly across:

Space & satellite systems (government space programs)
Defense & military (fighter jets, missiles)
Naval & subsea applications
Commercial aerospace
Prioritize hot jobs and expedite critical deliveries

Inspection & Testing Authority

Full oversight of all inspection methods:

Visual/microscope: solder joints, crimps, workmanship
Electrical: continuity, hi-pot, insulation resistance
Environmental: outgassing, thermal cycling, vibration
Dimensional: GD&T verification, CMM measurements

Customer Interface

Direct point of contact for quality matters with:

Major defense prime contractors
Aerospace OEMs and government programs
Present root cause analyses & failure investigations
Negotiate dispositions & contract clarifications

Documentation & Compliance

Full control over quality documentation:

AS9102 First Article Inspection (FAI) packages
NCR/CAPA reports and corrective actions
Inspection plans, ITPs, quality criteria
Multi-level BOM structuring with lot traceability

MRB & Disposition Authority

Full Material Review Board authority:

Voting member with disposition authority
Lead root cause investigations
RMA analysis separating misuse from defects
CFM (Customer Furnished Material) handling

Manufacturing Processes

Partner with Manufacturing Engineering on:

Soldering, crimping, potting, staking
Molding, overmold, cover techniques
Fiber-optic termination
Conduit assembly and subassemblies

🏆 Key Achievement: Supplier Quality Issue Detection

Identified critical supplier quality issue that saved program contracts, stopped production escapes, prevented potential field failures, and avoided significant scrap/rework costs. Led full investigation from detection through corrective action implementation.

Review PO contract terms, conditions, and special requirements ensuring compliance between deliverables and customer specifications

Prioritize hot jobs and manage scheduling for thousands of high-value cable assemblies under tight deadlines

Optimize manufacturing efficiency by identifying and eliminating bottlenecks in assembly procedures

Train operators and junior QA staff in IPC/WHMA-A-620 and NASA 8739.4 workmanship standards

Create first articles ensuring drawing and PO requirements are met, reviewing manufacturing plans

Validate raw material certifications for subassemblies and top assemblies with full trace history

Assist cross-functional teams with urgent quality escalations and expedited customer requirements

Protect brand reputation by upholding uncompromising quality standards — brand loyalty means ensuring every product reflects company excellence

Apply business acumen and high-level capacity management to balance quality, throughput, and resource allocation across programs

AS9100 AS9102 FAI ITAR IPC-620 IPC-620S NASA 8739.4 MIL-STD Specs MIL-DTL J-STD-001 Prime Contractor Specs OEM Requirements Defense Standards QMS NCR/CAPA MRB Configuration Mgmt Supplier Quality Manufacturing Quality Executive Assistance Executive Priority Outgassing Thermal Cycling Brand Protection Reputation Management Business Acumen Capacity Management

Lokuli (Now Tech LLC)

Founder & Technical Lead

May 2025 – Present

Los Angeles, CA

Lokuli

🌐 Web 📱 iOS 🤖 Android

Visit lokuli.com →

Full-stack local service booking platform with AI voice agents — locate and book appointments at verified providers near you. Web app, iOS app, and Android app all built from scratch.

🗺️

Map-Based Discovery

Interactive map interface showing nearby verified service providers with ratings, hours, distance, and real-time availability.

🤖

AI Voice Booking Agent

Orchestrated Twilio Voice + ElevenLabs TTS + GPT/Claude for autonomous appointment confirmation and rescheduling with deterministic state machine.

💳

Payments Pipeline

Stripe Checkout & Connect Express with webhook-driven confirmation, idempotency keys, retries/backoff for financial correctness.

📱

Native Mobile Apps

Full iOS and Android applications for both customers booking services and shop owners managing their businesses.

📞

Compliant Communications

A2P 10DLC registration, opt-in/opt-out flows, DNC handling, consent gating, and templated messaging via Twilio Studio.

📊

Growth & Analytics

GA4 funnel instrumentation, controlled A/B tests across creatives and landing flows, integrated Stripe/Twilio/Firestore data.

Tech Stack

Flutter/Dart iOS (Swift) Android (Kotlin) Firebase Cloud Functions Twilio ElevenLabs OpenAI/Claude Stripe Google Maps GA4

Independent Entrepreneur

Sneaker Reseller & Automation Engineer

Dec 2016 – Aug 2021

Los Angeles, CA

Started my first business at 15 years old while in high school — buying and reselling limited-release sneakers and hype products for profit. Built technical infrastructure to compete at scale against manual buyers.

Secured limited-release Yeezys, Jordans, Supreme drops, and other hype items using automation software, bots, and cart bypass techniques

Built and configured bot infrastructure with dedicated servers, residential proxies, and optimized network routing for sub-second checkout speeds

Scaled to running multiple bot instances concurrently across Nike SNKRS, Adidas, Footlocker, Supreme, and other platforms

Created e-commerce storefronts and managed inventory, customer relationships, and shipping logistics

Learned business fundamentals: margins, fees, chargebacks, inventory risk, and cash flow management — all self-taught at 15

Entrepreneurship Automation Bots Proxy Infrastructure E-commerce Reselling Self-Taught

Laird Manufacturing

Mechanical Design Engineer Intern

Aug 2022 – May 2023

Merced, CA

Designed and optimized agricultural cattle feeding equipment for a manufacturer of commercial cattle feeders and farm machinery.

Redesigned cow feed chute ramp system to optimize cattle feed delivery with maximum clearance for various cattle feeder configurations

Engineered a hydraulic extendable feed system with interchangeable adapters compatible with Laird's range of cattle feeder vehicle sizes

Produced detailed CAD models and FEA stress analysis in SOLIDWORKS to validate designs before production approval

Applied DFM principles to reduce material costs while maintaining structural integrity and operational efficiency

SOLIDWORKS FEA DFM Hydraulic Systems Agricultural Equipment CAD

Capabilities

Technical Skills

🤖

AI, Agents & Automation

OpenAI GPT (Tool Use) Claude Agents Prompt Engineering RAG Patterns Agent State Machines AI Voice Agents ElevenLabs TTS Playwright MCP LLM Orchestration

🌐

Web, Mobile & Cloud

Flutter Web/Dart iOS Development Android Development Node.js TypeScript Firebase/Firestore Google Cloud Cloud Functions GA4 Analytics

📞

Communications & Payments

Twilio Voice/SMS A2P 10DLC Studio Flows Stripe Checkout Stripe Connect Webhook Security Idempotency PCI Compliance

⚙️

Mechanical & Quality Engineering

SOLIDWORKS MATLAB FEA GD&T 3D Printing Harness Manufacturing Soldering/Crimping Molding/Overmold Fiber-Optic Termination Potting/Staking

🛡️

Aerospace QA & Compliance

AS9100 AS9102 FAI ITAR MIL-STD MIL-DTL J-STD-001 NOD/NCR CAPA Supplier Audits QMS Software

🔌

Connector & Cable Systems

Nano-D Micro-D D-Sub Subsea Connectors Electrical Harnesses Interconnect Solutions Conduits Outgassing Testing Thermal Cycling

📋

Configuration & Documentation

BOM Structuring ECO/MCO AML Management Revision Control Clear-to-Build Lot Traceability Raw Material Certs Drawing Review

🔬

Inspection & Testing

Visual Inspection Microscope Analysis Continuity Testing Hi-Pot Testing Insulation Resistance CMM/Dimensional Environmental Testing Gov't Inspections

Credentials

Certifications

IPC/WHMA-A-620

Acceptance of Cable & Wire Harness Assemblies

IPC/WHMA-A-620S

Aerospace/Military Supplementary Requirements

NASA 8739.4

Crimping, Interconnecting Cables, Harnesses, and Wiring

OPSEC Trained

Operations Security for Safeguarding Sensitive Program Data

Education

Academic Background

🎓

B.S. Mechanical Engineering

University of California, Merced

ABET Accredited Program

Get in Touch

Let's Connect

Open to Opportunities

Whether you need quality engineering expertise for mission-critical systems, AI/software development capabilities, or someone who can bridge hardware and software worlds — I'd love to connect.