The departure of Ed Clark is the first significant change in Boeing leadership since the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines incident.

The man who lead Boeing’s 737 Max program and the Renton factory where the jets were built will leave the company, the first significant staff shake-up since a Boeing-made jet blew a hole midflight last month.

In a memo sent to employees on Wednesday, Stan Deal, chief executive officer of Boeing’s commercial airplane division, announced that Ed Clark, who had been appointed to the job in 2021, would be succeeded by Katie Ringgold. The memo also announced other leadership changes, including the appointment of a new senior vice president who will oversee quality control and quality assurance efforts.

The leadership changes come as the Federal Aviation Administration is working to complete an audit of the company’s quality assurance and control programs, the results of which are expected at the end of this month.

The stepped-up scrutiny comes after an incident involving a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines. On Jan. 5, shortly after takeoff, part of the jet blew off in an incident that terrified passengers and crew members. A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found that bolts used to the secure the part — known as a door plug — were missing.