Quality Engineer

Quality Engineer
West Yorkshire Defence Engineering Permanent

About the Opportunity
Our client is a leading engineering and manufacturing organisation operating within the defence sector, supporting a range of critical naval and land-based programmes.

As part of continued growth, they are looking to recruit two Quality Engineers to join their expanding Quality team in West Yorkshire.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a highly respected engineering business where quality plays a key role in ensuring the successful delivery of complex, safety-critical products.

The Role
This position would suit a Quality Engineer who enjoys being close to manufacturing, solving technical problems and driving continuous improvement within a highly regulated engineering environment.

Reporting to the Lead Quality Engineer, youll work closely with production, engineering, suppliers and customers to ensure products meet quality, contractual and regulatory requirements throughout the manufacturing lifecycle.

Youll play a key role in supporting quality assurance activities, investigating non-conformances, conducting audits, reviewing technical documentation and driving improvements across manufacturing and supply chain operations.

What Youll Be Doing
Quality Assurance & Governance
* Support the maintenance and continuous improvement of the ISO9001 Quality Management System
* Ensure compliance with customer, defence and regulatory requirements
* Provide quality support across multiple engineering and manufacturing projects
* Participate in quality governance and compliance activities

Auditing & Compliance
* Plan and conduct internal quality audits
* Support external customer and certification audits
* Ensure compliance with relevant industry and defence standards
* Assist with the development and improvement of quality processes and procedures

Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement
* Lead and support root cause investigations using recognised methodologies such as:
* 8D
* 5 Why
* Ishikawa
* Manage NCRs, supplier defects and corrective actions
* Drive continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing and supply chain activities
* Analyse quality data and identify opportunities for improvement

Product & Process Quality
* Conduct inspection and verification activities using appropriate measurement techniques
* Review engineering drawings, specifications and quality documentation
* Support FAIRs, inspection plans, certification packs and quality records
* Ensure product conformity throughout manufacture and assembly

Stakeholder Management
* Act as a quality focal point for allocated projects and value streams
* Work closely with production, engineering, customers and suppliers
* Support project teams in delivering quality, cost and delivery objectives

What Were Looking For
Essential
* Experience working within a Quality Engineering, Quality Assurance or Quality Control environment
* Experience of ISO9001 Quality Management Systems
* Strong Root Cause Analysis and problem-solving experience
* Experience managing non-conformances and corrective actions
* Ability to read and interpret detailed engineering drawings
* Strong understanding of GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing)
* Experience working within a manufacturing or engineering environment
* Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

Desirable
* Internal Auditor or Lead Auditor qualification
* Experience within defence, aerospace, nuclear, marine or other highly regulated industries
* Knowledge of AQAP, DEFSTAN or similar standards
* Experience with SAP or similar ERP systems
* HNC/HND in Mechanical Engineering or similar discipline

Ideal Backgrounds
We would be particularly interested in hearing from candidates currently working as:

* Quality Engineer
* Manufacturing Quality Engineer
* Supplier Quality Engineer
* Quality Assurance Engineer
* Product Quality Engineer
* Senior Quality Inspector
* Quality Systems Engineer

within defence, aerospace, nuclear, marine, heavy engineering, precision machining or other regulated manufacturing environments.

Salary & Benefits
* Competitive salary depending on experience
* 33 days holiday including bank holidays
* Flexi-time scheme with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional days leave per year
* Pension scheme with up to 8% employer contribution
* Death in Service cover up to 5x basic salary
* Healthcare Cash Plan
* Long-term career development opportunities
* Exposure to high-profile defence programmes

Additional Information
Due to the nature of the work, applicants must have the right to work in the UK and be capable of satisfying relevant security and export control requirements. The successful candidate will be required to meet the necessary clearance criteria associated with defence-related programmes.