Job Title: Quality Manager
Location: Suffolk/Norfolk
Department: Quality Assurance
Reports To:
Industry: Engineering Manufacturing (Small to Medium Enterprises)
Position Overview
The Quality Assurance Leader is responsible for overseeing quality assurance and control at the UK manufacturing site, ensuring that all products meet the highest quality standards and align with business goals. This position will report to senior management in the UK while maintaining a collaborative relationship with the Quality Director based in the US. The leader will guide a team focused on continuous improvement, compliance, and quality management throughout the production stages.
This role is crucial for driving operational excellence, conducting quality audits, enhancing processes, and ensuring strict adherence to regulatory standards, all while adopting a hands-on leadership style. The Quality Assurance Leader will work closely with teams in operations, engineering, and supply chain to guarantee the delivery of high-quality products.
Key Responsibilities
Quality Strategy & Leadership
- Develop and lead the quality strategy for the UK facility, aligning with global quality objectives.
- Implement a quality-centric culture, ensuring every team member understands their contribution to delivering high-quality products from development to manufacturing.
- Provide guidance, mentorship, and growth opportunities to the quality team in the UK.
Compliance & Regulatory Oversight
- Ensure compliance with UK and international quality standards (ISO 9001 and industry-specific regulations).
- Supervise quality management systems to maintain readiness for both internal and external audits, driving improvements for consistency.
- Manage risk assessments, regulatory documentation, and corrective actions.
- Identify non-conformities and utilise reporting and investigation tools to foster improvements in systems and personnel.
Quality Control & Assurance
- Direct quality control processes throughout the entire production lifecycle, from material sourcing to final products.
- Establish, maintain, and enhance product quality standards and operational procedures.
- Proactively lead quality engineers in reviewing and resolving quality issues, ensuring corrective actions prevent future occurrences.
- Develop data capture methods to identify trends that impact product quality, collaborating with relevant functions to implement improvements through training and process adjustments.
- Promote a 'Right First Time' mentality by actively engaging with teams to identify issues early.
Continuous Improvement
- Advocate for root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions to enhance product quality and manufacturing efficiency.
Collaboration & Communication
- Collaborate with US teams to share best practices, resolve challenges, and ensure quality consistency across regions.
- Regularly update senior leadership on quality metrics, performance, and improvement initiatives.
- Provide timely reports on key performance indicators (KPIs), audit results, and emerging quality issues to the management team and US Director as necessary.
Supplier Quality Management
- Oversee supplier selection, evaluation, and performance management to ensure compliance with quality standards.
- Work with suppliers to address quality issues and enhance processes that affect product quality.
- Support other facilities regarding UK supplier performance.
Training & Development
- Create and implement training programmes to ensure all employees understand and adhere to quality standards and procedures.
- Stay updated on industry trends to equip the team with the latest quality tools and methodologies.
- Develop the quality management system (QMS) application to ensure all training is documented and current.
Culture & People
- Drive business expectations related to company culture throughout the organisation.
Required Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality Management, or a related field.
- 7-10 years of experience in quality management within manufacturing, with a proven ability to lead quality teams.
- Comprehensive knowledge of quality systems, methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma), and industry regulations (ISO 9001, etc.).
- Strong leadership skills with a capacity to drive change and build high-performing teams.
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
- Demonstrated proactive approach ensuring project support and delivery.
- Proven experience managing cross-functional teams and influencing senior leaders.
- Familiarity with ERP systems and quality management software.
Desirable Skills & Qualifications
- Experience in an international organisation, especially with US reporting lines.
- Certification in Lean Six Sigma (Black Belt or Green Belt) or similar quality improvement methodologies.
- Experience with advanced quality planning (APQP), Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA), and Statistical Process Control (SPC).
Personal Attributes
- Effective communicator with the ability to influence and collaborate across all organisational levels.
- High attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining quality standards consistently.
- Proactive, results-oriented, and capable of thriving in a dynamic manufacturing environment.
