Senior Quality Engineer

THE ROLE

The Senior Quality Engineer is responsible for ensuring that product quality standards are consistently achieved and maintained across the manufacturing operation.

This role provides strong visible leadership on the shop floor, has the authority and confidence to stop product where quality is at risk, and acts as a senior technical and customer-facing representative for all quality matters.

The role plays a critical part in customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide strong, visible leadership for the Quality Inspection Team and the wider manufacturing operation, setting clear standards, priorities, and expectations.
• Take full accountability for inspection performance, quality control, and product release decisions, stopping processes where quality is at risk.
• Lead by example in embedding a right-first-time, zero-defect quality culture across all departments.
• Actively challenge production and operations teams to ensure quality is never compromised by schedule pressure, cost targets, or output demands.
• Serve as the senior quality point of contact for customers, building credibility, trust, and long-term confidence in product performance.
• Lead all customer-facing communication relating to quality issues, concessions, non-conformances, and corrective actions.
• Clearly present investigation findings, root causes, and structured improvement plans to customers, auditors, and senior leadership.
• Lead and support customer quality visits, audits, and performance review meetings, ensuring strong preparation and professional delivery.
• Take full ownership of complex quality investigations using structured problem-solving methodologies such as 8D, 5 Whys, and Fishbone analysis.
• Drive robust containment, corrective, and preventive actions to ensure immediate customer protection and long-term defect elimination.
• Track repeat defects and systemic issues, ensuring permanent corrective actions are implemented, verified, and sustained.
• Use quality data, SPC, yield, scrap, and defect trends to identify risks, prioritise improvement activity, and drive measurable performance gains.
• Lead targeted continuous improvement projects to reduce defects, rework, scrap, and quality escapes across the factory.
• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and development for Quality Engineers, Inspectors, and operational teams to strengthen technical capability and accountability.
• Ensure full compliance with accreditation standards, customer-specific quality requirements, audit actions, and internal quality system documentation at all times.

KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED

• Proven experience operating as a Senior or Lead Quality Engineer within PCB manufacturing, electronics, or a closely related high-reliability environment.
• Demonstrable experience managing and developing Quality Inspectors or similar technical teams.
• Extensive experience leading customer quality issues, concessions, non-conformances, and formal investigations.
• High level of expertise in root cause analysis and the implementation of effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex quality issues clearly to customers and senior leadership.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Experience of multilayer PCB, HDI, controlled impedance, and surface finish processes.
• IPC A-600 qualification
• Experience within aerospace, defence, medical, or automotive supply chains.
• Knowledge of SPC, PFMEA, and APQP.
• Experience of audit requirements, including internal and external audits
• High attention to detail with ability to identify risks and implement preventive actions
• Proven ability to record, analyse, and present accurate compliance information
• Strong communication skills (verbal and written), with ability to influence and engage at all levels

CORE SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

• Leadership: Provide strong, visible leadership for the Quality Inspection Team and the wider operation, setting clear expectations, priorities, and standards. Drive accountability, performance, and a right-first-time culture while confidently challenging poor practice and stopping processes where quality is at risk.
• Customer Focus: Represent the business professionally with customers, auditors, and internal stakeholders. Build trust and credibility through clear communication, decisive action on issues, and consistent delivery of quality commitments.
• Quality Focus: Drive continuous improvement across quality systems, processes, and controls. Ensure full compliance with internal procedures, customer standards, and external accreditations (e.g. ISO 9001 / AS9100), with risks effectively managed and performance targets achieved.
• Results Focus: Deliver measurable improvements in quality performance through effective investigations, defect reduction, and control of repeat issues. Use data and KPIs to identify trends, prioritise actions, and drive sustained improvement.
• Health, Safety & Environment: Demonstrate strong personal commitment to safe working practices and responsible manufacturing. Ensure all quality activities, investigations, and improvements are carried out safely, legally, and in line with environmental responsibilities.
• Innovation and Change: Champion new ideas, tools, and approaches that improve inspection effectiveness, defect prevention, and process control. Lead change initiatives that embed smarter, more robust quality ways of working
• Communicating: Engage confidently and professionally with customers, production teams, senior leaders, and auditors. Deliver clear investigation reports, performance updates, and technical explanations that support understanding and decision-making.
• Team working: Work collaboratively across Production, Engineering, Planning, and Supply Chain to resolve issues and prevent recurrence. Promote a culture of shared ownership for quality and collective problem-solving.
• Developing Self and Others: Actively develop the capability of Quality Engineers, Inspectors, and operational teams through coaching, training, and mentoring. Maintain personal professional development in quality standards, investigation techniques, and manufacturing best practice.

This job description is not exhaustive. The company expects employees to be flexible in their approach and to undertake reasonable extra duties that may be required.