Senior Quality Engineer
Horsham, West Sussex
£45,000 – £55,000 + Benefits

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Quality Engineer to join a growing engineering business in West Sussex.

You’ll join a small, established Quality team, reporting to the Quality Manager, taking ownership of the BMS and acting as a key interface between Quality, Operations, Suppliers and Customers.

The Role

- Own the day-to-day administration and continual improvement of the Business Management System (BMS), ensuring compliance with BS EN ISO 9001 and common defence standards.
- Administer the internal audit schedule and conduct internal audits, driving corrective and preventive actions.
- Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions (5/8D, 5-Whys, Ishikawa) for material and process non-conformances.
- Develop and refine BMS/QMS elements with process owners – processes, procedures and operating instructions.
- Act as a customer-facing contact on Quality issues: regular calls, on-site visits and issue resolution.
- Participate in design gateway reviews to ensure quality requirements are captured and met.
- Review bids and contracts for Quality requirements and create/maintain Quality Plans.
- Perform fault analysis and reporting on customer returns.
- Plan and execute supplier quality activities with Purchasing: APQP, FAI, Control Plans and incoming inspection strategies.
- Monitor supplier non-conformances and KPI scorecards, driving improvement and managing escalations/containment.
- Plan and conduct on-site supplier audits and support continuous improvement to reduce defects, improve yield and mitigate supply chain risk.

About You

Essential:

- Proven experience managing a BMS/QMS in a design and manufacturing environment.
- HNC/HND (or equivalent) as a minimum – an engineering-related discipline is highly desirable.
- Confident and credible communicator, comfortable dealing with stakeholders at all levels and with customers and suppliers.
- Experienced in planning, managing and conducting audits.
- Strong background in 8D problem solving, including 5-Whys and Ishikawa/Cause & Effect.
- Able to create clear, concise processes, procedures and workflows within a BMS/QMS.

Desirable:

- Experience within an electro-mechanical, defence-based environment.
- Familiarity with AQAP2110 and/or AS9100 QMS standards.
- Experience in Design Assurance.
- CQI or IRCA membership.

If you’re a proactive Senior Quality Engineer who enjoys owning the QMS, working closely with design, operations and suppliers, and having real influence on product and process performance, please apply with your CV or get in touch for a confidential discussion.