Head of Quality
Location: Horsham (multi-site remit)
Salary: £65,000 – £75,000
Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time
About the Role
An established UK design and manufacturing organisation, operating across multiple sites and supplying high‑performance products into surveillance and defence markets, is looking to appoint a Head of Quality. This senior leadership role will own and evolve the Quality function, ensuring a robust Quality Management System and driving operational excellence, customer confidence and continuous improvement across three sites.
Key Responsibilities
Lead and own the Quality function across three sites, setting strategy and driving a culture of excellence, accountability and continuous improvement.
Define, implement and continually improve the Quality Management System in line with BS EN ISO 9001:2025, ensuring compliance with regulatory, customer and business requirements.
Act as the senior authority for quality across the full product lifecycle, from design and development through to customer acceptance.
Represent the business in customer quality matters, leading acceptance activities and building confidence through transparent, high‑quality delivery.
Drive effective non‑conformance management, ensuring root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions deliver sustainable improvements.
Oversee supplier quality performance, including vendor selection, development and compliance with quality, security and traceability standards.
Lead internal audit programmes and ensure contractual and regulatory quality requirements are fully understood, implemented and achieved.
Maintain strong configuration control and ensure engineering documentation supports consistent, high‑quality outputs.
Develop, lead and mentor a high‑performing quality team, building capability, succession and a right‑first‑time mindset.
Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing and supply chain to embed risk‑based, data‑driven quality practices.
Champion structured methodologies such as FMEA, RCA, Lean and Six Sigma to improve product reliability and process capability.Skills & Experience
Proven senior quality leadership experience within complex engineering or manufacturing environments (e.g. defence, aerospace, automotive or similar).
Strong expertise in ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems, including implementation, optimisation and audit.
Solid technical or engineering background with the ability to engage credibly with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to influence at all levels, improve supplier performance and lead customer‑facing quality activities.
Experience applying risk‑based quality tools and methodologies such as FMEA, 8D, root cause analysis and data‑driven decision making.
Understanding of ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems.You should also be confident applying:
Core methods: PDCA, Root Cause Analysis (5 Whys, Fishbone), Lean principles, Six Sigma (DMAIC), and risk‑based thinking.
Tools: FMEA (design and process), SIPOC mapping, process capability (Cp/Cpk), 8D problem solving, configuration management, First Article Inspection (AS9102), special process control (welding, heat treatment, coatings) and supplier quality assurance in regulated environments.To find out more please contact Max Sinclair (url removed)