Senior Quality Engineer
📍 Derby | Manufacturing Environment
We are looking for an experienced Senior Quality Engineer to join our team at our Derby manufacturing site. This is an excellent opportunity to play a key role in a fast-paced, high-quality production environment where your expertise will directly influence product performance, compliance, and continuous improvement.
As a Senior Quality Engineer, you will be a trusted technical authority, working closely with production, engineering, and supply chain teams to ensure the highest standards of quality are consistently achieved.
Working Hours
* Monday – Thursday: 8.00am – 4.45pm
* Friday: 8.00am – 12.30pm ✔ Early finish every Friday
Salary
💷 £45,000 per annum
Benefits Package
* Competitive salary
* Company pension scheme
* 25 days annual leave + 8 statutory holidays
* BUPA private healthcare
* Death in Service benefit
* Long Service awards
* Free on-site parking
Core skills/Attributes needed:
Essential:
* Minimum of 5 years’ experience within the Aerospace Industry, AS9100 requirements & NADCAP
* Minimum of 10 year’s Engineering experience
* Experience in lean tools and practical problem solving such as 8D, Kaizen processes
* High attention to detail, good problem solver and strong communication skills
* In-depth understanding of engineering/technical documentation and specifications
* A natural leader, who can motivate and lead with excellent interpersonal skill
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills as this is a customer faced role
Knowledge and Experience:
* Previous Internal auditing experience advantageous
* Experience in a quality control environment preferred
* First Article Inspection Report experience
* Experience of Machining, Fabrications and Treatments
* Chemical and special processes knowledge
* New Product Introduction & associated tools FMEA, APQP + PPAP Awareness
* Ability to resolve issues logically and methodically using proven methods
* Self-motivated with a desire to learn
Seniority Requirements:
A key part of this role will be interacting and communicating with shop floor operators, management and customers, it is essential you can communicate in a clear and concise manner
* Setting staff expectation inline with department and company objectives
* Ability to prioritise work based on criticality ensuring timescales are met
* Development, coaching & Support of others
* Manage and lead a team to achieve the set expectations
* Manage all quality-related issues within the manufacturing team (e.g. internal, supplier, customer)
* Monitor and report on quality-related key performance indicators including scrap monitoring, rework levels, parts per million (PPM) figures, NCR status
* Communicate throughout the shop floor, with peers, management and customers
* Carry out team supervision, development reviews & annual resource reviews
* Confident and effective verbal and written communication and presentation skills
Purpose of role and key accountabilities:
To provide Quality and Inspection support for both existing and new business opportunities and to develop the Right First-Time philosophy required to become a leading supplier of quality components to the aerospace industry
* Maintain quality control within the manufacturing process, in line with business standards and customer requirements
* Check and verify the compliance of components produced at all stages within business
* Identify reoccurring quality issues and communicate them to the chief inspector along with recommendations
* Assist in the 5Why, Non-conformance procedures, RCCA & CAPA quality procedures and produce root cause analysis of product failures
* Represent the quality function at team meetings
* Support, develop and improve the relationship with quality contacts within our customer base
* Support and promote improvement activities to directly benefit product and processes
* To work within cross functional teams to support business development, growth and improvement projects as required.
* To support, develop, maintain and improve the company’s quality management system and conduct internal audits against the system
*To conduct root cause analyses, SPC and other appropriate quality tools and techniques to ensure that the manufacturing processes meet customer requirement
* Activities will focus on the internal Quality SQCDP requirements, including closing out actions and reporting against the company requirements
* Gardner’s key objective is to ensure Right First Time, Every time! Which is achieved by effective allocation, and any issues are resolved in a timely and effective manner
Measurable performance indicators/objectives of role:
* The Candidate must also strive to support the elements of the SQCDP framework of the wider Gardner business;
* Safety: work in line with all accredited company safety standards in order to provide a safe working environment for all
* Quality: support the quality accreditations across the business to ensure the delivery of a ‘right first time’ performance
* Cost: support the continuous improvements in cost reduction activities across the company in order to deliver increased profitability and value for money to our customers and stakeholders
* Delivery: drive improvement in delivery performance to continually exceed customer expectations and targets
* People: support organisational capability and influence cultural change by embracing diversity, inclusion, wellbeing and community
Key Performance Indicators:
* Reduction in quality escapes from the shop floor with a goal of 0.0004 parts per million
* Reduction in second time manufacture failures
* Reduction in rework to 0.0004 parts per million
* Manage and maintain RCCA & CAPA activities