Job Title: Lead Production and Internal Quality Assurance Engineer
Location: Southampton SO16 0BT, Full-time in-office
Reports to: COO
Marine Guard
Founded in 1998, Marine Guard has grown organically to establish itself as a market leader in the design, manufacture and installation of security solutions for offshore asset protection, commercial shipping and superyachts. Headquartered in Southampton, the business recently opened a new office and innovation centre where the leadership and R&D teams are continually working to meet the ever-changing demands of the industry. Marine Guard is part of the Ashenwood Holdings Group, headed up by CEO and Founder Richard Webb, and sits alongside 2 growing businesses both deploying similar technology to different use cases.
Role Overview
As the business grows, we’re looking for a hands-on, process-minded Lead Production & Internal QA Engineer to help shape and strengthen our internal production capability and build scalable ways of working across the team. You’ll take ownership of our internal production systems, working closely with purchasing, inventory, and commissioning teams to ensure everything we deliver is built to spec, on time, and to the highest quality standard.
If you're hard-working and highly organised, with a passion for building better processes and delivering exceptional quality, we’d love to hear from you.
Key Responsibilities
* Develop detailed production plans for all delivery sets and components, forecasting in-house and third-party resource requirements.
* Raise Assembly Orders and coordinate associated Purchase Orders and stock requisitions to meet delivery timelines.
* Liaise with the Purchasing and Inventory teams to monitor material availability and manage dependencies.
* Oversee assembly and production of MarineGuard products, ensuring the team has clear documentation and support.
* Collaborate with Support and Commissioning teams to ensure proper system setup, configuration, and pre-QA testing is completed.
* Conduct internal QA checks on all products prior to dispatch, including reviewing production history documentation.
* Own the Bill of Materials (BOM) in our ERP system (NAV/BC), ensuring it reflects accurate specifications, substitutions, and updates due to component availability or obsolescence.
* Maintain BOMs for new product introductions post-design sign-off.
* Act as the central point of contact for all internal product quality issues, ensuring they are recorded, tracked, and actioned appropriately.
About You:
* Proven experience in electrical/security equipment production, ideally within a high-specification or safety-critical environment.
* A methodical, proactive approach to working with a strong focus on accuracy, quality, and improvement.
* Excellent organisational skills — able to manage complex workflows and deliverables across departments.
* Strong verbal and written communication skills — able to liaise effectively across teams.
* Comfortable working in ERP/stock control systems.
* IT literate and confident with production documentation, planning tools, and digital QA processes.
Compensation & Benefits:
* Annual salary in the range of £32,000.00-£35,000.00 per year + performance-based bonus.
* 3% Pension Contribution.
* Life insurance policy.
* Income Protection policy.
* Access to cycle to work scheme.
Why join us
* Be part of a market leader in marine security and surveillance.
* Work on innovative and bespoke technology solutions that are trusted around the world.
* Help shape the future of MarineGuard’s production capability as we grow.
Our process:
* To apply, please send your CV and Cover Letter to “recruitement@ashenwood.com”. The deadline for applications is the 8th of July 2025. Please include in your cover letter the answer to the follow:
* “Can you describe a time you introduced a new process or improved a workflow? What was the issue, and what impact did your change have?”
* First screening interview led by our external hiring consultant
* Final interview led by the Chief Operating Officer, Paul Smith
We want to create an inclusive environment that celebrates the diversity of our people whilst enabling them to do the best work of their careers. We are committed to ensuring that all our people processes are equitable. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, veteran, neurodiversity status or disability status.