Salary: £50,000 - £55,000 per year (DOE) Location: Covering production activities across Newton Abbot and Exeter sites (on-site) Reporting to: Technical Manager Facilities: QC laboratory at both sites Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
About Forgeway Ltd.
Forgeway Ltd. is a forward-thinking company specialising in developing advanced adhesive solutions and high-performance materials for a range of industries, including automotive, construction, and aerospace. Quality is critical to our customers and central to our growth.
Role Summary
We are seeking a proactive and hands-on Quality Manager to support and drive quality performance across our AS9100-certified manufacturing operation. This role covers quality activities at both our Newton Abbot and Exeter sites and works closely with Production, Quality Control, R&D, and Supply Chain to ensure products meet internal standards, customer requirements, and regulatory expectations.
You will lead day-to-day quality assurance activities, manage nonconformances and corrective actions, support audits, and help embed a strong right-first-time culture across both sites.
This position is ideal for experienced professionals with a passion for quality control, process improvement, and problem-solving.
Key Responsibilities
Maintain and support the Quality Management System in line with AS9100 requirements.
Ensure quality documentation is controlled and maintained, including SOPs, work instructions, batch records, specifications, and inspection records.
Support internal and external audits, ensuring audit readiness and timely closure of actions.
Provide quality support to production activities across Newton Abbot and Exeter.
Ensure consistent application of inspection and release processes across both sites.
Work closely with QC teams to ensure testing is completed correctly and results are recorded accurately.
Support investigation and troubleshooting using the QC laboratories at both sites to enable effective decision-making and fast response.
Lead and support investigations into quality issues, including nonconformances, deviations, scrap and rework.
Drive structured root cause analysis using tools such as 5-Whys, Fishbone, and 8D where appropriate.
Implement and track corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and confirm effectiveness.
Support customer complaint investigations and provide clear, professional responses.
Work with Supply Chain and suppliers to ensure incoming materials meet requirements, including CoA review, supplier communication, and escalation where needed.
Identify trends in quality performance and support improvement actions to reduce defects and improve consistency.
Support improvements in process control, inspection methods, and data recording to strengthen traceability and compliance.
What Success Looks Like in the First 90 Days
Strong working relationships built with Production and QC teams across both sites.
Clear understanding of key products, manufacturing processes, and quality risks.
Confident management of NCR/CAPA activities with effective containment and follow-up.
Improved consistency in quality records, inspection approach, and release decisions across both locations.
Audit readiness maintained with clear visibility of actions and priorities.
Candidate Requirements
Essential:
Experience in a Quality role within a manufacturing environment (chemical, polymers, coatings, adhesives, aerospace, automotive or similar).
Working knowledge of AS9100 and quality system requirements.
Strong problem-solving capability and experience with root cause analysis and CAPA.
High attention to detail with a structured and pragmatic approach.
Confident communicator able to work effectively with production teams and technical functions.
Ability to work across two manufacturing sites and manage priorities effectively.
Desirable:
Experience in adhesives, sealants, resins, coatings, or chemical batch manufacturing.
Knowledge of additional standards such as ISO 9001 or IATF 16949.
Familiarity with quality tools such as FMEA, SPC, and Six Sigma methodologies.
Experience supporting customer audits and supplier quality activities.
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