SENIOR QUALITY ENGINEER

SENIOR QUALITY ENGINEER – AUTOMOTIVE

Location: Daventry, Northamptonshire
Salary: Up to £42,000 per annum
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
Sector: Automotive / Advanced Manufacturing

SENIOR QUALITY ENGINEER – £42K | AUTOMOTIVE | DAVENTRY

Workforce Group are working with a highly established specialist automotive manufacturer in Daventry, supporting the recruitment of an experienced Senior Quality Engineer to join their growing engineering and production operation.

This is a genuine opportunity to take ownership of customer and supplier quality within a technically demanding automotive manufacturing environment, working across new product introduction, APQP, PPAP, production launch and ongoing quality improvement.

The business specialises in the design and manufacture of high-end automotive OE components and accessory systems, including specialist exhaust, powertrain and lightweight components. With a strong focus on engineering, innovation, quality and continuous investment in manufacturing technology, you'll be joining a business working on technically interesting automotive programmes rather than high-volume commodity manufacturing.

THE ROLE

As Senior Quality Engineer, you will become a key technical quality contact across assigned automotive programmes, working closely with OEM customers, suppliers, production and engineering teams.

You'll have genuine responsibility for driving quality performance from initial development through to production and continuous improvement.

Your responsibilities will include:

Acting as a key quality contact for assigned OEM customers
Managing customer quality concerns, non-conformances and concessions
Leading structured 8D, 5 Whys and Fishbone root-cause investigations
Managing PSW submissions and supporting customer approvals
Supporting APQP and new product introduction activities
Reviewing and approving supplier PPAP submissions
Managing supplier quality performance and corrective actions
Conducting and supporting supplier audits
Identifying and escalating supplier quality, capability and delivery risks
Supporting new supplier assessment and onboarding
Leading supplier readiness activities ahead of production launch
Supporting trial runs, first-off inspections and process validation
Ensuring quality processes and documentation align with IATF 16949
Monitoring and reporting quality KPIs
Working closely with Production, Engineering and Quality teams to resolve issues
Driving continuous improvement and corrective/preventative actions
Maintaining a hands-on presence within production and at supplier sites
Using FARO CMM equipment where required
Developing measurement programmes
Working with GD&T, engineering drawings and datum strategies
Supporting the successful introduction of new automotive products into production

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We're looking for an experienced Quality Engineer / Senior Quality Engineer who understands the demands of automotive manufacturing and is comfortable dealing directly with both customers and suppliers.

You'll ideally have experience within an OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2 or specialist automotive manufacturing environment, with a strong understanding of quality systems and new product introduction.

Experience with the following would be highly desirable:

IATF 16949
Automotive Core Tools
APQP
PPAP
PFMEA
Control Plans
8D
5 Whys / Fishbone
Customer complaint and non-conformance management
Supplier quality and development
Supplier audits
Engineering drawings and GD&T
Manufacturing and production processes
Measurement systems / dimensional inspection
FARO CMM
New product introduction / production launch
You'll need to be confident communicating with OEM customers, suppliers and internal stakeholders, while being capable of working independently and taking ownership of quality issues through to resolution.

A full UK driving licence is required due to occasional travel to customer and supplier sites.

WHY JOIN?

This isn't a traditional paperwork-heavy Quality Engineer position.

You'll be working within a specialist automotive engineering and manufacturing environment where quality, engineering innovation and continuous improvement are central to the operation.

The business has a long history within the automotive sector and has worked on programmes involving some of the world's best-known automotive brands, with specialist capability across areas including exhaust systems, powertrain components, titanium and stainless-steel fabrication, tube bending, lightweight materials and automotive accessories.

The company has also invested heavily in its Daventry manufacturing facilities and technology, including dedicated production, distribution and lightweight manufacturing capabilities. Its quality culture has included certification to the automotive ISO/TS 16949 standard, demonstrating its long-standing focus on automotive quality systems and process control.

THE OPPORTUNITY

If you're an experienced Quality Engineer looking to step into a senior position where you can genuinely influence customer quality, supplier performance, new product introduction and production quality, this could be an excellent next step.

Salary up to £42,000 + 37.5-hour week + permanent position + specialist automotive manufacturing environment.

If you have the automotive quality experience we're looking for, get in touch with Workforce Group today.

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