Quality Manager Precision Engineering in Clitheroe

Location: Clitheroe, Lancashire

Salary: £45,000 - £50,000 DOE

Our client is a precision engineering CNC machining business supplying complex, high-precision components into the aerospace, defence, nuclear, utilities, power and other safety-critical sectors. We are proud holders of AS9100 accreditation and are now preparing for ISO 19443 (nuclear) accreditation as we continue to grow.

We are looking for a hands-on, dynamic and action-oriented Quality Manager to lead our quality function, sit on the Senior Leadership Team and play a key role in the next stage of our journey.

This is not a desk-bound, box-ticking role. You will be a visible presence on the shop floor, working shoulder-to-shoulder with operators, engineers and managers to:

• Drive right-first-time quality and reduce scrap, rework and customer returns.
• Maintain and improve our AS9100 / ISO 9001 Quality Management System.
• Lead our programme to achieve ISO 19443 nuclear accreditation.
• Build strong relationships with blue-chip aerospace, defence, nuclear and utilities customers.

If you enjoy solving real problems, getting to root cause and making improvements that stick, you will thrive here.

What you will be doing:

• Owning and developing the company QMS to meet AS9100, ISO 9001 and ISO 19443 requirements.
• Planning, hosting and closing out external audits (customers, certification bodies) and leading the internal audit programme.
• Setting and managing inspection and test strategies for incoming, in-process and final inspection.
• Leading NCR and customer complaint investigations using structured problem-solving (8D, 5-Why, fishbone) and ensuring robust corrective and preventive actions.
• Analysing scrap, rework, PPM and customer feedback to identify trends and drive continuous improvement.
• Ensuring effective configuration control and traceability for aerospace, defence and nuclear-related work.
• Managing supplier quality performance, from approval and audits through to development of underperforming suppliers.
• Preparing and submitting FAIRs/AS9102 and other customer quality documentation.
• Leading, coaching and developing the quality team (inspectors/technicians) and supporting operators on quality standards and methods.
• Providing clear, data-driven KPIs and quality input to the Senior Leadership Team.

What we are looking for:

Experience and knowledge:

• Strong background in precision engineering / CNC machining, ideally supplying aerospace, defence, nuclear, power generation or other safety-critical sectors.
• Proven experience as a Quality Manager or Senior Quality Engineer with people responsibility.
• Track record of managing and improving an AS9100 / ISO 9001-compliant QMS.
• Hands-on shop floor experience, comfortable working at the machines to resolve issues in real time.
• Practical use of structured root cause analysis and corrective action to reduce scrap and customer complaints.
• Confident reading engineering drawings (including GD&T) and working with a wide range of measuring equipment (e.g. CMM, gauges, micrometres).
• Experience leading customer and third-party audits.
• Supplier quality experience, including approval, monitoring and improvement.
• Experience with ISO 19443 or nuclear quality frameworks would be a strong advantage, but we are also interested in candidates who can demonstrate the capability and appetite to learn this.

Skills and behaviours:

• A leader who can set clear expectations, hold people to account and support their development.
• Highly action-oriented and decisive, with a bias for getting to root cause quickly and implementing practical solutions.
• Strong communicator, able to engage confidently with shop floor teams, senior management and demanding customers.
• Analytical and data-driven, using KPIs to prioritise, influence and demonstrate improvement.
• High attention to detail, balanced with a pragmatic and commercial mindset.
• Resilient, calm under pressure and comfortable in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Continuous improvement mindset, always looking for simpler, more robust and more efficient ways of working.

What we offer:

• The opportunity to own and shape the quality agenda in a growing, ambitious precision engineering business.
• A genuine voice at the table as part of the Senior Leadership Team.
• Involvement in high-profile aerospace, defence and nuclear projects.
• Competitive salary and benefits package (to be discussed at interview).
• Support for relevant training and development (e.g. auditing, ISO 19443, CI/Lean).

To apply for this role please send a fully updated CV to our Recruitment Manager Carolann.