Quality Assurance Engineer in Horsham

Joining the Quality team and reporting to the Quality Manager, the Quality Engineer will be responsible for day-to-day Quality Assurance activity at both our Horsham and Plymouth sites, travelling as necessary. Typical activity includes ensuring we fulfil project milestones and customer design requirements as well as site-specific activity such as ISO 9001 requirements, and ESD and FOD precautions, new starter inductions and training.

Key Responsibilities

• Attending project/design gateway reviews and being the voice of QA within Customer-facing liaison on day-to-day quality issues and requirements, including customer witnessed testing both onsite and customer sites (if needed).
• Supporting the maintenance and continual improvement of the QMS in conjunction with process/function owners to ensure that the requirements of ISO 9001 are satisfied.
• Conducting internal audits with process/function owners to monitor operation and effectiveness of the QMS and to facilitate continual improvement.
• Ensuring that appropriate corrective actions, resulting from recorded non-conformances, are implemented and effective.
• Conduct root-cause analysis on defects, scrap, and rework.
• Analyse production and quality data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Produce regular quality performance reports for key stakeholders.
• Use statistical tools (SPC, capability studies, Pareto analysis) to support decision-making.
• Lead structured problem-solving activities (5 Whys, Fishbone, DMAIC).
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce defects, waste, and variation.
• Support Lean and Six Sigma projects across the plant.
• Partner with production, engineering, supply chain, and maintenance teams to resolve quality issues.
• Working closely with the Supply Chain team for regional on-site supplier assessment & approval.
• Liaison with suppliers to facilitate the on-time supply of conforming materials and services.
• Resolution of issues with non-compliant product.
• Manage non-conformance investigations and documentation (NCRs, CAPAs).
• Lead containment, corrective, and preventive actions to avoid recurrence.
• Ensure timely closure and verification of corrective actions.
• Reviewing customer bids and contracts for quality requirements, and preparation and maintenance of project Quality Plans.
• Fault analysis and reports on customer returns.
• Sign-off of C of Cs in accordance with the relevant company procedures.

Skills & Experience

Essential

• 3 years' experience in a relevant engineering/manufacturing role.
• HND or higher qualification in manufacturing/engineering discipline.

Desirable

• Recent experience in a Quality Engineer role.
• Experience with project-related Quality Assurance in Defence or Aerospace.

Personal Attributes

• Demonstrates our company values of Teamwork, Integrity, Excellence and Courage.
• Highly organised and methodical approach, with an eye for detail.
• The ability to work independently when required.
• A flexible, conscientious, and diligent attitude.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and written skills.
• A resilient and adaptable approach.
• Self-starting.

Work Life Balance

• 37.5 hour working week.
• Lunchtime finishes on a Friday.
• Hybrid / flexible working arrangements.
• 28 days annual leave.