Quality Manager in Horsham

Chess Dynamics is a leading UK design and manufacturing organisation with multiple sites nationwide. We develop advanced, high‑performance products for the surveillance and defence sectors, supporting specialist customer requirements. Innovation, technical excellence and operational integrity are central to our mission.

We are looking for a driven and influential Quality Manager to take ownership of our quality assurance strategy and elevate it to the next level. You will shape, lead, and continuously enhance the company’s quality framework, ensuring our policies, processes, and standards not only meet but exceed business, regulatory, and customer expectations. You will also build a strong, visible quality presence on site, championing rigorous qualification activities and delivering confident, customer‑ready acceptance testing across our full product range.

Responsibilities

• Drive the ongoing development and optimisation of the Quality Management System to ensure full compliance with BS EN ISO 9001:2025.
• Produce clear, customer‑focused Quality Management Plans that set the standard for project delivery.
• Lead Quality Assurance and Quality Control activities across every stage of customer contracts, ensuring issues are identified early and resolved quickly.
• Take ownership of NCR creation, analysis, and closure for both manufacturing and in‑service issues.
• Champion effective corrective and preventive actions, ensuring root causes are eliminated and improvements embedded.
• Tackle supplier quality problems head‑on, resolving non‑compliant parts and driving vendor performance.
• Enforce strong Configuration Control, product identification, and traceability across all operations.
• Strengthen engineering documentation control by guiding teams on process adherence and best practice.
• Lead the internal audit programme, ensuring audits are completed on time and actions are closed out.
• Conduct rigorous supplier and subcontractor assessments, approving only those who meet required standards.
• Review customer contracts proactively to ensure all quality obligations are understood and delivered.
• Perform detailed fault analysis and produce clear, actionable reports for customer RMA cases.
• Approve finished goods and subassemblies with confidence, ensuring only compliant products leave the site.
• Sign off Certificates of Conformance (CofC) in line with company procedures and customer expectations.
• Represent the company during formal customer test activities, ensuring transparency and confidence in results.
• Direct management of team of ~10 Team members across 3 sites.

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Extensive Quality Management expertise within complex engineering and manufacturing environments, with a strong command of advanced quality tools, methodologies and lifecycle processes.
• Senior‑level proficiency in ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems, including hands‑on experience with ISO9001:2025 and proven capability in implementing, transitioning, and optimising systems to ISO9001:2025 requirements.
• Strong engineering foundation, ideally supported by a degree or equivalent technical qualification, enabling effective engagement with design, manufacturing, and test engineering teams.
• Highly effective communicator with the ability to influence technical and non‑technical stakeholders, drive supplier performance, and present quality requirements with authority to customers and internal teams.
• Practical, applied experience in risk‑based quality management, including FMEA, control plans, capability studies, structured product testing, and data‑driven decision‑making to improve process capability and product reliability.

Minimum experience and qualifications required for the role

Quality Methods and Tools

• Core Quality Methodologies
• PDCA (Plan–Do–Check–Act): Applying structured continuous improvement cycles to enhance manufacturing reliability and reduce non‑conformities.
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA): Conducting detailed investigations using 5 Whys, Fishbone diagrams, and evidence‑based analysis to resolve complex technical issues.
• Lean Principles: Improving flow, reducing waste, and supporting operational readiness while maintaining strict configuration and traceability controls.
• Six Sigma (DMAIC): Using statistical methods to reduce variation in critical defence components and assemblies.
• Risk‑Based Thinking: Assessing risks and opportunities in line with ISO 9001 and defence‑sector expectations, including safety, security, and mission‑critical performance.

Quality Tools

• FMEA (Design & Process): Identifying potential failure modes in high‑reliability systems and prioritising mitigation actions.
• SIPOC Mapping: Defining controlled processes with clear inputs, outputs, and stakeholder requirements, supporting audit readiness.
• Process Capability Analysis: Interpreting Cp/Cpk and other statistical measures for precision‑engineered defence components.
• 8D Problem Solving: Leading structured investigations for recurring or high‑severity non‑conformances, including customer‑facing reports.
• Configuration Management: Ensuring strict control of design changes, documentation, and product baselines.
• First Article Inspection (FAI): Conducting AS9102‑compliant inspections for new or modified parts.
• Special Processes Control: Managing processes such as welding, heat treatment, and surface finishing in accordance with defence and aerospace standards.
• Supplier Quality Assurance: Assessing and monitoring suppliers against defence‑sector requirements, including security, traceability, and export‑control compliance.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Conducting Gemba walks in controlled manufacturing areas to identify improvement opportunities while maintaining safety and security protocols.
• Understanding of ISO14001 would be advantageous.

Personal Attributes

• Consistently demonstrates the company values of Teamwork, Integrity, Excellence, and Courage, setting the tone for others to follow.
• Operates with a strategic, structured, and highly disciplined approach, maintaining exceptional attention to detail across all quality‑critical activities.
• Exercises strong independent judgement, taking ownership of complex issues and driving them to resolution with minimal oversight.
• Brings a professional, dependable, and solutions‑focused mindset, adapting seamlessly to shifting priorities and operational demands.
• Communicates with clarity, influence, and credibility at all levels — from shop floor to senior leadership and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrates resilience, composure, and adaptability, maintaining high performance and sound decision‑making in demanding or high‑pressure environments.
• Fosters a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and right‑first‑time behaviours, encouraging teams to take pride in delivering products that meet stringent defence‑sector standards.

Work life balance

• Lunchtime finishes on a Friday.
• Hybrid / flexible working arrangements.
• 28 days annual leave.
• Christmas closure.
• Group pension plan – matched contributions up to 5%.
• Employee Assistance Programme gives you and your family access to 4 key services including remote GP service, second opinion, mental health pathway service and physiotherapy consultations.
• Life assurance policy, including bereavement counselling and probate helpline.
• Company shares incentive plan and save as you earn scheme.
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme.
• Wellbeing initiatives, including access to wellbeing app and the addition of mental health support for all employees. Plus, regular activities across our sites to support and promote wellbeing.
• Regular sports and social activities.
• Health Cash Plan.
• Reward platform (high street discounts, employee benefits, health, and wellbeing offerings).
• Excellent learning & development opportunities.
• Great working environment with free, onsite car parking across all our locations.

Security Clearance Requirements

Due to the nature of our business, our staff need to be able to obtain UK Security Clearance as a mandated requirement. Therefore, if successful, you will need to provide proof of identity, employment history and right to work in the UK, along with proof of UK residency for at least five years.