Bespoke Quality Engineer in Chichester

Assignment Type: 6-month initial contract

Working Environment: office based on site

Pay type: Competitive hourly pay rate

Our client is the world's pre-eminent super-luxury automotive brand based in Goodwood, near Chichester, West Sussex, which comprises its global headquarters and Global Centre of Luxury Manufacturing Excellence.

Main Accountabilities

• Supplier Quality Assurance: Develop, implement, and maintain quality assurance processes and standards for suppliers to ensure delivered products meet quality requirements.
• Supplier Audits and Assessments: Plan and conduct supplier quality audits and assessments to evaluate their manufacturing processes, quality systems, and compliance with contractual and regulatory requirements.
• Supplier Development: Collaborate with suppliers to identify quality issues, drive corrective actions, and improve supplier processes to enhance product quality and reliability.
• Incoming Quality Control: Monitor and analyse incoming material quality data, perform inspections or sample testing as needed, and ensure that non-conforming materials are identified and managed appropriately.
• Root Cause Analysis and CAPA: Lead root cause investigations of supplier-related quality issues and coordinate corrective and preventive actions to prevent recurrence.
• Quality Planning and Risk Management: Support supplier quality planning activities including FMEA, control plans, and risk assessments to mitigate potential quality risks early in the supply chain.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with purchasing, engineering, manufacturing, and logistics teams to ensure supplier quality aligns with overall project and production goals.
• Supplier Performance Monitoring: Track and report on supplier quality performance metrics, elevate issues when necessary, and support continuous improvement initiatives with suppliers.
• Documentation and Reporting: Ensure all quality documentation related to suppliers is accurate, complete, and compliant with standards and regulatory requirements.

Challenges regarding innovation and change

• Management of the introduction of multiple features at one time.
• Quality and standard setting for high value, low volume features whilst maintaining costs.
• Monitoring and steering of multiple projects at multiple suppliers to achieve quality, cost and delivery project requirements.
• Development of suppliers who work outside of the automotive industry.

Education required

• Qualified to NVQ Level 5 or equivalent (Degree, HND or equivalent).

Working experience required

• Minimum 5 years in the automotive industry.
• Experience in a supplier quality or supplier development role.
• Capability to understand and relate technical drawings/specification to actual parts.
• Experience/knowledge of supplier quality systems and processes.
• Good technical understanding of vehicle component manufacturing technologies.
• ISO9001:2018 Lead auditor qualification.
• Experience of project management and an understanding of new product development processes.
• Experience/knowledge of APQP.
• Good problem-solving ability required to overcome problems arising from specific cost, quality, time and logistics issues.
• Understanding of business/technical German would be an advantage.
• Good interpersonal skills with an ability to influence key stakeholders.
• Willingness to be flexible and to support the wider bespoke team.

Benefits

• Competitive hourly rate along with an annual performance-related bonus.
• Access to a subsidised restaurant.
• Hays Go1 training platform which offers a library of over 70,000 courses.
• Access to Ben - Offers support across a wide range of topics such as mental health well-being, financial or legal matters.
• Local retail and restaurant discounts.
• 35 days annual leave (including bank holidays).