Quality Engineer in Chesterfield

SolidCor is on a mission to make volume fire door replacement possible within days — enabling the industry to rapidly achieve compliance and community safety in every building. Born out of the urgent need for change following the Grenfell disaster, we have built the fastest production times in the industry and the widest range of primary-tested fire door configurations. We are growing fast and we are looking for A-players to help us get there. We are passionate about getting things right and obsessed with quality. Our products are safety-critical — when a fire door fails, the consequences are real. That is why quality is not negotiable here, and why the person in this role matters. We are looking for a Quality Engineer to be embedded within our manufacturing operation — working with production, engineering, logistics, and commercial teams to drive quality on site. This is a hands-on, shop-floor-first role for someone who seeks out weakness before it becomes a problem, takes full ownership when issues arise, and builds systems that stop the sources of abnormality from returning. You will report to the Quality Manager and will be expected to act as the primary site quality contact in their absence. If you have a mission-first mindset, a can-do attitude, and a genuine passion for getting things right — this role will give you the platform to make a real and lasting impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain a visible, active presence on the factory floor across all production departments and shifts — acting as the first point of contact for quality concerns raised by operators, team leaders, and supervisors.
• Monitor in-process quality, ensuring compliance with specifications, process controls, and safety requirements — championing a quality-first culture at every level of the shop floor.
• Focus effort on recognising Right First Time (RFT%) and continually improving it by identifying and removing points of weakness.
• Lead rapid response to abnormality incidents, non-conformances, and customer complaints — driving 8D Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for all significant quality events from containment to verified closure.
• Manage Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA), ensuring effective implementation and sustainability verification.
• Organise and facilitate controlled, rapid change management activities, maintaining full traceability and compliance.
• Author, maintain, and improve manufacturing procedures, work instructions, inspection plans, and quality standards under the guidance of the Quality Manager.
• Conduct internal audits of processes, product, and systems — identifying gaps and driving improvements — and support external audits, customer visits, and regulatory inspections as required.
• Maintain accurate quality records, non-conformance logs, and KPI data, ensuring all quality documentation is current, accessible, and understood in a developed and optimised QMS.
• Support new product introductions and process changes with robust quality planning and sign-off (APQP).
• Support training of QC inspectors and members of the wider team across all shifts.
• Stand in as the primary site quality contact when the Quality Manager is unavailable, providing leadership and decision-making on quality matters with the support of senior staff.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

Key Requirements

• An A-player mindset — high standards, extreme ownership and the drive to do things properly, the first time.
• Proven experience in a manufacturing quality role with a strong shop floor bias.
• Demonstrated expertise in 8D Root Cause Analysis and structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Hands-on experience designing and implementing CAPAs, with measurable verification of effectiveness.
• Experience authoring manufacturing procedures, work instructions, inspection plans, and quality standards.
• Solid grounding in both Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) disciplines.
• Track record of organising rapid, controlled changes in a compliant manufacturing environment.
• Experience managing quality abnormalities — from detection through containment to resolution.
• Ability to operate confidently as the senior quality contact on site when required.
• Strong communicator, able to influence and engage at all levels from shop floor to senior management.
• Compliance and safety mindset — non-negotiable in everything you do.

Nice to Have

• Experience in safety-critical product manufacture, where product failure has real-world consequences.
• Background in construction materials, building industry products, or the processing of natural materials in a manufacturing setting.
• Familiarity with relevant industry standards, certifications, and regulatory frameworks applicable to safety-critical or construction-related products.
• Experience supporting external audits, customer quality visits, or third-party inspections.
• Knowledge of lean manufacturing principles and their application to quality improvement.

Job Benefits

This is a chance to help shape the quality function within a fast-growing, ambitious business — with real autonomy on the shop floor, close-knit teams who are passionate about what they make, and a culture where high performers are recognised and rewarded. At SolidCor, we ask a lot — and we give a lot back. The hours are real, the standards are high and the work is demanding, but for those who show up, deliver and go the extra mile, the rewards follow. A-players here enjoy a competitive salary, a Personal Development Plan with ongoing training and mentoring, unlimited holiday, a bonus scheme paying up to 50% of annual salary, enhanced maternity and paternity, lunch, snacks and refreshments on us every day (fresh fruit and Takeaway Friday included), a team social budget, cycle to work, an auto-enrolment pension, two major company events a year and our Reward and Recognition scheme — including European mini-breaks for those who go above and beyond. It is a collaborative, high-energy environment focused on doing things the right way — and none of it is a perk for showing up; it’s what we share with the people pulling the business forward.

SolidCor is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all applicants for employment regardless of age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief. We want everyone who works with us to feel valued and to make a difference.