Lead Auditor in Houghton Conquest

6-Month Fixed-Term Contract | Potential for Permanent Opportunity – Ampthill, Bedfordshire – Hybrid Working – 4-Day Week – Salary: Circa £50,000 + Benefits

Our client, a leading organisation operating within a highly regulated engineering and manufacturing environment, is seeking an experienced Lead Auditor to support a critical AS9100 Rev D re-certification programme. This is an excellent opportunity for a quality professional with strong auditing expertise to play a key role in ensuring compliance, driving continuous improvement, and supporting a major certification audit within a complex engineering business.

The Opportunity

Joining an established Quality team, you will be responsible for assessing current quality management systems, identifying compliance gaps, and driving audit readiness activities across the business. You will work closely with operational stakeholders, process owners, and senior management to ensure successful preparation and delivery of the AS9100 Rev D re-certification audit. This position offers a unique opportunity to make an immediate impact while working within a collaborative and technically advanced environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Quality Management & Compliance
  • Conduct detailed gap analysis against AS9100 Rev D requirements.
  • Identify areas of non‑compliance and develop prioritised corrective action plans.
  • Review quality documentation and records to ensure regulatory compliance.
  • Support continuous improvement initiatives across quality systems.
• Audit Planning & Delivery
  • Develop and execute internal audit programmes covering processes, products, and management systems.
  • Create audit plans and checklists aligned to AS9100 standards.
  • Conduct audits through interviews, document reviews, and on‑site assessments.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness and compliance of business processes.
• Non‑Conformance & Corrective Actions
  • Raise and manage Non‑Conformance Reports (NCRs).
  • Lead root cause investigations using recognised methodologies.
  • Implement and verify corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs).
  • Track actions through to successful closure.
• Stakeholder Management
  • Partner with operational teams and process owners to resolve audit findings.
  • Provide guidance on quality and compliance requirements.
  • Support teams in implementing process improvements.
• Reporting & Audit Readiness
  • Monitor progress against audit readiness plans.
  • Present audit status updates, risks, and improvement activities to leadership teams.
  • Support preparation for external certification audits.

Essential Experience

• Strong working knowledge of AS9100 Revision D.
• Proven experience as a Lead Auditor.
• Background working within a regulated manufacturing, engineering, aerospace, defence, or similar environment.
• Experience conducting internal and external audits.
• Strong understanding of quality management systems.
• Demonstrable experience managing NCRs, root cause analysis, and CAPA activities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities.

Desirable Experience

• Lean and/or Six Sigma certification.
• Experience within aerospace, defence, or complex engineering sectors.

What's on Offer?

• 6-month fixed-term contract with potential for longer-term opportunities.
• Hybrid working arrangement.
• Excellent work‑life balance with a 4‑day working week (Monday‑Thursday).
• Opportunity to contribute to a high-profile certification programme.
• Collaborative and supportive team environment.
• Security clearance will be required for this role; the client is willing to put someone through it after they start.