Manufacturing Quality Engineer: Supplier & Process Optimizer in Merthyr Tydfil

The Manufacturing Quality Engineer plays a critical role in supporting the effective delivery of manufactured products through close coordination between internal teams and external suppliers. The role ensures alignment across design, manufacturing, quality, and suppliers, while also providing assurance that outsourced suppliers meet required compliance, quality, and performance standards.

With an increasing level of outsourced manufacturing, this role acts as a key interface between the business and its supply base resolving production issues, driving continuous improvement, and conducting structured supplier audits to protect quality, compliance, and delivery performance.

Your responsibilities in this role include:

• Act as the primary point of contact between internal stakeholders (Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Planning) and external suppliers to ensure alignment on production requirements, schedules, and technical expectations.
• Support problem-solving activities within the production environment, working collaboratively to resolve issues related to production delays, quality concerns, or technical challenges.
• Identify inefficiencies within manufacturing and supplier processes and propose practical improvements to enhance productivity, quality, and robustness.
• Coordinate and track process changes, decisions, and actions, ensuring all relevant stakeholders are informed and updates are clearly communicated.
• Work closely with Quality teams to ensure manufactured products meet required specifications, standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct structured supplier evaluations to assess operational systems, manufacturing processes, and controls against company standards and applicable industry regulations.
• Verify supplier compliance with legal, environmental, ethical, and quality requirements, including internal policies and external regulatory obligations.
• Review supplier Quality Management Systems to ensure consistent production of conforming products and effective control of variation.
• Monitor and analyse supplier performance over time, including quality, delivery, and cost metrics, ensuring agreed performance levels are being achieved.
• Prepare clear, detailed audit reports highlighting supplier strengths, weaknesses, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Provide practical recommendations to suppliers and internal stakeholders to improve processes, policies, and quality controls.
• Work collaboratively with Procurement, Quality Assurance, Compliance, Supply Chain, Planning, and Manufacturing teams to communicate audit outcomes and operational issues.
• Support suppliers in addressing non-conformances or improvement actions, fostering a constructive and development-focused supplier relationship.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across both internal manufacturing operations and the external supply base.

Apply if you have most of the following:

• Experience within manufacturing, production, quality, or supplier quality environments.
• Experience working with suppliers, subcontract manufacturers, or outsourced production operations.
• Experience supporting quality investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective action activities.
• Experience conducting audits, supplier assessments, or process evaluations is desirable.
• Experience interpreting engineering drawings, technical specifications, and manufacturing documentation.
• Experience within regulated or quality-controlled industries such as aerospace, defence, automotive, or advanced manufacturing is desirable.
• Experience supporting continuous improvement or lean manufacturing initiatives is desirable.
• Familiarity with Quality Management Systems and compliance standards.

Technical skills/education:

• Strong understanding of manufacturing and quality assurance processes.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and technical documentation.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to communicate effectively with suppliers and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Strong organisational and reporting skills.
• Good IT skills including Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently where required.
• Experience working within quality-controlled or regulated manufacturing environments.
• Technical qualification in Quality, Manufacturing, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering.
• HNC/HND or Degree in an engineering or quality-related discipline, desirable.
• Knowledge of quality standards such as ISO 9001 or AS9100.
• Experience with supplier quality management and audit processes.
• Familiarity with lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Knowledge of root cause analysis tools such as 8D, 5 Whys, or Fishbone analysis.

Additional local needs:

• Full-time onsite working required.
• Candidates may be required to obtain BPSS clearance.
• Occasional travel to supplier sites may be required.

The benefits of this role include:

• Opportunity to influence supplier quality, manufacturing standards, and operational performance.
• Exposure to both internal manufacturing operations and external supply chain activities.
• Involvement in supplier development, audits, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Opportunity to work across multiple engineering, quality, and operational disciplines.
• Development opportunities within manufacturing quality, supplier quality, and operational excellence functions.
• Experience working within regulated and quality-focused manufacturing environments.