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- Tasks: Lead quality improvement initiatives and mentor teams to ensure zero-defect product launches.
- Company: Join MBDA, a leading defence organisation committed to excellence.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, bonuses, flexible working, and comprehensive healthcare benefits.
- Other info: Dynamic hybrid working environment with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a high-visibility role while advancing your career.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in quality management with a strong engineering background.
Reporting directly to our UK Head of Excellence, you will act as a strategic architect for product integrity across our engineering and manufacturing functions. This is a high-visibility role for a mentor who can bridge the gap between design intent and world-class production, ensuring mission-critical technology is designed for excellence long before it reaches the shop floor!
Salary: Circa £60,000 depending on experience
Dynamic (hybrid) working: 3 days per week on-site due to workload classification
Security Clearance: British Citizen or a Dual UK national with British citizenship. Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.
What we can offer you:
- Company Bonus: Bonus of up to 21% of base salary
- Pension: maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
- Flexible working: We welcome applicants who are looking for flexible working arrangements
- Enhanced parental leave: offers up to 26 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave - enhancements are available for paternity leave, neonatal leave and fertility testing and treatments
- Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more...
- Healthcare Cash Plan: The Healthcare Cash Plan benefit provides the option to claim cash back on everyday healthcare expenses such as optical, dental, health and wellbeing and more.
- Private Medical Insurance: Eligible employees are enrolled as standard into the company funded Private Medical Insurance benefit.
The opportunity: Operating within the Quality Excellence function, you will lead the shift toward a proactive, 'right-first-time' culture. We are looking for a coach and facilitator to tackle sophisticated challenges, using FMEA and DMAIC methodologies to empower our teams and ensure zero-defect excellence across our entire product portfolio. It's a genuinely exciting chance for a determined individual to drive real change while pursuing their own career growth.
We are seeking a time-served Quality professional to bridge the gap between product design and world-class manufacturing. You will own the Product Risk Mitigation strategy - utilising DFMEA to 'design out' failures, PFMEAs/Control Plans to ensure operational excellence, and DMAIC cycles to drive continuous improvement in production yields. Your goal is simple: zero-defect product launches built on a foundation of proactive quality and robust process controls.
Day to day focus:
- Risk Mitigation: Support the quality and engineering functions through APQP toolsets. Facilitate workshops and coach teams on DFMEA and PFMEA best practices (based on relevant standards and industry best practices) to ensure risks are identified and 'designed out' early in the project lifecycle.
- Design to Production Link: Guide the transfer of 'Special Characteristics' and Severity ratings from design intent into practical Control Plans. Partner with manufacturing to ensure that risks identified in FMEAs are managed with realistic measurement methods and robust control plans, ensuring operational readiness for the production team.
- Process Stability & Coaching: Support continuous improvement by mentoring teams through DMAIC cycles to stabilise production and improve yields. Support others to use data to monitor performance and reduce variation from the launch phase throughout the entire product lifecycle.
- Problem Solving & Lessons Learned: Lead and coach the Root Cause Analysis process when quality issues arise. You will ensure that teams know how to feed findings back into their FMEAs and Control Plans, maintaining them as 'living documents' that prevent the recurrence of failures.
- Standards & Audit Support: Act as the subject matter expert for risk-related audits, ensuring our risk management meets EN9100 / ISO 9001 standards. Utilise Action Priority logic to help the team prioritise engineering changes and validation testing for high-risk items.
What we're looking for from you:
- Professional Experience: 5+ years in a mission critical, regulated environment (Defence, Aerospace, or Automotive). Experience in leading teams and mentoring staff on quality principles is essential.
- Technical Background: An engineering background (HNC/HND or higher) with expertise in electronics, manufacturing and design.
- Standards: Excellent knowledge of EN9100 / ISO 9001. Competent in the AIAG & VDA FMEA Handbook or SAE J1739 methodologies.
- Product Risk: Proven track record in managing product risk through DFMEA, DFx (Design for Excellence), PFMEA, and the development of robust Control Plans.
- Problem-Solving & Tools: Highly Proficient in Root Cause Analysis (8D, 5-Why) and experience using FMEA software (e.g., APIS IQ-FMEA, Relyence, or similar). Lean Six Sigma, Certified Black Belt: A proactive approach - the ability to identify and mitigate risks early to prevent field failures. Experience with DMAIC cycles is preferred.
- Influencing & Facilitation: A strong influencer and skilled facilitator, bridging the gap between design and shop-floor teams through coaching and mentoring to drive a 'Quality First' culture.
Our company: Peace is not a given, Freedom is not a given, Sovereignty is not a given. MBDA is a leading defence organisation. We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.
We are proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity, Disability and more...
We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process.
Quality Improvement & Capability Manager employer: Mbda Uk
Contact Detail:
Mbda Uk Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Quality Improvement & Capability Manager
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to quality improvement and risk management. Use the STAR method to structure your answers and showcase your experience effectively.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your skills through real-life examples. When discussing your experience, highlight specific projects where you’ve successfully implemented FMEA or DMAIC methodologies to drive improvements.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team.
We think you need these skills to ace Quality Improvement & Capability Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in quality management and engineering. We want to see how your skills align with our mission of achieving zero-defect excellence!
Showcase Your Achievements: Don’t just list your responsibilities; share specific examples of how you've improved processes or led teams to success. We love seeing quantifiable results that demonstrate your impact in previous roles.
Be Authentic: Let your personality shine through in your application. We’re looking for someone who can bridge the gap between design and production, so show us your passion for quality and continuous improvement!
Apply Through Our Website: For the best chance of success, make sure to apply directly through our careers page. It’s the easiest way for us to keep track of your application and get back to you quickly!
How to prepare for a job interview at Mbda Uk
✨Know Your Quality Standards
Make sure you brush up on EN9100 and ISO 9001 standards before the interview. Being able to discuss how you've applied these in your previous roles will show that you're not just familiar with them, but that you can leverage them to drive quality improvements.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare specific examples of how you've used Root Cause Analysis and FMEA methodologies in past projects. Highlighting your experience with tools like DMAIC will demonstrate your proactive approach to risk management and continuous improvement.
✨Bridge the Gap
Since this role involves connecting design intent with production, think about times when you've successfully facilitated communication between teams. Be ready to share how you’ve coached others to adopt a 'Quality First' mindset, as this will resonate well with the interviewers.
✨Emphasise Your Mentoring Experience
As a mentor, your ability to guide and develop others is crucial. Prepare to discuss your mentoring style and provide examples of how you've empowered teams to tackle challenges using FMEA and PFMEA best practices. This will highlight your leadership qualities and commitment to fostering a quality culture.