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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.
- Other info: Dynamic hybrid working environment with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a high-visibility role while driving quality and innovation.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in regulated environments with strong engineering and quality management skills.
The predicted salary is between 57000 - 63000 £ per year.
Reporting directly to our UK Head of Excellence, you’ll 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.
Follow us on LinkedIn (MBDA), X (@MBDA_UK), Instagram (MBDA_UK) and Glassdoor or visit our MBDA Careers website for more information.
Quality Improvement & Capability Manager in Stevenage employer: MBDA
Contact Detail:
MBDA Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Quality Improvement & Capability Manager in Stevenage
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, especially those already working at MBDA. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insider info that could make your application stand out.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions related to quality management and risk mitigation. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers and showcase your experience effectively.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your problem-solving skills! Be ready to discuss specific examples where you've used FMEA or DMAIC methodologies to tackle challenges. This will demonstrate your hands-on experience and fit for the role.
✨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 at MBDA.
We think you need these skills to ace Quality Improvement & Capability Manager in Stevenage
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 the role of Quality Improvement & Capability Manager, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant achievements!
Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills: Since this role is all about tackling sophisticated challenges, be sure to include examples of how you've used methodologies like FMEA and DMAIC in your previous roles. We love seeing candidates who can demonstrate their proactive approach to quality and risk management.
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 showing us your passion for quality and mentoring will definitely make you stand out. Don’t be afraid to share your story!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our careers page. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, it shows us you’re serious about joining our team at MBDA!
How to prepare for a job interview at MBDA
✨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 to tackle quality issues. Highlighting your experience with tools like DMAIC will demonstrate your proactive approach to risk management and continuous improvement.
✨Emphasise Your Mentoring Experience
Since this role involves coaching teams, be ready to share instances where you've successfully mentored others in quality principles. Discuss how you facilitated workshops or guided teams through DFMEA and PFMEA best practices to ensure a 'Quality First' culture.
✨Connect Design to Production
Be prepared to discuss how you've bridged the gap between design intent and manufacturing processes. Talk about your experience in transferring 'Special Characteristics' into practical Control Plans and how you've ensured operational readiness for production teams.