Role - Lead Quality Specialist (Inside IR35)
Location - Rugby
Candidates either already need SC clearance or need to be able to obtain it
Lead Production Quality
- Provide day-to-day leadership of the Production Quality organisation
- Lead and develop Quality Engineers, Production Inspectors and Receiving Inspection teams
- Establish a high-performance culture built around accountability, coaching and continuous improvement
- Build capability through objectives, development planning and performance management
Drive Manufacturing Quality
- Lead and develop Quality Engineers, Production Inspectors and Receiving Inspection teams
- Develop and optimise inspection strategies based on product risk
- Support production flow by balancing quality assurance with operational efficiency
Own Operational Governance
- Lead daily production quality governance
- Lead Quality Hold governance and escalation
- Drive Layered Process Audit deployment
- Develop standard work and visual management across production
Purpose
Leads all production quality activities across manufacturing, ensuring product conformity, inspection effectiveness, governance, customer confidence and operational quality performance
Production Quality
- Daily quality governance
- Quality resource planning
- Customer quality interface
Leadership
- QE Inspection team
- Receiving Inspection team
- Quality Engineer team
- Daily Quality meetings
- Weekly Quality Review
- Monthly RMR Quality Dashboard
RMR Customers
- Digital Quality reporting systems
- AI innovation
Governance
- Quality Hold process
- Quality Suite & SAP
- Technical pack adherence
- Escalations
- Quality maturity framework
- Quality documentation control
KPI Ownership
- Customer Escapes
- Quality Holds
Expected outcome: visible ownership across customer escapes, internal NCRs, COPQ, inspection delivery, holds, audits, calibration and document control.
Production Quality Manager : Performance and Capability
Operational performance, compliance, experience and career proposition
Delivery Operational Performance
- Customer Escapes
- Internal Escapes
- Quality Holds
- Drive Lean Quality initiatives
- Eliminate recurring defects through structured Root Cause Analysis
- Improve process capability and manufacturing robustness
- Introduce digital quality tools and performance reporting
- Reduce waste and non-value-added inspection activity
Compliance & Quality Systems
- Maintain compliance with the QMS
- Ensure manufacturing processes comply with internal standards and regulatory requirements
- Drive corrective and preventive action implementation
Build Quality into Manufacturing
- Partner with Operations to embed quality at source
- Support Engineering during NPI and manufacturing changes
- Improve defect prevention through robust process controls
- Keep inspection risk-based and value focused
What you'll bring
- Engineering, Manufacturing or Quality degree / equivalent experience
- Manufacturing quality leadership.
- UK security clearance.
- Full UK Passport holder.
- ISO 9001, RCA, CAPA, Lean and KPI management
- Stakeholder management and problem solving
Lead Quality Engineer in Rugby employer: NES Fircroft
Joining NES Fircroft as a Contracts Specialist offers you the chance to work with a leading Oil & Gas operator in Norwich, where a supportive and collaborative work culture thrives. The company prioritises employee growth through continuous learning opportunities and fosters a professional environment that values integrity and teamwork. With a focus on maximising supplier relationships and a commitment to excellence, this role provides a meaningful career path in a dynamic industry.
