Inspection Lead in Derby

The Inspection Lead role within Performance & Improvement is accountable for Inspection skills, competency and compliance across the Rolls-Royce Submarines business. Reporting into the Manufacturing Engineering function via the Chief Metrologist, the role interfaces with multiple functions including Operations, Quality, Manufacturing Engineering and Manufacturing Services.

The Inspection Lead develops and deploys Inspector Training across the business to manage and improve competency of the Inspection population, whilst monitoring and improving compliance with key corporate and regulatory requirements. The role is accountable for ensuring the population of Inspector and Certified Operator stamp holders are compliant, through training, competency assessment and re-validations.

The Inspection Lead is the functional owner of key processes within the Rolls-Royce Management System and provides Technical Governance through review, assurance and formal audit. The role owns and develops the strategy for continuous improvement and long-term strategic improvements of the Inspection discipline. The role acts as a Subject Matter Expert for Inspection related questions and advice, both within Rolls-Royce and the External Supply Chain.

What you will be doing:

• Work with a wide range of stakeholders across the business to develop and deploy improvements to Inspection capability across Submarines and wider Rolls-Royce Group.
• Define strategy and implement improvements in Inspection capability, across people, process and tools.
• Develop skills and competence in Inspection, Metrology and Calibration, with opportunities for future progression.
• Provide governance and gain delegations for Metrology and Calibration activities.

Who we’re looking for:

At Rolls-Royce we put safety first, do the right thing, keep it simple and make a difference. These principles form the behaviours that guide us and are an essential component of our assessment process. They are the fundamental qualities that we seek for all roles.

To be successful in this role you will need to:

• Have a good working knowledge of Inspection processes used within the Submarines business or a similar manufacturing environment.
• Have experience in developing and deploying training material and capability assessments.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to interface with a wide range of stakeholders at all levels within the business.
• Experience as an Auditor or Lead Auditor is preferable, with knowledge of key Quality processes and tools.
• Practical experience of inspection methods and tools is advantageous.

To work for the Rolls-Royce Defence business an individual has to hold a Security Check clearance. Rolls-Royce will support the application for Security Clearance if you do not currently already have this in place. Due to the nature of work the business conducts and the protection of certain assets we can only progress applications from individuals who are a UK national or, in MoD approved cases, a dual national.

Our vision is to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that shaped our history continues into our future. Our multi-year transformation programme aims to turn Rolls-Royce into a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing company. Join us, and it can be your future vision too.

Rolls-Royce are committed to being a respectful, inclusive, and non-discriminatory workplace where individuality is valued, diverse perspectives fuel innovation, and everyone can thrive.

Grade: SNBG Grade 7-10

Closing date: 17/07/26

Any questions please contact Chris Jefferies

Job Category: Quality

Posting Date: 03 Jul 2026; 00:07

Posting End Date: 16 Jul 2026