Quality Engineer in Hampshire, Portsmouth

Responsibilities include supporting the business in driving a quality assurance mindset, adopting a proactive approach to ensure all processes are engineered to deliver a level of quality that exceeds customer expectations. Constantly strive to eliminate the cost of poor quality.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop processes to ensure incoming materials meet required quality standards.
• Identify and raise quality issues, resolving them speedily to ensure zero impact to the customer.
• Support new product introductions to ensure the robustness of product builds.
• Work in a team environment to develop and implement best practices that emphasise defect prevention, reduction in variation and waste, and provide for continuous improvements in meeting all customer requirements.
• Review and manage customer specific requirements in specifications, CAD data and drawings, ensuring they are correctly applied and integrated into manufacturing processes via core tools such as PFMEA and Control Plans.
• Co-ordinate measurement activity for customer submissions such as ISIR, Capability Studies and MSA.
• Support pre-production trials to validate a production process with a high quality output.
• Be customer facing on quality issues, measurement reports and concessions.
• Accountable to the Head of Operations and Program Management functions for ensuring new programmes are introduced to the required standard (PPAP) within defined project timings.
• Support the Head of Operations to ensure the effective quality performance of the team.
• Identify, define and implement opportunities for process and resource improvements.
• Ensure problem solving tasks are completed to IATF & AS requirements, ensuring efficient and robust closure and employing Unipart Way problem solving methodologies.
• Support project and DFM reviews with achievable feasibility and quality directives.
• Supply comprehensive production support for quality issues impacting the ability to manufacture and supply goods.
• Ensure Process and Product audits are being completed and acted upon in line with the annual audit plan.
• Any other task as agreed by your manager/supervisor.

Experience, Skills & Qualifications:

• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in quality engineering within the automotive or manufacturing sector.
• Hands-on experience with quality tools (e.g., PPAP, APQP, FMEA, SPC, MSA).
• Familiarity with IATF 16949 and ISO 9001 quality standards; AS9100 experience also fine.
• Proven track record in managing supplier quality issues and customer complaints (e.g., 8D, 5 Whys, Ishikawa diagrams).
• Experience with auditing (internal and external), root cause analysis, and corrective/preventive action processes.
• Proficient in using quality management systems (QMS), ERP systems, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings (GD&T knowledge preferred).
• Competency in statistical analysis and use of statistical software (e.g., Minitab, JMP).
• Understanding of metrology and hands-on experience with measurement tools (CMM, calipers, micrometers, etc.).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Detail-oriented with a high level of accuracy.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to interact with teams, suppliers, and customers.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and capable of working independently and in a team environment.
• Resilient and adaptable in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.