Quality Improvement Engineer

Ref: 118

Job title: Quality Improvement Engineer

Salary: £38,000 – £42,000

Location: Leeds

The Role:
We are looking for an experienced Quality Improvement Engineer to drive operational excellence within a precision manufacturing environment. This hands-on role will focus on improving product quality, process capability and regulatory compliance, while working closely with shop floor teams to reduce defects, strengthen manufacturing processes and support the delivery of consistently high-quality products to customers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Maintain a strong shop floor presence, overseeing machining processes to ensure product quality is effectively controlled at source.
• Lead and support root cause investigations using structured problem-solving methodologies including 8D, DMAIC and 5 Whys.
• Drive continuous improvement activities to reduce defects, scrap and rework.
• Analyse manufacturing data to identify trends, variation and opportunities for improvement.
• Apply statistical techniques, including SPC, Cp/Cpk and MSA, to improve process capability and control.
• Support and develop process validation activities, including IQ, OQ and PQ, where required.
• Ensure compliance with ISO 13485 and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Support internal, external, customer and regulatory audit activities.
• Work cross-functionally with Production, Engineering and Quality teams to implement sustainable improvements.
• Develop and improve standard operating procedures (SOPs) and quality documentation.
• Contribute to the ongoing development and strengthening of the Quality Management System (QMS).
• Deliver quality awareness sessions and training to improve understanding and promote a strong quality culture.
• Support the resolution of customer quality issues and contribute to improved customer satisfaction and OTIF performance.

The Successful Candidate:

• A minimum of 7 years’ experience within a Quality or Manufacturing Engineering role.
• Strong problem-solving capabilities with a structured, analytical and data-driven approach.
• Proven experience in data analysis and statistical methods, including SPC and Minitab or equivalent software.
• Strong understanding and practical application of ISO 13485.
• Experience within the medical device industry would be highly desirable.
• Strong regulatory awareness and understanding of compliance requirements.
• The ability to lead, influence and work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience within CNC machining or precision manufacturing would be advantageous.
• Knowledge of validation processes and equipment qualification would be beneficial.
• CMM experience and familiarity with geometric and variable measurement techniques would be advantageous.
• Experience within aerospace or another highly regulated manufacturing industry would also be beneficial.
• Proactive, results-driven and detail-oriented, with a strong focus on quality and compliance.
• Comfortable working in a hands-on, shop floor environment.
• Able to work effectively within a fast-paced and evolving manufacturing environment.
• A strong team player with the confidence to challenge and influence constructively.