Quality Manager - Manufacturing

QUALITY MANAGER

COMPANY DESCRIPTION, PROFILE AND SCOPE OF ROLE

Our client is a premier UK manufacturer and market leader with over 70 years of heritage in precision engineering and high-specification component production. Part of a major global industrial group, their Sunderland facility combines a value-driven culture with significant investment in technology to serve world-class OEMs.

Due to continued growth and a strategic restructure, they are seeking an experienced Quality Manager to serve as the quality lead for their Sunderland site. This role offers a unique opportunity to join a high-performing team, applying the principles of TQM and continuous improvement to drive site performance and safeguard customer standards. Reporting to the Operations Director with a functional line to the UK Quality Director, you will manage the site-specific quality assurance function, lead daily cross-functional alignment, and act as a key partner to the site management team.

The ideal candidate will possess robust quality management experience gained within a manufacturing or engineering environment, combined with strong leadership capabilities and a proven track record of managing customer and supplier quality relationships.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead daily morning alignment meetings with Production, Health & Safety, Maintenance, Purchasing, and Planning to drive continuous improvement.
• Directly supervise, mentor, and conduct annual assessments for a small site quality team consisting of a Quality Engineer, Quality Technician, and Metrology Technician.
• Ensure only products conforming to specifications are manufactured; hold full authority to stop production and/or shipments if a customer risk is identified.
• Analyse customer warranty claims and returned products, implementing robust containment and permanent corrective actions (PCA) / resolutions, using the 8D model.
• Partner with project leaders to contribute to quality implementation during the production launch phase (NPI) and guarantee standards during manufacturing start-up.
• Monitor plant performance by gathering qualitative data, preparing KPIs, and generating comprehensive monthly quality reports.
• Financial & Process Optimization: Partner with purchasing to manage the supplier quality portal and develop targeted changes that actively reduce the Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ).

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

• Minimum of an HND in an Engineering or Manufacturing discipline (or equivalent).
• Proven experience in a Manufacturing or Engineering environment (Automotive or high-specification non-automotive).
• Must possess management, leadership, or supervisory experience with the ability to support cultural change and encourage proactive problem-solving.
• A strong working knowledge and understanding of quality requirements for an ISO 9001 certified organization (a certified Quality Auditing training certificate is highly desirable).
• Proficient in the application of Quality Core Tools and advanced problem-solving frameworks.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office, analytical with data, a confident communicator able to host customer visits, and comfortable working in a fast-paced plant environment.