Quality Engineer

Quality Engineer
Manchester
Full-Time, Permanent
Competitive Salary + Benefits
Industry: Precision Engineering, Aerospace, Defence & High-Spec Manufacturing
 
Certain Advantage is partnering with a well-established engineering business to recruit an experienced Quality Engineer to join an established precision engineering business.
 
We are seeking a Time-served Inspector or qualified Quality Engineer to join a fast-paced, high-precision engineering business in the Manchester area. In this role, you will be working across metallic component manufacturing (machining and sheet metal fabrication), you will be the key driver of quality assurance—taking ownership of APQP frameworks, First Article Inspection Reports (AS9102 FAIRs), PFMEAs, non-conformance management (MRB/NCRs), and formal concessions.
 
Key Responsibilities

• Drive quality assurance across new product introductions and serial manufacturing using APQP, PFMEAs, and process mapping.
• Compile, audit, and approve First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs & Delta FAIRs) to AS9102 and customer-specific standards.
• Lead root-cause analysis for internal and supplier non-conformances, chairing Material Review Board (MRB) meetings to drive corrective action.
• Author, process, and manage formal engineering concession requests with internal engineering teams and external customer quality delegates.
• Identify process bottlenecks, eliminate waste, and embed Lean practices to boost first-time pass rates.
• Uphold rigorous 5S standards and maintain a proactive safety-first culture across the plant floor.

 
What We Are Looking For

• Experience: Minimum 3 years’ experience as a Quality Engineer or Senior Inspector within a metallic manufacturing environment (machining, turning, or sheet metal fabrication).
• Time-served Inspector or qualified Quality Engineer with exceptional ability to read engineering drawings, GD&T, and material specifications.
• Hands-on experience compiling PFMEAs, APQP documentation, AS9102 FAIRs, NCRs/MRB, and concessions.
• A pragmatic, forward-thinking approach to defect reduction and root-cause resolution.
• Highly professional written and verbal communication skills for interfacing with internal engineering, production teams, and external auditors/customers.

 
Essential Requirements:
Due to the nature of the work, you must have the ability to obtain and maintain UK Security Clearance (SC) – must meet standard UK nationality/residency eligibility requirements for site access.