Contract Quality Engineer - DO254/ DO178

GTS Group Ltd; Reading; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

GTS Group Ltd is seeking a Contract Quality Engineer to own quality across the product lifecycle in avionics and defence electronics. You will audit DO-178C/DO-254 compliance, uphold AS9100/ISO 9001 standards, and lead investigations and CAPA closures.

The role reports into site quality leadership and requires strong audit, NPI collaboration, and data-driven reporting to drive quality across design, development, manufacture, MRO and field support.

Qualifications

• Hands-on DO-178C and DO-254 experience required.
• Strong knowledge of AS9100 and ISO 9001.
• Proven root-cause and corrective-action track record.
• Lead auditor experience is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Auditing hardware, firmware, software and system development against DO-178C/DO-254 and documenting compliance.
• Maintain EASA Part 145 compliance across maintenance, repair and overhaul.
• Conduct internal audits, surveillance and inspections.
• Lead root-cause investigations and close CAPA actions.
• Manage supplier quality audits and incoming material standards.
• Collaborate with engineering on NPI and existing product quality controls.
• Report quality metrics to senior management.

Skills

DO-178C DO-254 experience

Quality Assurance

Root-Cause Analysis

CAPA

AS9100 / ISO 9001

Tools

Lean Six Sigma

Job description

Contract Quality Engineer | Avionics & Defence Electronics | DO-178C / DO-254

Somewhere at 30,000 feet, or out in a contested environment, a piece of electronics has to work the first time and every time after that. The people who make sure of that rarely get the credit. This role is one of them.

My client is an aerospace and defence technology business whose hardware and software sit at the heart of airborne and defence platforms, where failure isn't an option. They're now hiring a Contract Quality Engineer to join their quality function and report into the site's quality leadership.

What you'll own

Quality across the whole product lifecycle: design, development, manufacture, MRO and field support. In practice that means:

• Auditing hardware, firmware, software and system development activity against DO-178C and DO-254, and documenting compliance against customer requirements


• Keeping EASA Part 145 compliance watertight across maintenance, repair and overhaul, including ownership of the MOE and its procedures


• Running internal audits, surveillance and inspections


• Leading root-cause investigations into escapes and non-conformances (5-Why, Fishbone, FMEA, 8D) and closing them out properly with CAPA


• Supplier quality: audits, performance monitoring and incoming material standards


• Working alongside engineering on NPI and existing product quality controls


• Reporting quality metrics to senior management

You’ll also be the site's quality champion. The local team will look to you to set the standard.

What you’ll bring

• 5+ years as a Quality Engineer in aerospace, defence or a similarly regulated sector, ideally on safety-critical electronics


• Hands‑on DO‑178C and DO‑254 experience. This is the non‑negotiable


• Strong working knowledge of AS9100 and ISO 9001, plus familiarity with military standards


• Proven root‑cause and corrective‑action track record


• AS9100 / A&D QMS Lead Auditor and Lean Six Sigma are a real advantage

Why this one?

DO-178C/DO-254 audit work is usually split between consultancies and large primes. Here you'll do it in a business where you can see the whole picture, from the design review to the unit coming back from the field. Your sign‑off will carry weight, the products serve programmes you'd be proud to talk about, and you'll be the person shaping how quality works on site, not just following a process someone else wrote.

If you've audited to DO-178C or DO-254 and want a role where your judgement shapes the outcome, I'd like to hear from you.

This role is OUTSIDE IR35 and for an initial 6 month period.

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