Design Quality Assurance Engineer

Safran; Pitstone; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Safran Electrical & Power in Pitstone is seeking a Design Quality Assurance Engineer on a 12-month FTC to ensure airworthiness and regulatory compliance across the product lifecycle.

You will drive APQP, DFMEA/PFMEA, audits, and continuous improvement with DOA/DOH oversight, collaborating with engineering, program management, and supply chain.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering or related field.
• Lead Auditor qualification or training is desirable.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification would be beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Ensure all design, design change, and continued airworthiness documentation complies with EASA/CAA Part 21J and customer requirements.
• Provide design assurance oversight in accordance with DOA and DOH requirements.
• Support design reviews from PDR/CDR to ensure quality, safety, reliability, and producibility.
• Review and validate technical documentation to confirm design intent and performance requirements.
• Drive defect prevention and support continuous improvement across engineering and production functions.
• Facilitate RCCA and FRACA investigations to prevent recurrence of quality issues.
• Support APQP activities throughout NPI programmes.
• Champion DFMEA and PFMEA deployment and maintenance.
• Compile, review, approve, and report on FAIR and PPAP submissions where required.
• Conduct and support internal and external audits, identifying opportunities for improvement and ensuring compliance.

Skills

APQP

FMEA

PPAP

Root Cause Analysis

AS9100

EASA / CAA Part 21J

Auditing

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, Engineering, Science, or related

Lead Auditor qualification or training

Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt (beneficial)

Job description

Design Quality Assurance Engineer FTC 12 Months Hybrid Pitstone Skills: APQP, FMEA, PPAP, Root Cause Analysis, AS9100, EASA / CAA Part 21J, Auditing Safran - Here, we craft excellence together. We are looking for passionate individuals to join our Operations team as a Design Quality Assurance Engineer at our Pitstone site. Safran Electrical & Power is one of the world's leaders in aircraft electrical systems. It is a key player in the equipment electrification & in the electric and hybrid propulsion sector. Mastering the on-board energy system, the company designs and provides modular, innovative and optimized architectures and solutions. Safran - Here, we craft excellence together. At Safran, excellence is a journey - and we'd love you to be a part of it. As a global leader in aerospace, defence, and space, we are proud to be a company where diversity, innovation, and opportunity come together to shape a sustainable future. We are looking for passionate individuals to join our Operations team as a Design Quality Assurance Engineer at our Pitstone site. The Design Quality Assurance Engineer will ensure engineering designs meet safety, regulatory, and customer requirements before production commences. Working within a highly regulated aerospace environment, you will focus on risk mitigation, airworthiness compliance, design assurance, and continuous improvement throughout the product development lifecycle. You will maintain design assurance oversight in accordance with EASA/CAA Part 21J airworthiness requirements and the Design Organisation Handbook (DOH), ensuring engineering processes, procedures, and technical documentation achieve the highest levels of compliance and quality. The role requires close collaboration with engineering, programme management, operations, configuration control, supply chain, supplier quality, and customer stakeholders to deliver robust, compliant designs that support both customer and regulatory requirements. Support internal and external audits, identifying opportunities for improvement and ensuring compliance with regulatory and quality standards. Provide guidance and coaching on quality assurance tools, methodologies, and best practices. Key escalation point for product quality matters within project teams. Support customer meetings, regular reviews relating to quality and compliance performance.

Responsibilities

• Ensure all design, design change, and continued airworthiness documentation complies with EASA/CAA Part 21J and customer requirements.
• Provide design assurance oversight in accordance with Design Organisation Approval (DOA) and Design Organisation Handbook (DOH) requirements.
• Support design reviews, including PDR and CDR activities, ensuring quality, safety, reliability, and producibility are integrated into designs from the outset.
• Review and validate technical documentation to confirm design intent and performance requirements are met.
• Drive defect prevention activities and support continuous improvement initiatives across engineering and production functions.
• Facilitate Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA) and Failure Reporting, Analysis & Corrective Action (FRACA) investigations to prevent recurrence of quality issues.
• Support Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) activities throughout New Product Introduction (NPI) programmes.
• Champion DFMEA and PFMEA deployment and maintenance during the development lifecycle.
• Compile, review, approve, and report on FAIR and PPAP submissions where required.
• Conduct and support internal and external audits, identifying opportunities for improvement and ensuring compliance with regulatory and quality standards.
• Provide guidance and coaching on quality assurance tools, methodologies, and best practices.
• Key escalation point for product quality matters within project teams.
• Support customer meetings, regular reviews relating to quality and compliance performance.

Here, we craft excellence together.

At Safran, we understand that diversity and inclusion make teams stronger and more effective, and as an organisation, we are committed to fair and equitable employment practices for everyone and are proudly a Disability Confident Employer. We also know that some candidates may be put off applying for jobs where they don't meet 100% of the criteria outlined in the advert, however, we encourage anybody to apply if you can demonstrate a variety of skills and experience relevant to the requirements of this role. We will consider all applicants who meet the minimum essential requirements regardless of their identity or background. Please let us know in your cover letter if you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to the application or hiring process that may better facilitate your participation. We will make every effort to respond to your request for assistance as soon as possible - including guaranteed interviews under the Disability Confident Scheme for those that qualify.

Get involved: We also have a number of groups and forums onsite that you can get involved with, including Women at Safran, STEM ambassadors, Employee Forum, Charity Partnerships and Wellbeing Programs. Our Wellbeing Program in Pitstone aims to place employee wellbeing at the heart of our business, and we integrate it within all that we do. The program is made up of four wellbeing committees; Healthy Minds, Physical, Social & Financial. Our enhanced family friendly policies re-enforce our commitment to providing a workplace that is both diverse and inclusive.

What You'll Bring

• 5 years' experience within the aerospace industry or a similarly regulated engineering environment.
• Experience in engineering, design and development, quality assurance, or quality engineering roles.
• Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI) programmes.
• Proven experience conducting internal and external audits.
• Experience working within quality management systems and regulated environments.
• Experience with configuration control and data management processes.
• Experience working directly with customers, suppliers, and cross-functional project teams.
• Experience supporting problem-solving and continuous improvement activities within engineering or manufacturing environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, Engineering, Science, or a related discipline.
• Lead Auditor qualification or training.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification would be beneficial.