Director Quality Engineering

GKN Aerospace; Bristol; On-site; USD 151,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace manufacturer in Bristol seeks an experienced Quality Director to lead quality strategy and ensure compliance with aerospace standards. You will drive a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence within the organization. The ideal candidate has over 10 years in quality manufacturing and extensive knowledge of aerospace quality standards. This position offers competitive compensation and the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology.

Benefits

Competitive salary and benefits package

Professional development and growth opportunities

Collaborative and inclusive work environment

Qualifications

• 10 years of quality manufacturing experience.
• 10 years of management or supervisory experience.
• Experience with aerospace or aircraft parts manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Lead quality strategy and ensure compliance with aerospace standards.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Oversee internal and external audit programs and corrective actions.

Skills

Excellent communications skills

Leadership

Structured problem solving tools

Knowledge of aerospace quality standards

Education

Bachelor degree in Quality, Mechanical, Chemical, or Systems Engineering

Tools

Excel

Power BI

Mini tab

Job description

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Fantastic challenges. Amazing opportunities.

At GKN Aerospace, we are pioneers in aerospace and defense manufacturing, dedicated to innovation, precision, and excellence. Our cutting-edge technology and commitment to quality have positioned as the worldwide leader in military aircraft canopies and commercial aircraft passenger cabin windows. Join us in shaping the future of aerospace and defense!

Job Summary

The Quality Director is responsible for leading the quality strategy and execution across the site, ensuring compliance with aerospace standards, customer requirements, and internal quality objectives. This role drives a culture of continuous improvement, zero defects, and operational excellence, while fostering collaboration across engineering, operations, and supply chain teams. The Quality Director reports directly to the Site Director. We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Quality Director to join our team at GKN Aerospace, a growing aerospace and defense manufacturing company in Garden Grove, CA. The ideal candidate will ensure compliance with industry standards, customer requirements, and regulatory guidelines while driving continuous improvement across all quality processes. This exciting opportunity is directly in support of a major, multi-year expansion and industrialization project providing the candidate with the unique opportunity to build, implement and subsequently sustain critical quality management programs and protocols.

Job Responsibilities

• Build and lead a highly engaged quality department team; ensuring the team has what they need to be successful; and keep them safe in order to deliver the highest quality aerospace transparencies on time to our customers.
• Create and sustain a culture aligned with our "Great Place to Work" values by role-modeling behaviors, motivating, and recognizing team contributions.
• Execute Daily Management and Standardized Work through Leader Standard Work.
• Be open and honest in performance appraisals, supporting and coaching individuals to close performance gaps.
• Lead the development and deployment of the site quality strategy aligned with GKN Aerospace’s global quality vision.
• Ensure compliance with AS9100, ISO9001, customer-specific requirements, and regulatory standards.
• Drive Zero Defect initiatives and embed a quality-first mindset across all functions.
• Oversee internal and external audit programs, corrective actions, and quality system improvements.
• Partner with engineering and operations to ensure robust product and process quality planning (APQP, PPAP, FMEA).
• Manage customer quality relationships, including issue resolution, performance reviews, and audits.
• Monitor and report on key quality metrics (e.g., DPPM, COPQ, NCRs, audit findings) and drive performance improvements.
• Investigate and resolve quality issues, including root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Quality, Mechanical, Chemical, and/or Systems Engineering or similar required
• 10 years of quality manufacturing experience
• 10 years of management, supervisory, or leadership professional experience
• Must be U.S. Person in compliance with U.S. ITAR regulations
• Excellent communications skills and ability to organize and implement multiple concurrent tasks.
• Aerospace or aircraft parts manufacturing industry experience
• Structured problem solving tools (PFMEA, DOE, 5-why, etc.).
• Deep knowledge of aerospace quality standards (AS9100, AS9145, ISO9001) and customer/regulatory requirements.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with digital quality systems and data-driven decision-making.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Aerospace or aircraft parts manufacturing industry experience in the Joint Strike Fighter program, OEM customers (e.g. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Bombardier, Airbus, etc.)
• Proficient with product analysis in a model based definition (CATIA V5, UGNX, etc.) environment.
• Internal audit training/experience and statistical analysis experience highly preferred.
• Advanced analytical skills with Excel, Mini tab, and Power BI is preferred.
• Zero Defect Manufacturing (ZDM) deployment experience is preferred.

Compensation Data

Compensation Range: $151,929.00 -$189,911.00

Why Join Us:

• Work with cutting-edge technology and innovative projects.
• Collaborative and inclusive work environment.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Professional development and growth opportunities.
• Be part of a company shaping the future of aerospace and defense.

A Great Place to work needs a Great Way of Working

Everyone is welcome to apply to GKN. We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging and by living our five powerful principles we’ve created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute. It’s a culture that won us ‘The Best Workplace Culture Award’. By embracing and celebrating what makes us unique we encourage everyone to bring their full self to work.

We’re also committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.

We arethe place where human dreams, plus humanendeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology.