Lead Quality Assurance Engineer

IF1874 GE Energy Power Conversion UK Limited; Rugby; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Performance-related bonus

Pension with 10% employer contribution

Private health insurance

Income protection & life assurance

26 days' annual leave

Job summary

GE Vernova’s Rugby operation seeks a Lead Quality Assurance Engineer to provide hands-on quality leadership on the shop floor. You will own NCR investigations, drive CAPA actions and champion PFMEA, Control Plans, and APQP for high-value, bespoke equipment.

In this role you will interface with Manufacturing, Engineering and Project Management to ensure ISO/AS9100 compliance, robust data analysis, and continuous improvement. A UK security clearance may be required.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in a complex, highly regulated manufacturing environment (aerospace/defence)
• Extensive NCR investigations with 8D, Ishikawa, and corrective action execution
• Experience with PFMEA, Control Plans, and APQP including PPAP
• Strong ability to interpret engineering drawings, tolerances, GD&T and technical specs
• Experience with SAP and digital Quality Management Systems (QMS)

Responsibilities

• Direct daily Quality Engineering and inspection activities, aligning resources with schedules and safety-critical requirements.
• Lead NCR investigations with empirical evidence and drive CAPA effectiveness.
• Manage continuous improvement using Lean/Six Sigma, PFMEA, and control plan maintenance.
• Ensure ISO/AS9100 compliance and readiness for internal, customer, and regulatory audits.
• Provide technical leadership across Manufacturing, Engineering and Project Management.

Skills

Technical leadership

NCR management

Root cause analysis

CAPA verification

PFMEA/Control Plans

GD&T interpretation

SAP experience

Digital QMS

Stakeholder management

Coaching teams

Data analysis (Excel/PowerPoint)

Tools

SAP

QMS software

Job description

Job Description Summary

GE Vernova's Rotating Machines Rugby operation builds some of the most technically demanding equipment in defence, aerospace, and industrial power. When a product leaves our facility, it must perform - and the integrity of that performance starts here, on the shop floor. This is a senior technical leadership position at the heart of a low-volume, high-complexity manufacturing environment where bespoke engineering and exacting safety-critical standards define everything we do. As Lead Quality Assurance Engineer, you will serve as the primary technical authority for manufacturing quality within the RMR Quality team. This is not a process-administration role, you will provide hands-on operational leadership on the shop floor, drive the transition from reactive issue management to proactive defect prevention, and hold firm accountability for the quality integrity of high-value, bespoke equipment. You will be the operational anchor for the Quality function - the person who determines when our processes are truly production-ready, and who sets the standard for technical rigour across Manufacturing, Engineering, and Project Management. If you are an experienced quality leader ready for genuine technical ownership in a mission-critical engineering environment, we want to hear from you.

Operational Quality Leadership

Direct daily Quality Engineering and inspection activities, aligning resource prioritisation with manufacturing schedules, customer commitments, and safety-critical compliance requirements.

Act as the primary operational authority for the Quality function, interfacing directly with Manufacturing, Engineering, and Project Management to resolve technical bottlenecks.

Lead daily operational reviews, monitor workload and technical risk, and ensure clear escalation of issues that threaten quality integrity.

Quality Engineering & Non-Conformance Management

Provide hands-on leadership for NCR management, ensuring all investigations, dispositions, and corrective actions are technically sound and fully supported by empirical evidence.

Lead high-stakes root cause investigations for complex product failures, driving permanent, systemic preventive actions rather than temporary containment measures.

Enforce strict accountability for CAPA effectiveness across all functional owners, eliminating repeat defects through process-based solutions.

Quality Performance & Continuous Improvement

Manage operational performance through advanced trend analysis (Pareto, defect rates, Cost of Poor Quality), translating data into targeted improvement initiatives.

Champion the development and maintenance of manufacturing Control Plans and PFMEAs, working with Engineering to improve process capability and reduce variability across complex production lines.

Facilitate structured improvement projects using Lean/Six Sigma methodologies to enhance quality systems, inspection efficiency, and digital process controls.

Quality Governance & Cross-Functional Alignment

Ensure full compliance with ISO/AS9100 standards and customer specifications, maintaining the integrity of all quality records, inspection evidence, and non-conformance documentation.

Lead operational preparation for internal, customer, and regulatory audits, ensuring follow-up actions are closed with technical rigour.

Maintain clear functional boundaries, ensuring the Quality team provides expert assurance and technical support without diluting the accountability of Manufacturing and Engineering.

What You Will Bring

• Essential Proven technical leadership in a complex, highly regulated manufacturing environment - aerospace, defence, power generation, or a comparable bespoke engineering sector
• Deep expertise in NCR management, structured root cause analysis (8D, Ishikawa), and CAPA effectiveness verification
• Practical experience applying PFMEA, Control Plans, and APQP including PPAP
• Strong technical literacy: ability to interpret complex engineering drawings, tolerances, GD&T, and detailed technical specifications
• Demonstrated experience using SAP and digital QMS systems for quality data management and reporting
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills - able to translate complex technical quality issues into clear, actionable language for both technical and non-technical audiences
• Proven ability to coach, develop and upskill quality and production teams, embedding a culture of continuous improvement and quality ownership at every level
• Strong MS PowerPoint and Excel skills for analysis, reporting and presenting quality performance data to senior stakeholders
• Sole British citizenship (UK passport holder) with the ability to obtain and maintain SC-level security clearance
• Desirable Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher, with a demonstrable track record of measurable process improvements
• Experience in high-complexity sectors such as rotating electrical machines or heavy engineering
• Experience leading customer-facing inspections, audits, and formal product documentation (e.g., AS9102 First Article Inspection)
• Familiarity with statistical process capability analysis (Cpk/Ppk) in manufacturing environments

What We Offer

At GE Vernova, we invest in your long-term success and wellbeing through a comprehensive and flexible benefits package. Our Total Reward package includes:

• Competitive base salary
• Performance-related bonus
• Flexible pension with 10% employer contribution
• Employer-funded private health insurance
• Income protection and life assurance
• 26 days' annual leave plus bank holidays

Through our Flex Choice programme, you can also access:

• Annual leave buying and selling
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Financial planning services
• Critical illness insurance and personal accident cover
• Dental cover and travel insurance
• The option to add family members to a private healthcare scheme

Why GE Vernova, Rugby?

GE Vernova delivers the critical electrification systems that power the world. Our Rugby operation sits at the centre of this mission - producing some of the most technically demanding equipment in defence, aerospace, and industrial power. This is an environment where engineering judgement is valued, technical authority is respected, and the work you do directly underpins systems that matter. You will not simply follow existing processes - you will define, challenge, and improve them.

Additional Information

Relocation Assistance Provided: No

Addressing the climate crisis is an urgent global priority and we take our responsibility seriously. That is our singular mission at GE Vernova: continuing to electrify the world while simultaneously working to help decarbonize it. If we want our energy future to be different ... we must be different. Our mission is embedded in our name. We retain our treasured legacy, GE, in our name as an enduring and hard-earned badge of quality and ingenuity. Ver / verde signal Earth's verdant and lush ecosystems. Nova, from the Latin novus, nods to a new, innovative era of lower carbon energy that GE Vernova will help deliver. Together, we have The Energy to Change the World. www.gevernova.com