Principal Quality Assurance Engineer

Hackajob Ltd; Croydon; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Mental health support

Flexible benefits allowance

Hybrid working

Job summary

Leonardo in the UK is seeking a Principal Quality Engineer for the Customer Support & Service Solutions team at our Luton site. This hybrid role requires occasional travel and offers the chance to lead quality initiatives across programmes.

You will interact with customers and suppliers, drive continuous improvement, and ensure products meet safety and quality standards on time.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of AS9100 and ISO9001 quality management standards.
• Experience applying QA/QC in high-precision manufacturing.
• Ability to interact with customers and suppliers to meet requirements.

Responsibilities

• Act as primary point of contact for quality-related matters with customers and stakeholders.
• Provide advice and support on Quality Assurance and Quality Control activities.
• Ensure products meet safety, cost, and quality standards on time.
• Collaborate with Assurance Teams to meet programme objectives.
• Monitor KPIs like Quality Notifications, MRB, FRB, and drive improvements.

Skills

Quality management standards AS9100/IS

Analytical thinking

Customer & supplier engagement

High-precision manufacturing exposure

Education

Engineering/Quality/Manufacturing/Defence Electronics

Tools

Root Cause Corrective Action

Pattern Fault Lifecycle

Process Mapping

Verification

First Article Inspection

Job description

hackajob is partnering directly with Leonardo to hire for this role. Job Description: Your impact At Leonardo we are offering an exciting opportunity to join us as a Principal Quality Engineer within our Customer Support & Service Solutions team at our Luton site. This dynamic role offers daily variety, empowering you to independently manage your schedule and deliver critical Quality support across both existing and new projects. As part of our small, supportive team, you will collaborate daily to build and advance our quality initiatives to the various functions within each programme. This is a hybrid role. We ideally need you onsite 2 days a week, with the flexibility to come in more often when business needs require it. The role requires occasional travel to support our programmes, so we are looking for candidates who can travel with reasonable notice. We are looking for a dedicated professional who wants to build a long-term foundation with our team and grow alongside our unit.

What you will do as Principal Quality Engineer

• Act as the dynamic primary point of contact for quality-related matters with customers and key stakeholders, ensuring their requirements and expectations are fully understood and exceeded.
• Provide advice and support on Quality Assurance and Quality Control activities.
• Contribute to delivering products that meet safety, cost, and quality standards on time.
• Collaborate with Assurance Teams to help meet Programme and IPT objectives.
• Monitor and support quality key performance indicators (KPIs) such as Quality Notifications, Cost of Poor Quality Conduct Material Review Boards (MRB), and Failure Review Boards (FRB) if required.
• Support improvement activities across the Programme, Product, and Project lifecycle.
• Promote a culture of quality and continuous improvement within the team.
• Support project assurance milestones throughout the Programme and Project lifecycle.
• Prepare reports and data for the Programme and Project teams.
• Contribute to reducing non-conformance costs by conducting root cause analysis and corrective actions.

What you’ll bring

• Demonstrated knowledge of quality management standards such as AS9100 and ISO9001, along with continuous improvement practices.
• Practical experience with Quality Tools including Root Cause Corrective Action, Pattern Fault Lifecycle, Process Mapping, Verification, and First Article Inspection.
• Strong analytical and logical thinking skills, with the ability to translate complex data into practical solutions that support business objectives.
• Experience engaging with Customers and Suppliers, demonstrating professionalism and responsiveness.
• Previous experience working in a high-precision manufacturing environment or similarly detail-oriented settings.
• Further education or experience in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Defence Electronics, or other similarly complex industries is preferred.
• This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government's Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: join us

Benefits

• At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work-life balance.
• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance : All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning : Free access to 4,000 online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks : Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options.

Salary

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Location & Contract

Primary Location: GB - Luton - Cap. Green 300 Contract Type: Permanent Hybrid Working: Hybrid