Principal Quality Engineer

BAE Systems; Barrow-in-Furness; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense company in Barrow-In-Furness is seeking a Principal Quality Engineer to lead and support major quality improvement projects. Key responsibilities include developing innovative solutions, working with teams to enhance quality, and using industry-recognized tools like Six Sigma. The ideal candidate will have a degree in Engineering or Manufacturing and proven problem-solving skills. This role provides opportunities for career growth and is on-site. Competitive salary from £40,748 depending on skills and experience.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Flexible health and wellbeing benefits

Private health plans

Shopping discounts

Annual incentive eligibility

Qualifications

• Experience with validated results in quality improvements.
• Degree or equivalent in Engineering or Manufacturing.
• Ability to handle problem resolution in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support quality improvement projects.
• Develop innovative solutions for quality issues.
• Work with teams to deliver quality improvements.

Skills

Proven problem identification and resolution skills

Experience in driving improvements to completion

Knowledge of quality tools including FMEA

Experience in fast-paced environments

Education

Degree within Engineering or Manufacturing field

Tools

Six Sigma

Root Cause Analysis

8D

Job description

Job Title: Principal Quality Engineer

Location: Barrow-In-Furness (on site)

Salary: From £40,748 – depending on skills and experience

What you’ll be doing

• Leading and supporting major quality improvement projects
• Developing new and innovative solutions to long-standing issues
• Working directly with manufacture and build teams to deliver quality improvement
• Using industry recognised toolsets such as Six Sigma (training provided)
• Leading root-cause analysis sessions with cross-functional teams
• Key interface with customer and partners, building customer assurance

Your skills and experiences

• Experience in driving improvements to completion with validated results
• Proven problem identification and resolution skills in fast-paced environment
• Knowledge of quality tools including FMEA, Root Cause Analysis, Six Sigma, 8D (investigations)
• Degree within Engineering or Manufacturing field or equivalent experience

Benefits

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts - you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Quality Engineering team:

This role will introduce a fresh approach to Quality, embedding best practices and advanced tools to engineer quality at the core of our programmes.

Driving performance through learning and process improvement - critical to to product safety and operation. You'll have access to training in key quality engineering techniques and opportunities for career growth, including leadership development.

We offer relocation support packages across all Submarines roles, subject to meeting eligibility criteria.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date: 5th January 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

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