Principal Quality Engineer

Leonardo; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time to Recharge

Pension scheme

Mental health support

Bonus scheme

Online courses (Coursera/LinkedIn)

Refer a friend

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Leonardo in Edinburgh is seeking a Principal Quality Engineer to drive quality ownership across projects. This hybrid role requires a minimum of 3 days onsite per week, working within Advanced Targeting to ensure products meet strict aerospace standards and regulatory requirements.

You will lead IPT quality activities, mentor junior staff, and collaborate across functions to sustain high reliability and delivery performance. This is a strategic quality role in the Aerospace/Defence sector.

Qualifications

• Working knowledge of aerospace and defence quality standards (AS9100, AS9145).
• Delivers Assurance advice and assistance within the Assurance community.
• Leadership of IPT requirements to meet time, cost and specification.
• Ownership on behalf of the IPT for Assurance matters with internal and customer stakeholders.
• Leadership on Risk and Opportunities within the IPT.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with contractual requirements and industry standards.
• Be integral member of the IPTs to support projects.
• Provide QA input for bids and proposals and maintain PAP.
• Deliver assurance activities per PAP and manage IPT risks.
• Close findings and manage non-conformances with IPT and external supply chain.
• Conduct project assessments and audits against approved plans.
• Mentor junior Assurance team members.
• Drive KPI targets and QL4 effectiveness.
• Support business planning with technical expertise.
• Provide guidance on compliance in specialist area.

Skills

Aerospace quality standards

Assurance advice

IPT leadership

IPT ownership

IPT risk leadership

RCCA

Quality leadership

Time management

Communication

Senior quality experience

Team leadership

Tools

RCCA

Fault Lifecycle Analysis

Process Mapping

Verification

First Article Inspection

Job description

Job Description:

At Leonardo in Edinburgh, we’re looking for individuals with strong technical capability, a commitment to excellence and the interpersonal skills required to drive collaboration and embed quality ownership across the organisation. Within Advanced Targeting, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring our products and processes consistently meet the highest standards of quality and reliability. You will work across multiple functions, supporting the full product lifecycle from concept and development to production and delivery.

This is a hybrid role, with a minimum of 3 days onsite expected per week.

If you are passionate about Quality this position offers an opportunity to work alongside an experienced team and actively shape your career within the Aerospace and Defence sector.

What you will do as a Principal Quality Engineer

• Assuring compliance with contractual requirements, company processes, and applicable regulatory and industry standards
• Be an integral member of the IPT(s) and contribute to the success and completion of all allocated projects
• Support with Assurance and Quality inputs, general guidance and support the business in any Bids and Proposals activity. This may include the compilation of Quality Management Plans , informal approval / review, and agile maintenance of a Project Assurance Plan (PAP) ensuring the agreement and continued support of the IPT lead
• Delivery of all assurance activities defined in the PAP ensuring they are maintained as relevant in line with the changing project demands Take leadership on the mitigation and realisation of the IPT risks and opportunities in collaboration with the appropriate IPT Peer Group.
• Agree risk based internal assessments with the IPT lead and deliver these to completion including managing to closure any findings
• Analyse and communicate information where required to support the escalation and communication of IPT well being and inform correct decision making.
• Deputise, as appropriate, for the Quality Manager
• Take leadership, on behalf of the IPT, on all instances of Non Conformance and Failure and ensure situations are managed collectively to a dependable closure with the IPT Peer Group. This will be both internally within the business and with the external supply chain
• Conducting project assessments and audits against approved plans and processes
• Support , mentor and informally manage more junior members of the Assurance Team
• Driving objectives to meet / exceed targets including LPS/KPI goals, QL4 effectiveness, supplier and customer timely RCCA.
• Contribute proactively to business planning and management through the application of technical expertise to support the delivery of current and future business needs.
• Provide advice and overview to the organisation in own specialist area in order to ensure compliance

What you’ll bring

• Working knowledge of aerospace and defence quality standards (e.g. AS9100, AS9145)
• Proactively delivers Assurance advice and assistance within the Assurance community.
• Contribution and leadership of the delivery of IPT requirements to agreed time, cost and specification
• Ownership on behalf of the IPT on Assurance matters in support of projects internally and with the customer.
• Leadership on Risk and Opportunities within the IPT
• Expert knowledge on tools such as Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA), Fault Lifecycle Analysis, Process Mapping, Verification, and First Article Inspection.
• Deputise for the Quality Manager
• Effective time management, prioritisation and escalation with proven experience of planning own time and that of others.
• Appropriate, relevant and timely communication and reporting.
• An understanding of cross functional/ commercial business processes and their own impact on the wider business.
• The confidence and ability to challenge/respond to challenges on professional or process issues
• Experience working in a Quality role within a regulated industry (Aerospace/Defence preferred) at a senior level.
• Supervisory experience where relevant. / Has the ability to lead a team on specific tasks.

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: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

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. Whether you’re looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• 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. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

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.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Primary Location:

GB - Edinburgh

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hybrid Working:

Hybrid