Principal Quality Manager – Supplier Quality

BAE Systems; England; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the aerospace sector is seeking a Principal Quality Manager to lead their Supplier Quality team. This role involves ensuring compliance with quality standards, fostering relationships across supply chains, and driving continuous improvement initiatives. The successful candidate will have substantial experience in quality assurance within regulated industries and will work collaboratively to support the company's quality strategy.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Flexible health and lifestyle benefits

Green car scheme

Private health plans

Shopping discounts

Annual incentive eligibility

Qualifications

• Minimum experience in Quality Assurance within complex supply chains.
• Knowledge of quality planning tools like APQP required.
• Experience in leading quality improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Quality team and align with business goals.
• Maintain compliance with internal and customer quality standards.
• Work closely with suppliers to ensure consistent quality.

Skills

Quality Assurance

Change Management

Stakeholder Engagement

Root Cause Analysis

Continuous Improvement

Risk Management

Education

Six Sigma Black Belt Certification

Experience in aerospace or automotive industries

Tools

APQP

Job description

Job Title: Principal Quality Manager – Supplier Quality

Location: Barrow-in-Furness. We offer a range of hybrid and flexible working arrangements – please speak to your recruiter about the options for this particular role.

Salary: Circa £80,000 plus car allowance and bonus, depending on skills and experience

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead the Quality team with clear direction, aligning efforts with business goals and supporting the growth of team members into future leadership roles
• Maintain compliance with internal and customer quality standards through strong governance, clear process ownership, and effective certification management
• Encourage a practical, proactive approach to quality, helping teams follow the right processes, carry out solid analysis, and manage risks early
• Work closely with suppliers and stakeholders to build reliable relationships and ensure consistent quality across the supply chain
• Oversee major investigations and drive improvement efforts, using real-world insights and lessons learned to strengthen performance across the business
• Represent the Quality function in key meetings and reviews, acting as a senior point of contact and helping shape the wider business approach to quality
  
  

Your Skills And Experiences

• Experience in Quality Assurance within complex supply chains, ideally in aerospace, automotive, or similarly regulated industries
• Working knowledge of APQP and quality planning tools, with practical experience applying them across projects and processes
• Experience supporting change and continuous improvement initiatives; Six Sigma Black Belt certification is welcomed
• Able to interpret technical specifications, procedures, and contracts, and share key information clearly with relevant stakeholders
• Competent in leading root cause investigations, resolving issues collaboratively and focusing on long-term solutions
• Skilled in engaging stakeholders and managing quality-related risks, using KPIs to support informed decision-making at a strategic level
  
  

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 Team

This is a high-impact team at the core of the Business Unit’s Quality strategy. Working in a role that offers visibility and influence, team members help shape the overall quality culture and direction of the organisation. Collaboration is central to the team’s success working closely with customers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders across multiple sites to align expectations, share best practices, and embed a consistent, unified approach to Quality across sectors. 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: 24th July 2025

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.