Quality Engineer

Proactive Global; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Proactive Global is seeking a hands-on Quality Engineer to join a major Heathrow airport automation project. The role focuses on technical quality for complex mechanical and electrical installations, ensuring readiness for commissioning and handover.

You will drive installation quality, identify defects, support corrective actions, and maintain audit-ready documentation, with the authority to challenge non-compliant activities on site.

Qualifications

• NVQ or City & Guilds Level 3 in Electrical, Mechanical, or related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years experience within a live operational environment.
• Experience in installation, commissioning, quality assurance, or QA/QC activities.
• Strong understanding of mechanical and electrical systems.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, schematics, and design documentation.
• Experience conducting inspections, audits, and quality checks.
• Hands-on experience with snagging, defect management, and issue resolution.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proactive, detail-oriented, and able to work independently on site.

Responsibilities

• Ensure mechanical and electrical installations comply with drawings, specifications, and quality standards.
• Conduct inspections, visual audits, and installation quality checks.
• Verify installation workmanship and identify defects, snags, and non-conformities.
• Lead defect resolution activities and support root cause investigations.
• Review and maintain quality records, installation documentation, and as-built records.
• Support pre-commissioning activities and verify system readiness for commissioning.
• Audit inspection reports, test records, and quality documentation.
• Participate in final walkthroughs and handover processes.
• Ensure installations remain audit-ready throughout the project lifecycle.
• Collaborate with project teams, installation contractors, engineering teams, and stakeholders.
• Promote a culture of quality excellence and continuous improvement.
• Report and escalate non-compliant installation activities when necessary.

Skills

On-site QA

Inspection & QA checks

Reading drawings

Root-cause investigations

Stakeholder management

Independent on-site work

Education

NVQ/City & Guilds L3 in Electrical/Mechanical

Job description

Quality Engineer

Location: Heathrow Airport, London

Contract Type: Permanent

The Opportunity

We are seeking a hands-on Quality Engineer to join a major airport automation project at Heathrow. This is not a manufacturing quality role. Instead, you will act as the technical quality gatekeeper for complex mechanical and electrical installations, ensuring systems are installed correctly, documented accurately, and fully ready for commissioning and handover.

The successful candidate will be responsible for driving installation quality across site activities, identifying defects and non-conformities, supporting corrective actions, and ensuring all work is completed to the highest standards. You will have the authority to challenge or stop non-compliant work where necessary, making this a role with genuine ownership and influence on project delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure mechanical and electrical installations comply with approved drawings, specifications, and quality standards.
• Conduct technical inspections, visual audits, and installation quality checks.
• Verify installation workmanship and identify defects, snags, and non-conformities.
• Lead defect resolution activities and support root cause investigations.
• Review and maintain quality records, installation documentation, and as-built documentation.
• Support pre-commissioning activities and verify system readiness for commissioning.
• Audit inspection reports, test records, and quality documentation.
• Participate in final walkthroughs and handover processes.
• Ensure installations remain audit-ready throughout the project lifecycle.
• Work closely with project teams, installation contractors, engineering teams, and stakeholders.
• Promote a culture of quality excellence and continuous improvement.
• Challenge, report, and escalates non-compliant installation activities where necessary.

What We're Looking For

• Quality Engineer
• QA/QC Engineer
• Site Quality Engineer
• Electrical Engineer
• Mechanical Engineer
• Mechatronics Engineer
• Installation Engineer
• Commissioning Engineer
• Electrical Inspector
• Senior Engineer with installation quality responsibilities

Essential Requirements

• NVQ or City & Guilds Level 3 (or higher) in Electrical, Mechanical, or related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years experience within a live operational environment.
• Experience in installation, commissioning, quality assurance, or QA/QC activities.
• Strong understanding of mechanical and electrical systems.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, schematics, and design documentation.
• Experience conducting inspections, audits, and quality checks.
• Hands-on experience with snagging, defect management, and issue resolution.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proactive, detail-oriented, and able to work independently on site.

Desirable Requirements

• 18th Edition Wiring Regulations (BS 7671).
• City & Guilds 2391 Inspection & Testing.
• ISO 9001 Internal Auditor or Lead Auditor qualification.
• HNC/HND in Electrical, Mechanical, Electronic, or Mechatronic Engineering.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent continuous improvement certification.
• Experience within automation, materials handling, logistics, FMCG, manufacturing, or highly automated environments.
• Experience supporting training, coaching, or quality improvement initiatives.

Why Join?

This role offers the opportunity to play a critical part in delivering large-scale automation and baggage handling systems at Heathrow Airport. You'll combine your technical engineering expertise with quality assurance responsibilities, ensuring installations are completed correctly, safely, and ready for commissioning and customer handover. If you've come from an installation or commissioning background and are looking to move further into QA/QC and project quality, this represents an excellent next step in your career.

Proactive Global is committed to equality in the workplace and is an equal opportunity employer.

Proactive Global is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.