Quality Engineer

Gooch & Housego Torquay; Torquay; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday (plus bank holidays)

Salary Sacrifice Pension Scheme

Corporate Cash Plan

Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Gooch & Housego Torquay is seeking a Quality Engineer to strengthen processes, support customer confidence, and drive growth of our photonics portfolio. You will lead audits, monitor compliance, and contribute to continuous improvement in a fast-moving, high-tech environment.

The role focuses on supplier collaboration, data analysis, and problem-solving to reduce defects and improve quality across the product lifecycle. Excellent attention to detail and proactive mindset are essential.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree preferred (not essential).
• Internal or Lead Auditor qualification (AS9100 or ISO9001) preferred.
• Experience in AS9100, ISO 9001, or ISO13485 environments advantageous.
• Ideally experience in optical, photonics or high-tech manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Lead internal audits across business and manufacturing processes.
• Support customer and third-party audits with integrity.
• Oversee First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs).
• Monitor product compliance and process repeatability.

Skills

Auditing capability across suppliers,?

Root cause analysis

Data analysis

Quality mindset

Problem solving

Communication

Education

Engineering degree

Lead Auditor qualification (AS9100 or ISO9001)

Tools

FMEA

FTA

8D

A3 problem solving

Six Sigma

Job description

Description

ABOUT US

Join a Global Photonics Leader Engineering Solutions from the Deep Ocean to Outer Space!

G&H (Gooch & Housego) Torquay is part of a world-renowned photonics group with over 30 years of high-tech manufacturing heritage in the region. Our Torquay facility designs and manufactures advanced fibre-optic components, modules and sub-systems used in telecommunications, sensing, biomedical imaging, defence, aerospace, industrial systems and more. Our products are trusted in some of the most demanding environments on Earth, and beyond, including undersea networks, space missions, and even the International Space Station.

We are also proud recipients of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation for our flagship FibreQ technology, used globally in advanced laser systems for metrology and materials processing.

As part of the EPIC (Electronics & Photonics Innovation Centre) community, you’ll work within a thriving hi-tech cluster, surrounded by cutting-edge R&D capability, a strong local supply chain, and a collaborative network of engineering and photonics specialists in Torbay.

This is your opportunity to help shape the next chapter of quality excellence in a business where precision, innovation and reliability are core to everything we do.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Following the successful delivery of a mature AS9100 Management System, we are now accelerating our shift toward proactive, embedded quality across the business. As a Quality Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in strengthening our processes, supporting customer confidence, and enabling the continued growth of our advanced photonics product portfolio.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a technical, fast-moving environment and wants to influence quality at every stage; from supplier performance to customer satisfaction.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

Quality Assurance & Compliance

• Lead internal audits across business and manufacturing processes to identify risks and drive mitigation
• Support customer and third-party audits, ensuring we maintain our reputation for world-class quality
• Oversee and conduct First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs)
• Monitor product compliance and process repeatability to ensure consistent delivery of high-quality photonic components

Data-Driven Improvement

• Analyse key quality metrics (Product Returns, Shipped Product Quality Level, CoPQ) to identify trends and improvement opportunities
• Apply structured problem-solving tools to eliminate root causes and prevent recurrence
• Provide regular reporting and insights to support strategic quality initiatives

Customer & Supplier Engagement

• Act as a customer-facing quality partner, ensuring issues are managed professionally from initiation to closure
• Work closely with Supplier Quality Engineering and Supply Chain teams to resolve supplier-related issues and strengthen incoming quality
• Provide quality input into contract reviews, engineering changes and documentation updates

Continuous Improvement & Leadership

• Support multi-functional continuous improvement projects across the business
• Coordinate concessions/permits and drive initiatives to reduce their frequency
• Chair MRB meetings and mentor colleagues in quality best practice

HOW YOUR SUCESS WILL BE MEASURED

• Reduction in customer returns
• Reduction in supplier-related issues
• Adherence to internal audit schedules

WHAT YOU BRING

Qualifications

• Engineering degree preferred (not essential)
• Internal or Lead Auditor qualification (AS9100 or ISO9001) preferred

Skills & Experience

• Strong auditing capability across suppliers, processes and business systems
• Solid understanding of root cause analysis and preventive action
• Understanding of data analysis and statistics, with practical application preferred
• Possess a strong background in engineering or quality assurance, exceptional attention to detail, and a proactive mindset.
• Sound knowledge of quality management systems and tools, including
• Proficient in using quality analysis and improvement tools such as FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), FTA (Fault Tree Analysis), 8D or A3 problem solving techniques
• Working level demonstration of problem-solving techniques is essential, techniques include the use of Six Sigma
• Proven experience delivering Continuous Improvement projects
• Experience in AS9100, ISO 9001, or ISO13485 environments
• Ideally, experience in optical, photonics or high-tech manufacturing
• Experience participating in MRB processes

Personal Attributes

• Self-driven and able to set your own priorities
• Customer-focused mindset with a sense of urgency
• Emotionally intelligent with a constructive, challenging mindset
• Detail-oriented with strong analytical skills
• Excellent communicator, influencer and facilitator

WHY JOIN US AT G&H TORQUAY?

• Be part of a global photonics leader whose components are used everywhere from the ocean floor to space missions .
• Work in a thriving hi-tech cluster at the EPIC Centre, surrounded by cutting-edge labs, R&D capability and a collaborative engineering community .
• Contribute to award-winning innovation, including technologies recognised with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise .
• Shape the future of quality in a business where precision, reliability and continuous improvement are core values.
• Join a culture built on Customer Focus, Integrity, Action, Unity and Precision.

G&H Benefits Include:

• 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays) - rising up to 30 days annual leave (phased with long service)
• Corporate Cash Plan
• Salary Sacrifice Pension Scheme
• Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme

Notes: This job description is not intended to be exhaustive in every respect, but rather to clearly define the fundamental purpose, responsibilities and dimensions for the role. Therefore, this job description does not describe any individual role holder. In addition to the contents of this job description, employees are expected to undertake all other reasonable and related tasks allocated by their line manager.

The Company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunity or practices on the grounds of gender, race, religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by national laws under which the Company operates.

Potential candidates should be aware that many of the employment roles at Gooch & Housego are subject to government security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities that you may have previously held and your place of birth, could restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation.

All UK applicants must, as a minimum, be able to successfully complete security vetting to the UK government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard, which includes a criminal record check being performed. Many roles may also require higher levels of security vetting to be completed, where applicants must typically have been continuously resident within the UK for the past five to ten years.