Quality Manager

Solutions Driven; Preston; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Solutions Driven is seeking a Quality Manager in Preston to own the Quality Management System and lead the ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. You will be the go-to for UKAS, ensuring daily compliance, driving a culture of quality across laboratories and site teams.

The role requires hands-on 17025 experience and a track record of managing UKAS assessments, with leadership responsibility to implement CAPA, audits and continuous improvement across activities.

Qualifications

• Hands-on ISO/IEC 17025 experience in a UKAS-accredited lab is essential.
• Direct experience managing UKAS assessments, including responding to findings and closing out
• Ownership of a Quality Management System across laboratory and site activities
• Experience in internal auditing, NCR investigations and root cause analysis
• Experience leading people and driving change in an operational environment
• Based within commuting distance of Preston

Responsibilities

• Own the QMS with ISO/IEC 17025 as the priority, plus ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
• Manage the UKAS relationship, including assessments and surveillance visits
• Lead internal audits, NCR investigations, root cause analysis and CAPA across laboratory and site activity
• Train and coach laboratory and site teams on 17025 requirements in practice
• Maintain quality documentation, procedures, method records and governance
• Oversee quality across survey activity
• Support planned growth in laboratory activity

Skills

ISO/IEC 17025

QMS ownership

Internal auditing

CAPA

Leadership

UKAS assessments

Job description

If you've managed UKAS assessments in a 17025-accredited laboratory and want to own the quality function outright, this role is worth a conversation. I'm working with a UKAS-accredited testing and survey business in Preston, part of a well-invested UK group. They're appointing a Quality Manager to take ownership of their Quality Management System and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. You'll also make compliance part of how the laboratory and site teams work every day. It's a hands-on role with clear backing from leadership. You'll be the person the business relies on for UKAS, with the mandate to set the standard and bring people with you.

What you'll be doing

• Owning the QMS, with ISO/IEC 17025 as the priority and ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 alongside it
• Managing the UKAS relationship, including assessments and surveillance visits
• Leading internal audits, NCR investigations, root cause analysis and CAPA across laboratory and site coring activity
• Training and coaching laboratory and site teams on what 17025 requires in practice
• Maintaining quality documentation, procedures, method records and governance
• Overseeing quality across survey activity
• Supporting planned growth in laboratory activity

What you'll bring

• Hands-on ISO/IEC 17025 experience in a UKAS-accredited testing, inspection or calibration laboratory (essential)
• Direct experience managing UKAS assessments, including responding to findings and closing them out
• Ownership of a Quality Management System
• Internal auditing, NCR investigation, root cause analysis and CAPA
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
• Experience leading people and driving change in an operational environment
• Based within commuting distance of Preston

Preferred aspects

• A background in construction materials, geotechnical, concrete, aggregates, asphalt or highways testing
• An internal or lead auditor qualification
• Experience of leading cultural change around compliance