Senior Quality Manager

Fusion Energy Base; Leyburn; On-site; GBP 66,000 - 81,000; Full time

Job summary

Fusion Energy Base is seeking a Senior Quality Manager to guide STEP SQMA quality strategy from concept to operation, ensuring safety, compliance and performance. You will lead governance, assurance activities, and the UKCA certification approach, coordinating with regulators and partners across a high-consequence programme.

Reporting to the Head of Safety, Quality & Mission Assurance, you will drive risk management, quality culture and engagement with multi-disciplinary teams in a complex

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in science or engineering.
• Chartered member with relevant institution.
• Strong understanding of engineering principles and lifecycle management.
• In-depth knowledge of quality management systems and ISO 9001.
• Experience leading certification and conformity activities, including UKCA evidence and regulator engagement.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate technical and quality risks while enabling innovation.
• Lead multi-disciplinary teams and manage complex interfaces.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder influence.

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver STEP Quality Strategy aligned to regulatory requirements and priorities.
• Oversee governance and assurance activities for safe, compliant outcomes.
• Define strategy for product and system certification including UKCA evidence.
• Lead quality risk management across the lifecycle with timely mitigations.
• Act as a senior SQMA leader influencing across engineering, supply chain and partners.

Skills

Quality management

Regulatory engagement

Risk management

Leadership

Stakeholder influence

Communication skills

Education

Degree Level Science/Engineering Qualification

Chartered member with relevant institution

Job description

Senior Quality Manager

Overview of Responsibilities

The Senior Quality Manager is a key leadership role within the Safety, Quality & Mission Assurance (SQMA) function, responsible for defining and delivering the Quality Strategy for the STEP fusion programme. Reporting to the Head of Safety, Quality & Mission Assurance, the role provides independent confidence that systems, structures, and products are safe, compliant, and fit-for-purpose across the full lifecycle—from concept and design through manufacture, delivery, and operation. STEP is a first-of-a-kind, high-consequence engineering programme, comparable in complexity and risk profile to advanced nuclear and space systems. In this context, quality must be designed in from the outset; opportunities to recover from failures post-deployment are extremely limited. The Senior Quality Manager therefore establishes the frameworks, governance, and assurance necessary to achieve robust, performance-driven quality in the presence of technical uncertainty, novel technologies, and evolving regulatory expectations. Acting as the SQMA focal point for quality assurance, the role ensures that management systems, assurance frameworks, and certification approaches enable safe, reliable, and high-quality outcomes at scale. The postholder will engage closely with the Design Authority, regulators, delivery partners, and independent assurance bodies to build confidence in STEP’s technical and organisational capability.

Key Accountabilities

Quality Strategy & Capability

Define and deliver the STEP Quality Strategy, aligned to organisational objectives, regulatory requirements, and programme priorities. Establish a coherent approach to achieving fit-for-purpose, risk-informed quality in a first-of-a-kind fusion environment. Drive consistent application of quality principles across engineering, operations, and the supply chain. Set expectations for structured quality and reliability tools, including design risk analysis (e.g. FMEA, DFMEA, FTA) and problem-solving methodologies (e.g. RCA, 8D, DMAIC). Build and lead a high-performing Quality function, embedding capability, resilience, and a culture of continuous improvement.

Management System & Assurance

Provide independent assurance that management systems and governance frameworks enable safe, compliant, and high-quality outcomes. Define and implement a proportionate, risk-based assurance framework appropriate for a complex, first-of-a-kind programme. Oversee assurance activities including audits, surveillance, readiness reviews, and compliance assessments. Ensure insights from assurance and operational performance are captured and used to continuously improve systems and processes.

Certification & Conformity

Define and oversee the strategy for product and system certification within a regulated environment. Ensure the development and maintenance of robust conformity evidence, including UKCA requirements, essential requirements, and technical documentation. Enable integration of certification and compliance activities into programme delivery and lifecycle decision-making. Support engagement with regulators, notified bodies, and external assurance organisations to build confidence in STEP’s approach to novel technologies.

Quality Risk Management

Lead the identification, assessment, and management of quality-related risks across the lifecycle. Establish a structured, risk-based approach to quality management integrated with programme and engineering decision-making. Ensure alignment with safety, reliability, security, and environmental risk frameworks. Facilitate risk reviews and ensure timely mitigation and closure of actions.

Leadership & Culture

Act as a senior leader within SQMA, influencing quality outcomes across engineering, supply chain, and delivery partners. Champion a culture where quality is proactively engineered and assured, reflecting the high-consequence nature of the programme. Role-model organisational values, the Seven Principles of Public Life, and inclusive leadership behaviours. Promote a culture of curiosity, evidence-based decision-making, and disciplined problem-solving within complex, high-uncertainty environments.

Salary

£73,190 + excellent benefits including outstanding pension

Programme

STEP

Department

UKFE - Risk and Assurance

Discipline

Engineering

Site Location

West Burton or Culham

Type of Employment

Full-time

Reference Number

REF4289V

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree Level Science or Engineering Qualification (or equivalent experience).
• Chartered member with relevant institution.
• Strong understanding of engineering principles and product lifecycle management.
• In-depth knowledge of quality management systems and applicable standards (e.g., ISO9001).
• Experience leading product certification and conformity assessment activities, including managing UKCA-relevant evidence, technical files, and engagement with regulators or notified bodies.
• Ability to identify, assess, and mitigate technical and quality risks while enable innovation.
• Ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and manage complex technical interfaces.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.

Beneficial

• Track record of creative problem solving in ambiguous or innovative environments.
• Experience of the full lifecycle for technically complex plant systems within major programmes.

Additional Information

We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly women in STEM and individuals from British black and ethnic minority backgrounds, and individuals with disabilities. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors, actively promotes EDI and takes steps to increase diversity within our organisation. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success. UKFE is committed to being accessible. Please email [e-mail] if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information.

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions. Whilst not required at this time, there is a possibility of an SC Clearance being required in the future. If a candidate already holds an SC clearance, that clearance can be transferred to UKFE.

As we work towards our mission and goals, guided by our principles, STEP has six behaviours that are intended to capture the spirit of how we work: We champion safety. We all matter. We act as one. We embrace change. We are pioneering. We deliver.

For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years, please visit the following link for information on criminal records checks: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants. If your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state, we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application.