Technical Assurance Lead (Manchester)

CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles); Manchester; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Pension scheme (up to 10% employer)

Health care cash plan

Bike2Work

Flexible Working

Volunteer days

Job summary

CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) in the UK seeks a Technical Assurance Lead to provide independent assurance across CAF Rail UK's supply chain, ensuring suppliers meet contractual, regulatory and quality requirements. You will support qualification, validation, project delivery and ongoing supplier performance assurance.

Key duties include leading supplier validation, audits, governance and engineering support, plus quality and product validation.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering or related technical discipline required.
• Experience in rail, manufacturing, rolling stock or engineering environments preferred.
• Experience conducting supplier audits and technical assessments.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical assessment and approval of new and existing suppliers.
• Review supplier capability, processes and certifications for quality.
• Validate supplier submissions, data, specs and evidence of approval.
• Ensure supplier products meet CAF standards, reg. and safety requirements.

Skills

Lead Auditor

IRCA Auditor

QA & QMS

Supplier audits

Technical assurance

Education

Degree in Engineering or related technical discipline

Job description

About Caf

Innovation is in our DNA - we thrive on pushing boundaries and adapting to new challenges with a flexible approach. Proud to be a global leader, our fast-paced growth provides exciting opportunities for our team and the community.

Innovation is in our DNA - we thrive on pushing boundaries and adapting to new challenges with a flexible approach. Proud to be a global leader, our fast-paced growth provides exciting opportunities for our team and the community. Committed to maintaining trains and trams, our mission is to enhance vehicle safety and reliability. Our ultimate goal is to deliver a comfortable, dependable, and sustainable commuting experience for all passengers. Based out of multiple locations across the UK, our 24/7 operation means we’re always on hand to deliver reliable technical support. Utilising the latest digital technology, we strive to enhance dependability, helping people to get to where they need to be! We wouldn’t be where we are without our people. Working together as a team, we strive to achieve great things while supporting each other to thrive along the way.

What can you expect from CAF?

• Positive Work Environment: You will work in a positive environment, based on mutual respect and team spirit.
• Professional Development: Our projects are often measured in years, sometimes decades, giving you and the organisation a future.
• Learning and Autonomy: We will encourage you to work autonomously, being able to propose and decide 'what' and 'how'.
• Security and Reliability: CAF has been working for over 100 years on a path that stretches into the future, giving you the security you need.
• Cutting-edge technology: You will work with the latest technologies, facing the challenge of devising innovative approaches and solutions every day.

What will be your role in the company?

The Technical Assurance Lead is responsible for providing independent technical assurance across CAF Rail UK's supply chain, ensuring that products, materials, services and engineering activities delivered by suppliers meet contractual, regulatory, technical and quality requirements. The role will support supplier qualification, technical validation, project delivery, procurement activities and ongoing assurance of supplier performance to reduce technical, safety, quality and commercial risks.

Supplier Technical Validation

• Lead technical assessment and approval of new and existing suppliers.
• Review supplier engineering capability, competence, processes and certifications.
• Validate supplier technical submissions, design data, specifications and approval evidence.
• Ensure supplier products and services comply with CAF standards, customer requirements and industry regulations.

Supplier Assurance and Auditing

• Develop and maintain a supplier technical assurance programme.
• Conduct supplier audits, inspections and technical reviews.
• Monitor supplier compliance against engineering, quality and safety requirements.
• Identify supplier risks and develop corrective action plans.

Engineering and Technical Support

• Provide technical assurance support to engineering, maintenance and overhaul projects.
• Review design changes, modifications and technical deviations raised by suppliers.
• Support engineering investigations, root cause analysis and corrective actions.

Quality and Product Validation

• Validate First Article Inspection (FAI) activities where required.
• Verify compliance with applicable standards, specifications and contractual requirements.
• Support investigations relating to product defects, failures and non-conformities.

Procurement and Supply Chain Support

• Work closely with Procurement to embed technical assurance requirements into supplier contracts.
• Define technical acceptance criteria for products and services.
• Support tender evaluations and supplier assessment activities.

Governance and Assurance

• Develop assurance processes, procedures and reporting mechanisms.
• Maintain supplier assurance records and technical compliance evidence.
• Produce assurance reports and performance metrics for senior management.

What salary will you be paid for this role?

As a Real Living Wage Employer, we are proud to pay competitively at CAF. For this role you will be offered a salary in the region of £48,000 and £50,000 per annum.

What will make you successful in this position?

• Degree or equivalent qualification in Engineering or related technical discipline.
• Experience within rail, manufacturing, rolling stock or engineering environments.
• Experience conducting supplier audits and technical assessments.
• Strong understanding of quality management systems and assurance methodologies.
• Knowledge of supplier quality assurance and supply chain management.
• Experience supporting engineering investigations and technical problem solving.
• Lead Auditor qualification (ISO9001/ISO14001/ISO45001).
• Knowledge of ECM requirements and railway standards.
• Experience within rolling stock maintenance, overhaul or manufacturing operations.
• Awareness of product assurance and systems assurance principles.
• IRCA auditor qualification.

About What We Offer

A Real Living Wage employer and proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, RSSB Mental Health Charter and Women in Rail EDI Charter, we’ve a lot to shout about at CAF. Creating a culture of inclusivity and belonging is really important to us and we’re proud to offer our people a range of benefits to support wellbeing including 25 days annual leave, an excellent workplace pension scheme (with up to 10% contribution from us), not forgetting to mention our generous health care cash plan and Bike2Work scheme just to name a few! Looking for career development? Our Professional Sponsorship scheme will help you to achieve your goals while our Flexible Working policy and Family Friendly culture mean everyone is supported to thrive at CAF. As a socially responsible business, we offer paid volunteering days and promote a variety of social value initiatives, including tree-planting, company-wide donation drives, and providing support to the homeless community and refugees. We’re creating waves of positive change through delivering meaningful social value impact on and off the tracks!