VP Quality - Governance and Assurance

Leonardo SpA; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace and defence company is seeking a VP Quality in Edinburgh. This role focuses on modernizing Quality through strategic governance and assurance practices. The ideal candidate will have experience in leading Quality initiatives and building strong relationships with customers and regulators. The position offers a hybrid working approach and a comprehensive benefits package to support personal and professional growth.

Benefits

Generous leave with flexi-days

Pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution

Free mental health support

Bonus scheme eligibility

Access to 4,000+ online courses

Financial rewards through referral

Up to £500 on flexible benefits

Flexible hours with hybrid working options

Qualifications

• Mastery of Governance, Assurance & Quality Systems (BMS, Audits, AS9100).
• Strategic Leadership in Next-Generation Quality (Digital, Automation, AI).
• Cross-Functional Influence & Enterprise Risk Integration.
• Customer & Project Quality Leadership in Complex Programs.
• Executive Presence & External Representation.

Responsibilities

• Strategic modernisation of Quality leveraging automation and digital systems.
• Unify the Quality organization across various functions.
• Establish a robust governance system for emerging risks.
• Build strong customer and regulator relationships.
• Integrate Quality data into corporate risk decision-making.

Skills

Governance, Assurance & Quality Systems

Digital, Automation, AI

Cross-Functional Influence

Customer Quality Leadership

Executive Presence

Job description

Your Impact

Want to shape the future of Quality, Governance, drive Assurance and operational excellence at a world class level? We'd love to have a chat!!

As VP Quality, you will elevate the organisation's Quality and Assurance capability into a strategic advantage, enabling safer delivery, stronger governance, and more predictable programme outcomes. Through modernisation, cross-functional alignment, and proactive risk visibility. You will strengthen customer trust, reduce operational disruption, and enhance the company's reputation as a leader in Quality excellence.

Your impact will be felt across the entire enterprise through measurable improvements in compliance, efficiency, customer satisfaction, and cultural adoption of world-class assurance practices.

What You Will Bring

• Strategic modernisation of Quality, leveraging automation, digital systems, and AI to transform assurance
• A unified Quality organisation across Product, Project, Software, and Audit functions
• A robust, forward‑looking audit and governance system that highlights emerging risks before they upscale
• Strong customer and regulator relationships, ensuring confidence in our systems and delivery
• Enterprise risk alignment, ensuring Quality data informs corporate risk decision‑making
• A culture of assurance, making good practice part of daily behaviour‑not a compliance checkbox
• Leadership presence, able to influence executives, engineers, and external bodies confidently
• A stable, predictable Quality foundation that enables major programmes to deliver on time, on cost, and to specification

You must be able to demonstrate:

• Mastery of Governance, Assurance & Quality Systems (BMS, Audits, AS9100)
• Strategic Leadership in Next‑Generation Quality (Digital, Automation, AI)
• Cross‑Functional Influence & Enterprise Risk Integration
• Customer & Project Quality Leadership in Complex Programs
• Executive Presence & External Representation

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre‑employment screening in line with the UK Government's Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company‑funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work‑life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we're here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi‑days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award‑winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee‑led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over ,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team – they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!

Primary Location:

GB - Edinburgh

Additional Locations:

GB - Basildon - Home Based, GB - Luton - Cap. Green 300, GB - Southampton

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hybrid Working:

Hybrid