Lead Quality Engineer

Vista Executive Search; Leinster; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Vista Executive Search is seeking a Lead Quality Engineer for an on-site Wicklow role. You will drive proactive quality, partner with operators and engineers, and embed robust processes to improve product quality at source.

The role focuses on preventing issues, building capability, and delivering sustainable corrective actions, with emphasis on audit readiness and regulatory alignment.

Qualifications

• A third-level qualification in Quality, Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5+ years’ experience as a Quality Engineer, with at least 2 years in a lead role.
• Experience from a fabrication/engineering manufacturing background is important.
• Experience implementing, maintaining, and improving QMS systems, including audits.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA, 8D).
• Experience managing customer complaints, supplier quality issues, and non-conformance processes.
• Strong understanding of regulatory requirements in Ireland and the EU.
• Experience liaising with external auditors and customers.
• Proficiency with quality tools (FMEA, SPC, Lean, Six Sigma).
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management.
• Data-driven problem-solving ability.
• IT literacy with ERP and quality reporting tools.
• Fluency in English is essential.
• Authorized to permanently work in Ireland.

Responsibilities

• Actively lead and embed a culture where quality is built into the process, not checked at the end.
• Work on the shop floor with teams to improve quality at source.
• Coach operators and supervisors to own quality standards.
• Shift focus from find-and-fix to prevent-and-improve.
• Lead structured root-cause analysis and ensure corrective actions are sustained.
• Identify recurring issues and eliminate them through process improvement.
• Develop SOPs to reduce variation and improve manufacturability.
• Support new product introduction to ensure smooth production transition.
• Train production teams on quality standards and good practices.
• Translate data into actionable improvements on the shop floor.
• Collaborate with Production, Design, Engineering and Suppliers.

Skills

Root cause analysis

Quality on shop floor

CAPA / 8D

QMS audits

Regulatory compliance

Supplier quality

Customer complaints

FMEA / SPC / Lean / Six Sigma

Leadership & stakeholder mgmt

ERP / quality reporting tools

English fluency

Education

Third-level qualification in Quality/Engineering/Manufacturing

Tools

ERP systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

COMPANY PROFILE

Our client is a long and well-established leader in manufacturing advanced access and entry solutions for the world’s leading pharmaceutical, nutritional, health, food and retail companies.

Their manufacturing plant based in Wicklow uses a customised automated and manual moulding and steelwork process.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

• A hands-on quality professional who prefers being on the shop floor rather than behind a desk
• Strong experience in root cause analysis and implementing lasting corrective actions
• Proven ability to influence and change behaviours within production teams
• Practical mindset able to simplify quality rather than overcomplicate it
• Experience in manufacturing environments (ideally with fabricated or engineered products)
• Someone who challenges the status quo and drives accountability

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• A third-level qualification in Quality, Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related discipline
• Minimum 5+ years’ experience as a Quality Engineer, with at least 2 years in a lead role
• Experience from a fabrication/engineering manufacturing background is important
• Experience in implementing, maintaining, and improving QMS systems, including internal and external audits
• Demonstrated ability to lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions (e.g. CAPA, 8D methodologies)
• Experience managing customer complaints, supplier quality issues, and non-conformance processes
• Strong understanding of regulatory and compliance requirements relevant to manufacturing in Ireland and the EU
• Experience liaising with external auditors, certification bodies, and customers
• Proficiency in quality tools and techniques (e.g. FMEA, SPC, Lean, Six Sigma principles)
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability with a data-driven approach
• High level of IT literacy (ERP systems, Microsoft Office, quality reporting tools)
• Fluency in English is essential
• Applicants will only be considered if they are authorised to permanently work in Ireland.

Job Description

The Lead Quality Engineer will lead the development of a proactive quality culture across the business, shifting the organisation from reactive problem solving to prevention and continuous improvement.

This is a hands-on role, based predominantly on the production floor, working directly with operators, supervisors and engineers to improve product quality at source. The successful candidate will focus on building capability within the team, embedding robust processes, and ensuring that quality is owned by production rather than inspected at the end. The role is not just about identifying issues, but about ensuring that sustainable corrective actions are implemented and that problems do not reoccur.

The Lead Quality Engineer position is based on-site in Wicklow and will require travel, including overnight stays, on both a regular and ad hoc basis in line with business needs.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Driving Quality Culture

• Actively lead and embed a culture where quality is built into the process, not checked at the end
• Spend the majority of time on the shop floor working with teams to improve quality at source
• Coach and support operators and supervisors to take ownership of quality standards
• Move the business away from “find and fix” to “prevent and improve”

Root Cause and Continuous Improvements

• Lead structured root cause analysis on quality issues (not surface level fixes)
• Ensure corrective and preventive actions are implemented, tracked and sustained
• Identify recurring issues and eliminate them through process improvement
• Introduce and embed practical problem-solving tools across the production team

Process and Project Quality

• Develop and improve standard operating procedures to reduce variation
• Ensure quality is built into processes rather than inspected at the end
• Work with Engineering and Production to improve manufacturability and consistency
• Support new product introduction to ensure smooth transition into production

Training and Capability Building

• Train production teams on quality standards, defect identification and good practice
• Develop simple, practical training that operators can apply immediately
• Build internal capability so teams can identify and solve problems themselves

Data and Performance Improvement

• Use quality data to identify trends, not just report performance
• Translate data into actionable improvements on the shop floor
• Ensure reporting drives behaviour and decision making at production level

Cross Functional and External Collaboration

• Work closely with Production, Design, Engineering and Installation teams to close feedback loops
• Engage with suppliers to resolve quality issues and improve incoming quality

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