Region	Salary range (median)
East of England (indicative) 6 live adverts	£42,500 – £55,000 (midpoint £48,750)
South East (indicative) 1 live advert	£35,000 – £48,000 (midpoint £47,500)
London (indicative) no live adverts yet: baseline range	£38,000 – £52,000 (midpoint £45,000)
South West (indicative) 5 live adverts	£42,500 – £50,000 (midpoint £43,500)
North East (indicative) 5 live adverts	£31,000 – £45,863 (midpoint £43,000)
Wales (indicative) 5 live adverts	£29,000 – £46,000 (midpoint £42,500)
Northern Ireland 23 live adverts	£39,069 – £45,000 (£40,000 · 25th–75th pct)
North West (indicative) no live adverts yet: baseline range	£33,000 – £45,000 (midpoint £39,000)
Scotland (indicative) no live adverts yet: baseline range	£33,000 – £45,000 (midpoint £39,000)
Yorkshire (indicative) 1 live advert	£32,000 – £44,000 (midpoint £37,500)
Midlands (indicative) 1 live advert	£33,000 – £45,000 (midpoint £33,000)

Methodology: medians reconcile live advertised UK salaries for this role and region; 25th–75th percentiles are shown only where at least 5 live salaried listings back them. They are measured or omitted, never interpolated. Rows marked indicative are anchored to our curated 2026 baseline ranges until enough live data accrues. Listings advertising an implausible annual figure (a mislabelled hourly or daily rate) are excluded rather than converted, because converting one means guessing the hours behind it.

Market view. Sector quality standards set the ceiling: AS9100 (aerospace), IATF 16949 (automotive) and ISO 13485 (medical devices) experience pays above general ISO 9001 work. Root-cause fluency (8D, Six Sigma) and supplier-quality/audit exposure (CQI/IRCA) are the strongest levers; inspection roles sit below engineer grades but CMM programming narrows the gap.

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FAQs

What does a quality engineer earn in the UK?

Indicatively £32,000–£52,000 permanent, with regulated-sector (aerospace, automotive, medical) experience at the top.

What does a quality inspector earn?

Typically £28,000–£38,000, rising with CMM programming and aerospace inspection experience.

Which quality qualifications matter most?

Six Sigma (green/black belt), CQI/IRCA auditor training, and sector standards such as AS9100 or IATF 16949.

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Quality Engineer salary by region (2026)

FAQs

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What does a quality inspector earn?

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