Head of Quality & Compliance

Owen Daniels are seeking an experienced and commercially astute Head of Quality & Compliance on behalf of a leading Engineering business to lead quality assurance, regulatory compliance and continuous improvement within a complex engineering, manufacturing or highly regulated industrial environment.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for an individual capable of developing and embedding robust Quality Management Systems (QMS), ensuring compliance with relevant international standards, customer requirements and industry-specific regulations.

Operating across sectors such as automotive, aerospace, nuclear and energy , the successful candidate will combine strategic leadership with hands-on quality expertise, driving operational excellence, risk reduction and a culture of continuous improvement throughout the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation and continual improvement of the organisation’s Quality Management System in line with ISO 9001 and applicable industry standards.
• Establish and maintain effective quality assurance, quality control and compliance processes across engineering, manufacturing, operations and supply chain functions.
• Ensure compliance with relevant statutory, regulatory, customer and contractual requirements.
• Lead internal and external audits, certification assessments, customer audits and regulatory inspections.
• Oversee non-conformance management, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), and verification of effectiveness.
• Develop and monitor quality KPIs, reporting performance, trends, risks and improvement initiatives to the senior leadership team.
• Drive continuous improvement, defect prevention and right-first-time performance across business operations.
• Manage supplier quality, supplier audits, risk assessments and performance improvement activities.
• Promote a proactive culture of quality ownership, accountability and compliance at every level of the organisation.
• Provide leadership, coaching and development to quality and compliance teams.
• Support business risk management, change control, process validation and product or service conformity.
• Act as the principal point of contact for quality and compliance matters involving customers, suppliers, certification bodies and relevant regulatory stakeholders.

Candidate Requirements

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Proven experience in a senior Quality and/or Compliance leadership role within a regulated engineering, manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Strong knowledge and practical application of ISO 9001 and the management of an effective, certified Quality Management System.
• Experience within one or more of the following sectors: automotive, aerospace, nuclear, energy, power generation or complex engineering.
• Knowledge of relevant sector-specific standards, regulatory frameworks and customer assurance requirements.
• A strong background in auditing, risk management, non-conformance control, root cause analysis and corrective action.
• Demonstrable experience leading quality improvement initiatives and delivering measurable operational results.
• Experience managing customer and supplier quality, audit programmes and external stakeholder relationships.
• The ability to influence senior stakeholders and embed a culture of continuous improvement and regulatory compliance.
• Excellent leadership, communication, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• A relevant quality, engineering or compliance qualification would be advantageous, alongside Lead Auditor training or equivalent professional accreditation.

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