Quality Engineer

Quality Engineer
We’re hiring to support a major increase in customer demand & give dedicated focus to a key aerospace account and its continuous improvement activity.
In return, you’ll receive up to £35,000, 25 days’ holiday + birthday leave & extra service days, life assurance & the chance to build a long-term career in a niche, highly regulated sector.

About Us South West Metal Finishing is a long-established, family-run surface engineering and metal finishing group, supplying high-spec components to the aerospace, defence, automotive and high-technology sectors. From our large facility on Marsh Barton Trading Estate in Exeter, we provide electroplating, anodising, chemical conversion, and non-destructive testing services to many leading aerospace manufacturers and their supply chains. We hold AS9100, ISO 9001, NADCAP and ISO 14001 accreditations, operate in a highly regulated environment, and have been refining our craft for over 90 years. You’ll be joining a friendly, experienced quality team in a business that offers job security, interesting aerospace and defence work, and real scope for progression within quality, compliance and wider group roles.

Why You’ll Enjoy This Role

• Development & progression: Clear pathways into senior quality, compliance and group roles, with strong support from a Quality & Product Assurance leadership team that genuinely invests in people.
• Work–life balance: Day shifts only, early Friday finish, and no regular weekend work.
• Benefits:
• 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays
• An additional birthday day off (linked to attendance)
• Extra holiday for long service (up to 5 additional days)
• 5% employer / 5% employee pension
• Death in service cover at 3x salary
• Healthcare cashplan-style scheme (for example contribution towards dental/optical)

The Role

As a Quality Engineer, you’ll focus on non-conforming product, customer returns and continuous improvement – with particular emphasis on a key aerospace account where volumes and complexity are increasing. You’ll work closely with Quality, Engineering and Operations teams to investigate issues properly, not just apply a quick fix, and help move the culture towards robust root cause analysis and prevention.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead investigations into non-conforming product, using problem-solving tools such as 8D, 5 Whys, PFMEA, PDCA, Poka-Yoke or Six Sigma to identify root causes and prevent recurrence.
• Review and process customer returns daily, ensuring timely assessment, clear documentation and effective corrective and preventive actions in line with KPIs.
• Support the daily MRB (Material Review Board) process, walking the shop floor with engineering and operations to assess issues, agree dispositions and drive follow-up actions.
• Liaise with internal stakeholders when procedures, specifications or work instructions need updating, ensuring documentation reflects current best practice.
• Provide professional communication to customers and suppliers, including 8D reports and responses to quality concerns.
• Support Lead Inspectors with AS9102 First Article Inspection Reports and help identify training needs within inspection.
• Analyse external (customer) returns data to spot trends and implement robust preventative actions.
• Attend daily SQDCP/departmental meetings and communicate openly with engineering, sales and production to help achieve company objectives.

About You

Essential

• Hands-on Quality Engineering / Quality Assurance experience, ideally including non-conformances, customer returns and MRB activity.
• Proven experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of Quality Management Systems (for example ISO 9001, AS9100) and related documentation.
• Strong problem-solving skills and familiarity with structured tools such as 8D, 5 Whys, PFMEA, PDCA or similar.
• Able to interpret technical drawings and use MS Office confidently.
• Clear, professional communication skills – both written and verbal – with the ability to engage at all levels.

Desirable

• Experience in aerospace, surface treatment, electroplating or anodising environments.
• Exposure to Nadcap or similar special process audits.

Location: Marsh Barton, Exeter (on-site)
Hours: Monday–Thursday 08:00–16:30, Friday 08:00–14:00
Salary: £32,000–£35,000 depending on experience