Head of Quality

Description:

We are seeking an experienced Head of Quality to lead the Quality and After Sales functions within an engineering and manufacturing business operating in the power distribution sector.

This is a senior leadership role with overall responsibility for the Quality Management System (QMS), product and service quality, customer complaints, warranty management and continuous improvement.

Working closely with Engineering, Production, Supply Chain, Commercial teams, suppliers and customers, the Head of Quality will ensure robust quality standards are embedded throughout the organisation. The role will combine strategic leadership with hands-on management of key quality and customer issues, with a strong focus on prevention, root cause resolution and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Own, develop and continually improve the company's Quality Management System, ensuring continued compliance with ISO 9001 and relevant industry and customer requirements.
Develop and maintain effective quality processes and systems, including CAQ, APQP and PDM environments.
Lead internal, external and customer audits, ensuring findings and corrective actions are effectively managed through to closure.
Monitor product, manufacturing and service quality, identifying trends, risks and opportunities for improvement.
Lead root cause investigations and corrective/preventive actions, ensuring solutions are robust and effective in preventing recurrence.
Work collaboratively with Engineering, Production, Supply Chain and suppliers to resolve quality issues and improve product and process performance.
Take overall ownership of customer complaints, technical aftersales enquiries and warranty matters, acting as a senior point of contact for customers.
Oversee the full lifecycle of complaints and warranty cases, from initial triage and investigation through to corrective action and final customer closure.
Assess warranty claims against company policies and warranty terms and coordinate appropriate technical investigations.
Ensure customers receive clear and timely communication throughout investigations and produce technical reports and formal responses where required.
Establish and report key Quality and After Sales KPIs, including Cost of Quality, complaint volumes, closure performance, warranty trends and corrective action effectiveness.
Use quality data, customer feedback and warranty information to identify recurring issues and drive improvements across the business.
Lead cross-functional continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing defects, returns, rework, warranty costs and Cost of Poor Quality.
Attend customer and site meetings as required, representing the business professionally on quality and technical matters.
Promote a proactive quality culture throughout the organisation, ensuring lessons learned are translated into sustainable improvements.
The Ideal Candidate

Significant Quality Management or senior Quality Leadership experience within engineering or manufacturing.
Strong working knowledge of ISO 9001 and experience owning and developing a QMS.
Experience leading internal, external and customer audits.
Strong knowledge of root cause analysis, corrective action and structured problem-solving methodologies.
Experience with quality/business systems such as CAQ, APQP and PDM.
Experience managing customer complaints, warranty cases and technical quality investigations.
Strong understanding of manufacturing, product and supplier quality.
Proven ability to work cross-functionally with Engineering, Production, Supply Chain and suppliers.
Strong analytical skills with experience using quality data and KPIs to drive improvement.
Excellent customer-facing communication, leadership and stakeholder-management skills.
A demonstrable track record of continuous improvement and reducing defects, repeat failures and Cost of Poor Quality