Quality Engineer

Role: Quality Engineer

Location: Stafford, Staffordshire

Job Type: Full-time, permanent

Salary: Circa £45,000 per annum + benefits

First, a Bit of Background...

Precision engineering is an industry where "good enough" doesn't exist. Our client manufactures CNC-machined components to exacting tolerances, and their customers spanning demanding industrial and engineering applications, rely on that precision every single day.

They're now looking for a Quality Engineer to join the team in Stafford; someone who knows their way around a machined component, a CMM and a customer conversation in equal measure.

So, What Does the Job Actually Involve?

Day to day, you'll be the go-to person for anything quality-related on the shop floor and beyond. That means:

• Inspecting and verifying CNC-machined components against engineering drawings and customer specifications
• Setting up and programming inspection routines on CMMs, as well as using traditional inspection methods — micrometers, height gauges, surface plates and the like
• Producing inspection reports, FAIs and supporting documentation for customer approvals
• Dealing with non-conforming parts: containment, disposition, NCRs and corrective actions
• Getting stuck into problem-solving working with machinists and engineers to establish root causes and put proper fixes in place, whether that's tooling wear, fixturing or process drift
• Keeping the quality management system ticking over, including internal auditing and document control
• Analysing measurement data and using SPC to spot trends before they become problems
• Talking to customers directly when quality issues arise, and seeing those issues through to resolution
• Lending a hand with new product approvals and process validation as the business wins new work

What Sort of Person Are We After?

• Someone with real machining knowledge, you'll understand turning, milling and grinding well enough to know why a part might be out of tolerance, not just that it is
• Hands-on CMM experience, ideally with programming ability
• Confident reading engineering drawings, including GD&T, and working to tight tolerances
• Experience in a quality or inspection role within precision engineering, subcontract machining or a similar environment
• Familiarity with ISO 9001 (AS9100 or IATF 16949 exposure would be a bonus)
• A practical problem-solver who'd rather fix the cause than paper over the symptom
• Happy to spend time on the shop floor building trust with the production team, that's where quality is won or lost

Formal qualifications matter, but so does instinct. A time-served machinist who's moved into quality would fit this role just as well as an HND-qualified engineer.

If that sounds like you, we'd encourage you to apply.

Why This One's Worth a Look

• Around £45,000 per annum, plus a solid benefits package
• A genuine engineering-led business where quality is respected, not treated as a paperwork exercise
• Variety across CNC processes, materials and customer requirements
• Autonomy to shape the role and make improvements your own
• A friendly, established team in an accessible Stafford location, handy for Stafford, Stone, Uttoxeter, Cannock and Stoke-on-Trent
• Long-term stability with a business that invests in its people and its equipment

Sound Like You?

Then we'd love to hear from you. Send your CV across today and we'll be in touch to talk through the role in more detail.