Overview
Head of Quality Jobs in West Sussex, England, United Kingdom at Empresaria Group plc
Title: Head of Quality
Company: Empresaria Group plc
Location: West Sussex, England, United Kingdom
Head Of Quality
Salary: Up to £75,000 DOE
Location: West Sussex
We are working in partnership with a leading UK defence engineering and manufacturing organisation, delivering advanced, mission-critical technologies that support national security and defence operations.
Operating in a highly regulated and performance-driven environment, the business is committed to precision, reliability, and operational excellence, ensuring its products meet the most demanding defence standards.
The Role
We are seeking a strategic and influential Head of Quality to lead the Quality function across multiple UK sites.
This is a senior leadership position with full ownership of the Quality Management System, responsible for ensuring compliance with defence and regulatory standards, while driving a culture of right-first-time delivery, continuous improvement, and operational integrity.
You will play a critical role in ensuring products perform reliably in high-risk, safety-critical environments, where failure is not an option.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the Quality function across multiple sites, embedding a culture of excellence, accountability, and compliance
- Own and evolve the Quality Management System in line with ISO 9001 and defence-specific requirements
- Act as the senior authority for quality across the full product lifecycle, from design through to in-service support
- Lead customer and stakeholder assurance activities, including acceptance and audit processes
- Drive robust non-conformance management, root cause analysis, and preventative actions
- Oversee supplier quality and supply chain assurance, ensuring compliance with strict traceability and security standards
- Lead internal and external audits, ensuring all regulatory, contractual, and defence compliance requirements are met
- Maintain strong configuration control and documentation governance
- Develop and lead a high-performing Quality team, promoting a zero-defect, mission-critical mindset
- Collaborate with engineering and manufacturing teams to implement risk-based, data-driven quality frameworks
- Champion structured methodologies such as FMEA, RCA, Lean, and Six Sigma to enhance reliability and capability
Skills & Experience
- Proven leadership experience in Quality within defence, aerospace, or highly regulated engineering environments
- Strong expertise in ISO 9001 and working within compliance-driven frameworks
- Solid engineering or technical background
- Experience managing customer-facing quality in defence or security programmes
- Strong track record of improving supplier quality and operational performance
- Skilled in structured problem-solving tools (e.g. FMEA, 8D, RCA)
- Understanding of ISO 14001 is beneficial
Personal Attributes
- Highly disciplined with exceptional attention to detail
- Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence at all levels
- Resilient and composed in high-pressure, high-stakes environments
- Solutions-focused with a proactive, ownership-driven mindset
- Committed to delivering excellence in safety-critical applications
What’s on Offer
- 37.5-hour working week with early finish on Fridays
- Hybrid / flexible working arrangements
- 28 days annual leave + Christmas closure
- Holiday purchase scheme
- Matched pension contributions
- Private medical or health cash plan
- Life assurance and income protection
- Employee Assistance Programme
- EV salary sacrifice scheme
- Discounts and reward platform
- Strong learning & development opportunities
For more information please contact myself on [email protected]
