Head of Quality Improvement

Take the lead in driving quality excellence and transformative change across the organization. As the Head of Quality Improvement, you will spearhead strategic initiatives, foster collaboration with diverse stakeholders, and champion a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. Lead a team that aligns quality strategies with organizational goals to deliver impactful, sustainable outcomes.

Key Accountabilities

• Leading the development and implementation of Quality Improvement: best-practice, vision, strategy, policies, processes, and procedures. Establishing a clear improvement roadmap that aligns with the vision and goals of the wider business and national intent.

• Leading and/or supporting new initiatives/projects such as Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), First Article Inspection Reporting, Management System modernization, Statistical Process Control (SPC) deployment, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) deployment, train-the-trainer, Competency Framework overhaul, and others, until formal hand-over is achieved with the respective process owner(s).

• Leading, inspiring, and managing the Quality Improvement team/interested parties by demonstrating exemplary values, principles, and behaviors that align with the business, to the effect of achieving business and mission goals and objectives. Raising the quality improvement profile and maintaining a reputation of integrity across the business.

• Driving a safety-first mindset across the business, empowering team members to responsibly address concerns.

• Driving a culture of Quality excellence, innovation, and efficiency through effective management of working practices and embedding a desire for improvement.

• Adopting a proactive risk-based approach backed by intelligence and sound data; ensuring processes and systems remain valid and fit for purpose.

• Training, developing, monitoring, and evaluating team performance; improving engagement activities and process efficiency. Identifying current and future skills gaps in respect to the needs of the business, ensuring the team is best positioned for growth and closing gaps through forward planning, effective budgeting, and performance management.

• Establishing, developing, and sustaining a customer-centric framework for improvement projects based on sound principles, ensuring a targeted and economic approach for deployment.

• Planning and forecasting assigned cost accounts, ensuring they are appropriately managed within approved limits and agreed objectives.

• Working closely with respective stakeholders to establish effective measurement and reporting mechanisms based on lean visual management fundamentals, including data collection, management, and processing, across the businesses and driving improvement plans with those accountable.

• Acting as a senior management representative for all escalated Quality Improvement concerns; conducting and directing appropriate tasks as requested by line management.

Requirements

General Competencies

• Strategic Thinking

• Strategic Influence

• Managing and Driving Performance

• Commercial Awareness

• Building and Managing Relations

Specific Job Competencies

• Knowledge of Continuous and Quality Improvement strategies

• Knowledge of Robotic Process Automation and Dashboard reporting tools/techniques

• Knowledge of complex defense products and processes

Experience

Minimum: 12+ years of experience in quality/process improvement roles within a manufacturing environment, with at least 7 years leading business transformation initiatives on complex systems engineering programs.
Preferred: 8+ years of defense industry-specific experience, substantial GCC exposure, and at least 12 years of experience in quality/process improvement within complex engineering program environments.

Qualifications

Minimum: Bachelor’s Degree in an engineering discipline or vocational qualification (College)/apprenticeship with equivalent years of relevant manufacturing/engineering and defense experience; Six Sigma Black Belt Certified by an internationally renowned certifying organization (e.g., ASQ, IASSC).
Preferred: Master’s degree in engineering; Six Sigma Master Black Belt Certified by an internationally renowned certifying organization (e.g., ASQ, IASSC).

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