Quality Manager

Overview

Salary: £50,000 - £55,000 per year (DOE)

Location:

Covering production activities across Newton Abbot and Exeter sites (on-site)

Reporting to:
Technical Manager

Facilities: QC laboratory at both sites

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

Forgeway Ltd. is a forward-thinking company specialising in developing advanced adhesive solutions and high-performance materials for a range of industries, including automotive, construction, and aerospace. Quality is critical to our customers and central to our growth.

We are seeking a proactive and hands-on Quality Manager to support and drive quality performance across our AS9100-certified manufacturing operation. This role covers quality activities at both our Newton Abbot and Exeter sites and works closely with Production, Quality Control, R&D, and Supply Chain to ensure products meet internal standards, customer requirements, and regulatory expectations.

You will lead day-to-day quality assurance activities, manage nonconformances and corrective actions, support audits, and help embed a strong “right-first-time” culture across both sites.

This position is ideal for experienced professionals with a passion for quality control, process improvement, and problem-solving.

• Maintain and support the Quality Management System in line with AS9100 requirements.
• Ensure quality documentation is controlled and maintained, including SOPs, work instructions, batch records, specifications, and inspection records.
• Support internal and external audits, ensuring audit readiness and timely closure of actions.
• Provide quality support to production activities across Newton Abbot and Exeter.
• Ensure consistent application of inspection and release processes across both sites.
• Work closely with QC teams to ensure testing is completed correctly and results are recorded accurately.
• Support investigation and troubleshooting using the QC laboratories at both sites to enable effective decision-making and fast response.
• Lead and support investigations into quality issues, including nonconformances, deviations, scrap and rework.
• Drive structured root cause analysis using tools such as 5-Whys, Fishbone, and 8D where appropriate.
• Implement and track corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and confirm effectiveness.
• Support customer complaint investigations and provide clear, professional responses.
• Work with Supply Chain and suppliers to ensure incoming materials meet requirements, including CoA review, supplier communication, and escalation where needed.
• Identify trends in quality performance and support improvement actions to reduce defects and improve consistency.
• Support improvements in process control, inspection methods, and data recording to strengthen traceability and compliance.

• Strong working relationships built with Production and QC teams across both sites.
• Clear understanding of key products, manufacturing processes, and quality risks.
• Confident management of NCR/CAPA activities with effective containment and follow-up.
• Improved consistency in quality records, inspection approach, and release decisions across both locations.
• Audit readiness maintained with clear visibility of actions and priorities.

Essential:

• Experience in a Quality role within a manufacturing environment (chemical, polymers, coatings, adhesives, aerospace, automotive or similar).
• Working knowledge of AS9100 and quality system requirements.
• Strong problem-solving capability and experience with root cause analysis and CAPA.
• High attention to detail with a structured and pragmatic approach.
• Confident communicator able to work effectively with production teams and technical functions.
• Ability to work across two manufacturing sites and manage priorities effectively.

Desirable:

• Experience in adhesives, sealants, resins, coatings, or chemical batch manufacturing.
• Knowledge of additional standards such as ISO 9001 or IATF 16949.
• Familiarity with quality tools such as FMEA, SPC, and Six Sigma methodologies.
• Experience supporting customer audits and supplier quality activities.

• Competitive salary (£50,000 - £55,000 DOE).
• Opportunities for career growth and professional development.
• A dynamic and supportive working environment.
• Free Friday lunch.
• 1 paid day per year to volunteer for a charity.
• On-site parking