Principal Quality Engineer

At Leonardo in Edinburgh, we’re looking for individuals with strong technical capability, a commitment to excellence and the interpersonal skills required to drive collaboration and embed quality ownership across the organisation. Within Advanced Targeting, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring our products and processes consistently meet the highest standards of quality and reliability. You will work across multiple functions, supporting the full product lifecycle from concept and development to production and delivery.

This is a hybrid role, with a minimum of 3 days onsite expected per week.

If you are passionate about Quality this position offers an opportunity to work alongside an experienced team and actively shape your career within the Aerospace and Defence sector.

• Assuring compliance with contractual requirements, company processes, and applicable regulatory and industry standards
• Be an integral member of the IPT(s) and contribute to the success and completion of all allocated projects
• Support with Assurance and Quality inputs, general guidance and support the business in any Bids and Proposals activity. This may include the compilation of Quality Management Plans , informal approval / review, and agile maintenance of a Project Assurance Plan (PAP) ensuring the agreement and continued support of the IPT lead
• Delivery of all assurance activities defined in the PAP ensuring they are maintained as relevant in line with the changing project demands Take leadership on the mitigation and realisation of the IPT risks and opportunities in collaboration with the appropriate IPT Peer Group.
• Agree risk based internal assessments with the IPT lead and deliver these to completion including managing to closure any findings
• Analyse and communicate information where required to support the escalation and communication of IPT well being and inform correct decision making.
• Deputise, as appropriate, for the Quality Manager
• Take leadership, on behalf of the IPT, on all instances of Non Conformance and Failure and ensure situations are managed collectively to a dependable closure with the IPT Peer Group. This will be both internally within the business and with the external supply chain
• Conducting project assessments and audits against approved plans and processes
• Support , mentor and informally manage more junior members of the Assurance Team
• Driving objectives to meet / exceed targets including LPS/KPI goals, QL4 effectiveness, supplier and customer timely RCCA.
• Contribute proactively to business planning and management through the application of technical expertise to support the delivery of current and future business needs.
• Provide advice and overview to the organisation in own specialist area in order to ensure compliance

• Working knowledge of aerospace and defence quality standards (e.g. AS9100, AS9145)
• Proactively delivers Assurance advice and assistance within the Assurance community.
• Contribution and leadership of the delivery of IPT requirements to agreed time, cost and specification
• Ownership on behalf of the IPT on Assurance matters in support of projects internally and with the customer.
• Leadership on Risk and Opportunities within the IPT
• Expert knowledge on tools such as Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA), Fault Lifecycle Analysis, Process Mapping, Verification, and First Article Inspection.
• Deputise for the Quality Manager
• Effective time management, prioritisation and escalation with proven experience of planning own time and that of others.
• Appropriate, relevant and timely communication and reporting.
• An understanding of cross functional/ commercial business processes and their own impact on the wider business.
• The…