Head of Quality
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Our client is looking for an experienced and strategic Head of Quality to lead the quality function across a complex manufacturing operation. This is a key leadership position responsible for developing and executing the company's quality strategy, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements, and driving a culture of continuous improvement throughout the organisation.
The successful candidate will provide leadership across all aspects of quality management, including quality systems, compliance, auditing, customer complaints, corrective actions, supplier quality, and operational excellence. Working closely with senior leadership, engineering, production, supply chain, and customer-facing teams, the Head of Quality will play a pivotal role in improving product quality, reducing operational risk, enhancing customer satisfaction, and supporting business growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and implement the organisation's quality strategy in line with business objectives.
- Lead, mentor, and develop the quality team, creating a high-performance culture focused on accountability and continuous improvement.
- Own and continuously improve the Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring compliance with ISO 9001 and other relevant industry standards.
- Develop, implement, and maintain quality procedures, policies, and documentation.
- Lead all internal and external audits, including customer, supplier, regulatory, and certification audits.
- Ensure compliance with all applicable industry regulations, standards, and customer requirements.
- Manage audit findings and ensure corrective actions are implemented effectively and within agreed timescales.
- Oversee the management of customer complaints, quality concerns, warranty claims, and non-conformance investigations.
- Ensure robust root cause analysis is conducted and corrective actions are implemented to prevent recurrence.
- Lead initiatives to reduce defects, waste, rework, returns, and the overall cost of poor quality.
- Develop supplier quality strategies and performance monitoring frameworks.
- Support supplier audits, assessments, and development activities.
- Work collaboratively with suppliers to resolve quality concerns and drive continuous improvement.
- Monitor supplier performance metrics and implement corrective actions where required.
- Champion continuous improvement methodologies across the organisation.
- Lead improvement projects focused on quality, efficiency, customer satisfaction, and operational performance.
The Ideal Candidate
- Proven experience in a senior Quality Management or Head of Quality position within a manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrable experience leading and developing quality teams.
- Extensive knowledge of Quality Management Systems and ISO 9001.
- Strong experience managing audits, compliance, corrective actions, and continuous improvement programmes.
- Experience handling customer complaints, non-conformance investigations, and root cause analysis.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Place your ISO 9001 expertise prominently in your Personal Statement — the advert lists it as a core requirement under 'Own and continuously improve the QMS'.
📊 Quantify quality improvements on your CV: e.g. 'Reduced customer complaints by 42% over 18 months through structured CAPA programme'.
🎯 Dedicate a bullet to audit leadership — cite the number and type of audits managed annually (customer, supplier, certification) as the advert explicitly lists all three.
🔧 Highlight supplier quality experience separately, referencing performance monitoring frameworks and supplier development activities, as the advert devotes a full section to this.
🤝 Demonstrate cross-functional influence by naming specific departments (engineering, production, supply chain) you have collaborated with, mirroring the advert's language around senior leadership engagement.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Overhauled ISO 9001 QMS across 3 manufacturing sites, achieving zero major non-conformances across 4 consecutive external certification audits over 5 years.
- •Led root cause analysis programme targeting top 10 defect categories, reducing customer complaints by 38% and warranty claim costs by £220k within 18 months.
- •Developed and implemented supplier quality performance framework covering 45 tier-1 suppliers, cutting non-conforming inbound deliveries from 8.2% to 2.7% in 12 months.
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Letter preview — tailored to Futures
Dear Hiring Manager,
Futures' search for a Head of Quality within a complex manufacturing environment aligns directly with the career I have built around ISO 9001 compliance, QMS ownership, and supplier quality strategy. Having led quality functions through certification audits, major non-conformance investigations, and cross-functional continuous improvement programmes, I am confident I can deliver the strategic and operational leadership this role demands.
My background in senior quality management includes building high-performance quality teams, reducing the cost of poor quality through structured CAPA frameworks, and developing supplier performance monitoring systems that cut non-conforming deliveries by over 30% within 12 months. I have owned relationships with customers, regulators, and third-party auditors simultaneously, ensuring zero lapses in certification across multi-site operations.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How have you structured and maintained a QMS to ensure ongoing ISO 9001 certification in a complex manufacturing environment?
- ›Describe your approach to root cause analysis for a high-severity non-conformance. Which tools or methodologies do you favour?
- ›How do you design and implement a supplier quality performance monitoring framework, and what KPIs do you track?
- ›Walk us through how you have managed a major external audit — preparation, execution, and post-audit corrective actions.
- ›What continuous improvement methodologies have you deployed on the shop floor, and how did you measure their impact on defect rates or cost of poor quality?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you transformed a quality culture within a manufacturing organisation that was resistant to change.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to manage a significant customer complaint escalation. How did you handle it and what was the outcome?
- ›Give an example of a time you led a quality team through a period of significant business pressure. How did you maintain standards and team morale?
- ›Tell me about a supplier relationship where quality was consistently below standard. What steps did you take and what was the result?
- ›Describe a complex improvement project you led that delivered measurable reductions in waste, rework, or returns.
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you transformed a quality culture within a manufacturing organisation that was resistant to change.
Describe a situation where you had to manage a significant customer complaint escalation. How did you handle it and what was the outcome?