Quality Improvement Engineer - Contract

At Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, we develop cutting-edge process solutions that enable our customers to research and manufacture advanced materials and semiconductors. Our technologies are helping drive innovation in areas such as:

Medical devices and diagnostics

Electric vehicles and clean energy

Semiconductor manufacturing

Quantum computing

Advanced scientific research

You'll be joining a collaborative and forward-thinking team where continuous improvement is at the heart of everything we do.

As a Quality Improvement Engineer, you will be responsible for supporting and enhancing our Quality Management System while driving continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing, engineering, supply chain and supplier operations.

This is a highly visible role where you'll work closely with internal stakeholders and external suppliers to identify root causes, implement corrective actions, improve quality performance, and ensure compliance with ISO 9001 standards.

Maintain and improve our ISO 9001:2015 compliant Quality Management System.

Support document control, process governance, and management review activities.

Ensure quality processes remain robust, effective, and audit-ready.

Plan and conduct internal audits across operational and business processes.

Support supplier assessments and audits.

Drive corrective actions through to successful completion and verification.

Manage Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs).

Partner with suppliers to investigate issues, drive improvements, and prevent recurrence.

Monitor supplier performance and influence long-term quality improvements.

Lead root cause investigations using 8D, 5 Why, Fishbone and other structured problem-solving techniques.

Implement effective containment, corrective and preventive actions.

Ensure sustainable solutions are delivered and embedded.

Provide daily quality support to production teams.

Investigate non-conformances and manufacturing quality concerns.

Drive Right First Time (RFT) initiatives and defect reduction programmes.

Review and approve First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs).

Support engineering changes and product introduction activities.

Ensure manufacturing and inspection requirements are achieved.

Analyse quality performance metrics and identify improvement opportunities.

Develop and maintain Power BI dashboards and KPI reporting.

Support reporting for supplier performance, SCARs, Cost of Quality and operational quality metrics.

Maintain quality records and documentation within SharePoint and related systems.

Support document governance, migration activities and compliance requirements.

Utilise ERP systems to manage quality-related reporting and transactions.

Working knowledge of ISO 9001:2015.

Experience maintaining Quality Management Systems.

Internal auditing experience or qualification.

Strong problem-solving skills using tools such as 8D, Root Cause Analysis, and 5 Why.

Supplier quality and corrective action experience.

Experience supporting manufacturing or production environments.

Strong Microsoft Office and SharePoint skills.

Experience working with ERP systems (JDE E1 preferred).

Excellent analytical and data interpretation abilities.

Strong communication skills and stakeholder management experience.

Power BI dashboard creation and reporting.

Lead Auditor qualification.

Experience within semiconductor, scientific equipment, or high-technology manufacturing environments.

Knowledge of FAI/FAIR requirements and APQP tools.

We're looking for someone who is:

Detail-oriented and quality-driven

A natural problem solver

Analytical and data-focused

Collaborative and influential

Customer-focused

Organised and able to manage multiple priorities

Passionate about continuous improvement

This role sits at the heart of our quality function and will be instrumental in supporting key initiatives around:

ISO 9001 compliance

Supplier quality improvement

SharePoint and document control enhancement

SCAR and corrective action management

FAI activities

Power BI reporting and data analysis

Production quality support

If you enjoy improving processes, influencing change, and delivering measurable business improvements, we'd love to hear from you.

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All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and would ask you to get in touch if you are concerned about any barriers you feel you may be facing in your application process with us.

Note to recruitment agencies: Oxford Instruments operates a Preferred Supplier List, and we do not accept unsolicited agency CVs. Please do not forward candidate details in response to this advert, or to any Oxford Instruments employees or other company locations. Oxford Instruments is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited CVs.