Lead Design Quality Assurance Engineer
Pitstone
Skills: APQP, FMEA, PPAP, Root Cause Analysis, AS9100, EASA / CAA Part 21J, Auditing
Safran – Here, we craft excellence together.
At Safran, excellence is a journey – and we'd love you to be a part of it. As a global leader in aerospace, defence, and space, we are proud to be a company where diversity, innovation, and opportunity come together to shape a sustainable future.
We are looking for passionate individuals to join our team as a Lead Design Quality Assurance Engineer at our Pitstone site.
The Lead Design QA Engineer ensures engineering designs meet safety, regulatory (EASA, CAA) and customer requirements before production commences focusing on risk mitigation and process compliance and engages effectively with all involved regulatory bodies.
Lead engineer is responsible for planning and delivery of design assurance oversight in line with Part 21J airworthiness requirements and Design Organization Handbook (DOH) requirements applicable to the customer products, responsible for achieving 100% compliance with airworthiness.
Lead engineer will engage with heads of production, engineering, configuration and support functions defining strategy for defect prevention, root cause analysis and continuous improvement across the full product development lifecycle.
Lead Design Quality Assurance activities in accordance with EASA/CAA Part 21J airworthiness requirements and the Design Organisation Handbook (DOH).
Develop and implement quality strategies, performance measures, and KPIs to ensure compliance with customer, regulatory, and business requirements.
Act as the primary quality escalation point for customers, project teams, and regulatory authorities, maintaining continued airworthiness and product compliance.
Lead design reviews, including PDR, CDR, and development programme milestones, ensuring quality, safety, reliability, and producibility are embedded throughout the design lifecycle.
Drive defect prevention, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement activities through RCCA, FRACA, and corrective action programmes.
Review and validate technical documentation, design changes, and compliance evidence to support certification and customer requirements.
Lead technical and process audits, oversee non-conformance management, and approve corrective action closure activities.
Define quality support requirements for NPI programmes and work closely with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Supplier Quality, and Programme teams to achieve programme objectives.
Coach, mentor, and develop Design Quality Assurance Engineers while identifying training needs and opportunities for process improvement.
Influence operational leaders to ensure quality assurance processes and best practices are effectively deployed across production environments.
Represent the business in customer and regulatory meetings, providing quality leadership, performance reporting, and compliance updates.
