Quality Assurance Engineer

Job Title: Quality Assurance Engineer

Location: Milton Keynes

Salary: Experience dependant

Job Type: Permanent, full time

Over the years, SMC have achieved some pretty big things:

• We’ve mapped the human genome, improved your vision, battled cause & delivered cure for Covid-19.
• We’ve got airplanes into the air, cars on the road, battened down the hatches on board ship, and reduced the CO2 footprint of commercial freight.
• We’ve put bread on your table, pulled you a pint, put the shirt on your back and a phone in your pocket.

The Company:

SMC Pneumatics is based in Milton Keynes, with a well-established 14-acre site. UK customers benefit from quicker delivery and customised product options where required because many SMC products are finished or assembled by hand in the Milton Keynes facility.

In addition to the 230 staff based in Milton Keynes, SMC also has a nationwide sales team of around 120 technically trained sales engineers.

Thanks to excellent relationships with 50 regional and national distributors, SMC products are available from 750 trade counters across the entire UK. This means that customers can purchase SMC components in a way that suits them best.

So, can you imagine yourself working for SMC, a global market leader in pneumatics and automation technology, where innovation and customer satisfaction is at the forefront of what they do?

From putting the soles on your shoes, to the tarmac they walk on; from a packet of crisps to silicon chips; from wooden toothpicks to electric cars; you’d be amazed at the things we get involved in. Sometimes our role is significant; sometimes it’s small, but it’s never trivial and it’s always rewarding.

About the role:

We are currently looking for a Quality Assurance Engineer to join our team. They will support the Quality Manager in delivering projects and improvements aligned to company and team objectives, whilst supporting compliance of the QMS through auditing and closure of non-conformances. They will be resolving customer complaints and closely engaged with production and support departments to improve processes and resolve line issues. With a strong awareness of SMC UK production and customer experience data they will input requirements to new products and deliver to APQP/PPAP requirements.

Key Responsibilities:

• Plan, manage and lead Quality projects to completion, calculating ROI, building cross-functional teams, and working closely with stakeholders to enable quality improvements to products and processes.
• Coordinate and collaborate with internal and external sources to accomplish goals, meet deadlines, and mediate with quality issues.
• Manage customer complaints with cross-functional teams, identifying the issue and root cause, providing a correction to fix the fault swiftly and raising and closing out the 8D/NCR/CAR with robust permanent corrective actions.
• Provide customers both internal and external with a high standard of customer service.
• Compile APQP documentation (FMEA, Control Plans, process flows) and deliver PPAP submissions as specified by customers.
• Support internal Quality Control team with process and tool setup for new suppliers, new technologies and new parts according to product specifications.
• Assisting with implementing updates to ISO9001 in line with the ISO standards.
• Participate in setting up, reviewing, and upgrading the quality standards, policies and procedures within SMC UK and ETC on new and existing processes.
• Carry out internal Integrated Management System (ISO9001/14001/45001) audits and ensure closure of non-conformances.
• Gather and manipulate data sets (CAR, Scrap, Test, Returns, Claims)

Skills and Experience:

• Understanding of mechanical inspection, machining operations, calibration of tools and batch traceability.
• Experience driving cross-company projects, identifying opportunities for improvement and implementing change programs.
• Experience in delivering PPAP documentation and creating APQP requirements.
• Experience in lean six sigma problem-solving techniques including 5-WHY, IS/IS-NOT, Cause & Effect diagrams, fault tree analysis and related tools such as SPC, MSA or programs such as Minitab.
• Should be a self-starter, organised, confident, great communicator at all levels, tenacious and a strong collaborator.

Benefits and Package:

• Competitive annual salary dependent on skills, qualifications and experience.
• Performance based and Loyalty bonuses.
• SMC rewards and benefits portal including retail discounts.

If you’re interested in the role and would like to put yourself forward, please hit APPLY

Candidates with the relevant experience or job titles of: Quality Engineer, QA Support Quality Engineer, Quality Assurance Coordinator, QA, Product Quality Engineer, Quality Assurance, Quality Assurance Engineer, QA Engineer, Continuous Improvement, Laser Cutting Quality Engineer, Improvement Engineer, Quality Engineering, Manufacturing Quality Assurance, Quality performance Engineer, Manufacturing Quality Tester, Quality Management System Auditor, QMS Auditor, ISO9001 may also be considered for this role.