Principal Quality Assurance and Quality Control Engineer

Overview

As a Principal Quality Assurance and Quality Control Engineer, you lead welding quality activities at Devonport Royal Dockyard, ensuring compliance with high safety, quality, and regulatory standards. You will provide technical leadership on welding and fabrication across diverse projects and maintain critical accreditations. Your role combines engineering expertise with people leadership to raise quality, safety culture, and continuous improvement. You’ll partner with engineering teams and suppliers to meet business needs on complex marine defence programmes. This position offers a chance to influence standards and contribute to national security from a key site.

Pay / Benefits

• Generous holiday allowance
• Matched contribution pension scheme with life assurance
• Digital GP and health checks (Aviva DigiCare+)
• Employee share scheme
• Employee shopping savings portal
• Payment of Professional Fees

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of welding quality professionals to assure welding compliance across the site
• Act as subject matter expert on complex welding and fabrication activities
• Maintain ISO 3834-2 compliance and other critical quality accreditations
• Drive continuous improvement through welding systems and process development
• Collaborate with engineering teams, suppliers and stakeholders to meet standards and business needs
• Provide expert advice on welding repairs, fabrication activities and technical quality matters
• Develop and coach team members in QA/QC competencies

Key requirements

• Demonstrable experience in welding, fabrication, welding inspection or welding quality assurance environments
• Strong knowledge of weld quality management systems per ISO 3834-2
• Understanding of non-destructive testing processes and welding quality requirements
• Knowledge of pipework and structural welding codes and standards
• Experience leading teams and fostering a positive safety culture
• CSWIP 3.2 Senior Welding Inspector certification
• Completed craft apprenticeship with welding/fabrication/welding inspection/nondestructive testing experience
• Experience in a nuclear or marine environment as a Senior Welding Inspector or Welding QA professional
• Ability to obtain and maintain site authorisations to access operational areas

• Strong leadership and people development
• Stakeholder relationship building
• Safety-conscious mindset
• Welding quality management (ISO 3834-2)
• Non-destructive testing basics
• Welding inspections and supervision

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