Supplier Quality Assurance Manager

Job Description

Join us as a key leader in shaping supplier performance across Leonardo sites. You’ll lead a talented team of Supplier Quality professionals, ensuring our global supply chain delivers to the highest standards of quality, consistency, and innovation.

Reporting to the Head of UK Supplier Quality Assurance, you’ll drive supplier excellence—championing defect prevention, process stability, and continuous improvement that keeps Leonardo products at the cutting edge.

This is a high-impact role with visibility across the business. Your ability to lead, influence, and collaborate with cross-functional teams will be essential to delivering results that matter—to our customers, our people, and our future.

Your Impact

• Support Lifecycle Management and contribute to Project Quality Plans by clearly defining the goals of the Edinburgh Supplier Quality Assurance (SQA) Team and aligning their work with overall project objectives.
• Lead the planning, coordination, and management of SQA activities, ensuring effective use of skills, time, and resources across the UK team, with a focus on inclusive collaboration across regions.
• Coordinate resource assignments within the SQA team, and ensure smooth handover of risk and compliance activities—such as special process surveillance—to relevant compliance functions.
• Promote the integration of Critical to Quality (CTQ) attributes within the supply chain to ensure critical customer requirements are clearly identified, understood, and addressed.
• Embed proactive supplier quality tools and techniques early in the product lifecycle to enhance quality and reduce risk.
• Review supplier capabilities and partner with them to drive continuous improvement and value creation, encouraging innovation and inclusive engagement.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of best-practice quality strategies, policies, and procedures to improve operational performance and support diverse supplier capabilities.
• Champion the use of continuous improvement tools—such as Lean, Six Sigma, and FMEAs—and ensure they are applied consistently and equitably across the supply base.
• Lead or support root cause analysis and corrective actions on supplier quality issues, fostering transparent communication and collaborative problem-solving.
• Actively participate in cross-functional initiatives including the Extended Engineering Enterprise (E3) and Future Factory Programme, supporting diverse perspectives and inclusive design thinking.
• Collaborate closely with supply chain partners and internal stakeholders during early lifecycle phases to maximise “right first time” outcomes, focusing on inclusive, accessible design and clear communication of requirements for manufacturing, testing, and verification.
  
  

What You'll Bring

• A self-motivated and inclusive leader with experience in supply chain management within highly regulated industries, spanning a diverse range of commodities and services.
• Skilled in relationship building, with the ability to foster respectful, productive partnerships with both internal teams and external stakeholders to drive shared success.
• Confident in constructively challenging existing practices and championing positive change through collaboration and innovation.
• Proficient in the use of structured Problem Solving and Advanced Quality Planning tools to support New Product Introduction (NPI), including (but not limited to) Process and Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA).
• Demonstrated experience in developing supply chain processes and enhancing manufacturing capabilities, with a strong focus on continuous improvement and inclusive engagement.
• Familiar with agile methodologies and adaptable to evolving project needs and cross-functional collaboration.
• Must be eligible to obtain Security Check (SC) level clearance in line with project and regulatory requirements.
  
  

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit https //careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.
  
  

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!

Primary Location

GB - Luton - Cap. Green 300

Contract Type

Permanent

Hybrid Working

Hybrid