Northern
Engineering Quality Advisor
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Salary: £46,295 per annum
Grade: Fleet A Days
Location: Newton Heath TrainCare Centre
Hours: 35 hours per week
Role type: On site
Quality keeps the railway moving
Every train that leaves a depot carries thousands of journeys with it. Behind each one is a commitment to doing things the right way, every time.
As part of our Engineering team, you'll help make sure our maintenance standards remain among the best in the industry. You'll be at the heart of how we monitor quality, improve processes and make sure our engineering activities meet the standards our customers, colleagues and regulators expect. It's a role where your expertise will influence decisions, solve problems and help shape continuous improvement across Northern's fleet.
What You'll Be Doing
You'll spend your time making sure quality isn't just a standard on paper, but something that's built into everything we do. That means you'll:
- Carry out audits across our engineering activities, making sure procedures are followed and standards are consistently met.
- Assess compliance with ISO 9001, Railway Industry Supplier Approval Scheme (RISAS) requirements and Northern's engineering procedures.
- Audit areas including train maintenance, safety-critical materials, supplier performance and engineering safety.
- Produce clear, practical audit reports that identify strengths, highlight risks and recommend improvements.
- Support teams to develop and track actions that address audit findings and drive continuous improvement.
- Investigate quality concerns, identify root causes and recommend effective solutions.
- Support external audits and act as a trusted point of contact for auditors and key stakeholders.
- Work closely with colleagues across Engineering to strengthen compliance, quality assurance and best practice.
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About You
You'll enjoy looking beneath the surface, asking the right questions and finding better ways of doing things. Quality matters to you because you know the difference it makes to safety, reliability and performance.
You'll bring:
- Lead Auditor qualification for ISO 9001, or equivalent auditing experience.
- Good knowledge of quality management systems, legislation and industry standards.
- Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving skills.
- Confidence producing reports and presenting findings clearly.
- Experience using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Visio.
- The ability to manage your own workload while building positive relationships across different teams.
- A NEBOSH General Certificate, or the willingness to work towards achieving one.
Experience within railway vehicle engineering or maintenance would be an advantage, but if you've developed strong quality assurance and auditing skills in another engineering environment, we'd still love to hear from you.
What's in it for you?
At Northern, we don't just value our people - we go the extra mile to support them. Here's a taste of what you can look forward to:
- Free Travel: Unlimited free travel for you, your partner and your dependants on Northern services. Plus up to 75% discount on other networks across the UK and Europe.
- Generous Pension Scheme: We top up your contributions by 1.5 times.
- Enhanced Family Benefits: We offer 9 months of full pay for maternity leave and 2 weeks for paternity leave.
- Cycle to Work Scheme: Save up to 42% on a bike and spread the cost.
- Exclusive Discounts: From shopping to wellbeing, Northern Perks has you covered.
- Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 support for family, lifestyle and more.
- Training and Career Development: We offer tailored training, recognised qualifications and clear career pathways across the business.
- Recognition: Our Northern Lights and Northern Sparks Awards celebrate colleagues who go above and beyond every day.
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Why Northern?
We're more than just a train operator. We're the heartbeat of the North - connecting communities, creating opportunities and driving sustainable growth. With 2,650 trains running daily, we're on a mission to improve rail travel, enhance the customer experience and protect the environment.
Back in 1825, the first passenger train set off in the North of England, beginning a journey that would transform travel across the world. We've recently celebrated 200 years of the modern railway and, as we reflect on that legacy, our focus is now on the future as Great British Rail takes shape. Join us at this pivotal moment in rail history and play your part in our journey.
A place for everyone
The best journeys happen when everyone feels welcome on board.
At Northern, we don't just move people from A to B - we're building a team where everyone feels they belong. Our Talent team can make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process if that's something you need. We're also a Level 2 Disability Confident employer, so if you meet the minimum criteria for the role, we'll always offer you an interview.
We automate parts of our screening process to help remove unconscious bias and make sure every application is treated fairly. All successful offers will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and a medical assessment.
No matter your background, experience, or whether you call it a bap, barm or cob... there's a place for you here in the railway.
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