What are the responsibilities and job description for the Quality Engineer position at GKN Automotive?
About Us
GKN Automotive is the global leader in conventional, all-wheel, and electrified driveline systems and solutions. With an extensive international footprint, we design, develop, manufacture, and integrate a wide range of driveline technologies for over 90% of the world’s car manufacturers. Our commitment to innovation, collaboration, and excellence drives us to deliver cutting-edge solutions that shape the future of mobility.
Position Summary
We are looking for a dynamic and detail-oriented Manufacturing Quality Engineer to join our team. In this role, you will be instrumental in ensuring the integrity and consistency of our manufacturing processes and the flawless delivery of products to our customers. You’ll lead the implementation and maintenance of quality standards, drive continuous improvement initiatives, and collaborate across departments to uphold our commitment to excellence.
The Quality Engineer plays a key role in ensuring compliance with IATF 16949 by managing and verifying the conformity of manufacturing processes. This position is responsible for driving first-time-right product delivery through the effective implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the Quality Management System, relevant industry standards, and best practices.
This is a hands-on position that offers the opportunity to make a measurable impact in a fast-paced, forward-thinking environment. The role requires flexibility to respond to urgent plant needs, averaging 1–2 instances per month, though not always requiring on-site presence.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical field
- Experience with driveline or automotive manufacturing processes
- Familiarity with quality systems such as PFMEA, Control Plans, and Process Flow documentation Strong analytical skills and a proactive approach to problem-solving
Travel Availability
This position requires up to 20% travel to support plant operations and quality initiatives.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum of 2 years of experience in the quality field within an automotive or manufacturing environment
- Knowledge of ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 standards
- Intermediate experience with machining or assembly processes
- Ability to conduct audits and ensure compliance with quality standards
Position Overview
As a Manufacturing Quality Engineer, you will ensure that manufacturing processes meet internal standards and customer expectations. You’ll be responsible for maintaining quality documentation, designing and validating inspection and testing procedures, and ensuring that non-conforming parts are effectively contained. You’ll also conduct audits to assess process capability and stability, support the development of new quality policies, and contribute to the continuous improvement of our Quality Management System.
This role requires a strong understanding of operational compliance, risk management, and performance metrics. You’ll be expected to lead initiatives that embed lessons learned into our processes, prepare complex reports, and support training efforts to enhance business capabilities. Success in this position demands a commitment to our core values—being ingenious, collaborative, principled, and driven—and a passion for delivering results through innovation and integrity.
Soft Skills
- Results-driven mindset
- Strong analytical profile and decision-making ability
- Compliance-focused approach
- Skilled in data translation and data-driven decision-making
- Familiarity with systems-based quality management
Technical Skills
- Intermediate experience with IATF 16949 standards
- Hands-on knowledge of machining or assembly operations
- Proficiency in conducting audits and managing compliance
- Understanding of manufacturing quality systems and documentation
GKN Automotive is the market leader in conventional, all-wheel and electrified drive systems and solutions. With a comprehensive global footprint, we design, develop, manufacture and integrate an extensive range of driveline technologies for over 90% of the world’s car manufacturers. As a global engineering company, innovation is what differentiates us from our competitors and is central to our success. A balance of cultures, ethnicities and genders help bring new ideas and creativity to GKN Automotive. We need people of different backgrounds, with different skills and perspectives to spark originality, imagination and creativeness in our teams around the world. GKN Automotive is an equal opportunity employer. We treat all our employees and applicants fairly and are committed to ensuring that there is no discrimination or harassment against any employee or qualified applicant on the grounds of age, race, creed, colour, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality, sex, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process. Please contact us to request any such accommodation.