Technical Assurance Lead (Manchester)

What can you expect from CAF?

• Positive Work Environment: You will work in a positive environment, based on mutual respect and team spirit.
• Professional Development: Our projects are often measured in years, sometimes decades, giving you and the organisation a future.
• Learning and Autonomy: We will encourage you to work autonomously, being able to propose and decide 'what' and 'how'.
• Security and Reliability: CAF has been working for over 100 years on a path that stretches into the future, giving you the security you need.
• Cutting-edge technology: You will work with the latest technologies, facing the challenge of devising innovative approaches and solutions every day.

What will be your role in the company?

The Technical Assurance Lead is responsible for providing independent technical assurance across CAF Rail UK's supply chain, ensuring that products, materials, services and engineering activities delivered by suppliers meet contractual, regulatory, technical and quality requirements. The role will support supplier qualification, technical validation, project delivery, procurement activities and ongoing assurance of supplier performance to reduce technical, safety, quality and commercial risks.

Supplier Technical Validation

• Lead technical assessment and approval of new and existing suppliers.
• Review supplier engineering capability, competence, processes and certifications.
• Validate supplier technical submissions, design data, specifications and approval evidence.
• Ensure supplier products and services comply with CAF standards, customer requirements and industry regulations.

Supplier Assurance and Auditing

• Develop and maintain a supplier technical assurance programme.
• Conduct supplier audits, inspections and technical reviews.
• Monitor supplier compliance against engineering, quality and safety requirements.
• Identify supplier risks and develop corrective action plans.

Engineering and Technical Support

• Provide technical assurance support to engineering, maintenance and overhaul projects.
• Review design changes, modifications and technical deviations raised by suppliers.
• Support engineering investigations, root cause analysis and corrective actions.

Quality and Product Validation

• Validate First Article Inspection (FAI) activities where required.
• Verify compliance with applicable standards, specifications and contractual requirements.
• Support investigations relating to product defects, failures and non-conformities.

Procurement and Supply Chain Support

• Work closely with Procurement to embed technical assurance requirements into supplier contracts.
• Define technical acceptance criteria for products and services.
• Support tender evaluations and supplier assessment activities.

Governance and Assurance

• Develop assurance processes, procedures and reporting mechanisms.
• Maintain supplier assurance records and technical compliance evidence.
• Produce assurance reports and performance metrics for senior management.

What salary will you be paid for this role?

As a Real Living Wage Employer, we are proud to pay competitively at CAF. For this role you will be offered a salary in the region of £48,000 and £50,000 per annum.

What will make you successful in this position?

To succeed in this role, you will need:

• Degree or equivalent qualification in Engineering or related technical discipline.
• Experience within rail, manufacturing, rolling stock or engineering environments.
• Experience conducting supplier audits and technical assessments.
• Strong understanding of quality management systems and assurance methodologies.
• Knowledge of supplier quality assurance and supply chain management.
• Experience supporting engineering investigations and technical problem solving.
• Lead Auditor qualification (ISO9001/ISO14001/ISO45001).
• Knowledge of ECM requirements and railway standards.
• Experience within rolling stock maintenance, overhaul or manufacturing operations.
• Awareness of product assurance and systems assurance principles.
• IRCA auditor qualification.