Quality and Test Engineering Recruitment
Engineering and technical appointments within advanced manufacturing.
Quality and test engineers protect your accreditations, your customers and your reputation. The good ones are hard to find and harder to keep. Core Search finds them, checks their depth and helps you secure them.
Roles we recruit
Quality Engineers
Quality planning, root cause, corrective action, audits and customer quality.
Supplier Quality Engineers
Supplier approval, development, audits, PPAP and first article inspection.
CMM Programmers and Inspectors
Programming, inspection and reporting on complex parts to tight tolerances.
Metrology Engineers
Measurement systems, calibration, laser trackers, scanning and measurement capability.
Test and Development Engineers
Test planning, rig design, data acquisition and validation of products and materials.
Quality Systems and Compliance Engineers
Maintaining accreditations, internal audits, document control and regulatory compliance.
Standards, tools and software we search for
We search across every common standard and system. If your business works to it, we can find people who know it.
Standards
ISO 9001, AS9100, IATF 16949, ISO 13485, ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and NADCAP.
Quality tools
APQP, PPAP, FAIR to AS9102, PFMEA and DFMEA, control plans, MSA, SPC, 8D, Six Sigma and internal and supplier auditing.
Metrology and test
Zeiss Calypso, Hexagon PC-DMIS, Metrolog, Mitutoyo MCOSMOS, PolyWorks, laser trackers and arms, LabVIEW, dSPACE, NI and HBM data acquisition.
Why these hires are hard
Quality engineers are often the first people a growing manufacturer needs and the last ones to leave a stable employer. Accreditation experience such as AS9100 or IATF 16949 narrows the pool further.
CMM programmers and test engineers with the right software and part complexity are a small group, and most of them are found through people, not job boards.
How we search
- We challenge the specification where it narrows the pool without adding value. For example, we ask whether a specific accreditation is essential or whether strong experience under a similar standard will transfer.
- We map the local market before we start, so you know how many people fit and what they earn.
- We headhunt directly, including candidates in adjacent sectors with the same standards.
- We test technical depth before you meet anyone: standards, tools, audits led, problems solved and software used.
- We manage the offer and the counter-offer, so a good process does not fall over at the last step.
Who we work with
Aerospace, defence, automotive, motorsport and medical device manufacturers, testing and certification laboratories, and specialist manufacturers across Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands and the UK.
Questions
Do you recruit quality managers and heads of quality?
Yes. Senior quality appointments are handled through our leadership search service.
How quickly can you shortlist?
For most roles, we share a market view within days and a shortlist within two weeks. Rare skills take longer.
What areas do you cover?
Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the wider Midlands are our base, and we recruit nationally.
Need a quality, CMM or test engineer?
Tell us what you are trying to hire and we will tell you honestly what the market looks like.