Background
No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.
It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks.
McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.
Purpose of Role
As a Perceived Quality Lead Engineer within Product Quality, you will engage at the very front end of the conceptual design process and play an integral role within the project team as the lead Product Quality representative, to influence the design as well as product to support the business and product quality targets. You will be responsible for creating targets, specifications, and designs of components to achieve the attribute targets on several future vehicle projects.
These sensory attributes are a collection of subjective and objective factors which have an influence on the customer’s perception of the overall Perceived Quality of the vehicle, with respect to its intended purpose and benchmark competitors. The Perceived Quality Lead Engineer reports to the Head of Product Quality Standards.
The collation and understanding of current product issues sourced from both internal departmental systems and external field sensors is central to this role to ensure continuous product improvement. This is an exciting area with responsibilities ranging from functional resource management, project gateways, initial product target setting, engineering release sign off all the way through to vehicle launch.
The role relies upon excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a key attribute being the ability to challenge, persuade, convince, and guide with assertion, while building important relationships at all levels both internally and externally across the McLaren automotive business.
Principal Accountabilities
As an integral part of the Product Quality Standards team, involvement begins at the front end of the conceptual design process, working cross-functionally to evaluate the product and process design capability against critical quality targets for major vehicle systems. It is also in your direct responsibility to provide an integrated link between design intent, quality target expectation and engineering drawing / quality control plan definition to ensure robust design capability and effective communication. Coordinate the MPA (McLaren Production Audit), fault resolution tracker to ensure the project has clear direction on all quality issues and feedback into the engineering community any design driven concerns.
Product Quality Standard coordination:
- As the sole representative of Perceived Quality at each project specific meeting, it will be your responsibility to ensure that the PQ targets are deployed and understood by each business unit area with any activities affecting them. It is also key to ensure that customer quality aspects are considered throughout, and the right decisions are made based with the quality targets in mind.
- Achieving all project gateway milestones is key to the successful delivery of all new products. Therefore, you will be required to coordinate the completion of all revenant Perceived Quality MDP deliverables for the ongoing programmes.
Perceived Quality coordination:
- Perceived Quality (PQ) is a collection of subjective and objective factors which have an influence on the customer’s perception of the overall worth of the vehicle, with respect to its intended purpose and benchmark competitors. The PQ team finds and delivers design and engineering solutions for Perceived Quality factors on future vehicle programmes.
- Collaborate closely with the Perceived Quality specialist to communicate all Perceived Quality targets and aspects to the program team. Evaluate product and process design capabilities against critical quality targets for major vehicle systems, identify and manage virtual problems early in the product development stage, and communicate findings to the business to find optimal design solutions. Ensure accuracy and consistency of Perceived Quality targets for ongoing programs.
- Implement a climate of best-practice and continuous improvement in PQ procedures and solutions. This includes evolving or refreshing all current Design Guides, PQ documents, and McLaren standards.
- Oversee and coordinate the PQ processes and Standards in the McLaren Standard Library.
- Communicate the principles of PQ to the McLaren engineering community to encourage adherence. Effectively communicate concerns to senior management for concept/business decisions.
- Create Perceived Quality Virtual Audit schedule for CAS and CAD releases.
- Co-ordinate lessons-learned activities at the successful completion of each engineering sign-off milestone.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- You will need to be degree-qualified in a relevant Engineering discipline, Product Design or Consumer Science.
- This role requires in-depth specialist knowledge of one of these fields. Awards received during study or work will be influential.
- Be able to demonstrate design (aesthetic) empathy through work experience or personal projects.
- Require exceptionally good MS Office Skills Knowledge.
- CATIA CAD software or Alias/ICEMSurf CAS software is not necessary but would be a benefit.
- Knowledge of the English language must be good (at least European C1 level)
Personal Attributes
- Analytically intelligent, thinks fast on your feet, naturally creative and questioning.
- Presentable, self-confident, and affable.
- Motivated, driven, is positive.
- Curious, resilient, acts with integrity.
- Clear thought and an organised mind, with attention to detail.