Job Specifications
About the company:
This organization is a leading, integrated group at the forefront of the design, manufacturing, and construction sectors. It is renowned for delivering complex, high-value projects. With multiple business units operating across its region, the company is a driver of innovation and excellence in its industry. As it undergoes a significant growth phase, it is strategically investing in foundational systems to empower its teams, ensure operational excellence, and solidify its market-leading position for the future.
The Mission:
As the inaugural Group Quality Leader, your mandate is to architect, implement, and embed a lean, practical, and ISO 9001-aligned QMS across the entire organization. You won't be a "quality cop"; you will be a change agent and a coach, enabling their business units to own quality and excel in their delivery of complex, high-value projects.
You will be the one to build the framework that directly reduces rework, increases predictability, and becomes the backbone of their operational excellence.
Here's what you'll be building and leading:
Design & Implementation: Architect and roll out a brand-new QMS from the ground up, spanning their design, manufacturing, and construction divisions.
Cultural Transformation: Coach and influence business unit leaders to adopt and champion their own quality processes. Your success will be measured by their ownership and buy-in.
Tool Creation: Develop user-friendly tools--digital platforms, SOPs, checklists--that teams will actually want to use because they make their jobs easier.
Drive Outcomes: Establish a data-driven culture of continuous improvement, linking your work directly to cost savings and operational efficiency.
Build for Scale: Lay the foundation for, and eventually lead, a future quality team, embedding excellence into the company's DNA as they grow.
The ideal candidate I'm looking for has:
A proven, hands-on track record of designing and implementing ISO 9001 systems in a "greenfield" or early-stage environment.
The rare blend of strategic vision and roll-up-your-sleeves execution. You can build the blueprint and then help bring it to life.
Exceptional change management and coaching skills, with the credibility to challenge the status quo and inspire leaders at all levels.
Deep, practical expertise in root cause analysis, process mapping (SIPOC), and continuous improvement methodologies.
The ability to translate "quality" into plain language that resonates from the shop floor to the C-suite.
A background in construction, manufacturing, or a similar integrated industry is highly desirable.
Why this is a compelling career move:
Legacy Impact: This is a rare chance to build something that will last. The systems and culture you create will be your legacy and will define the company's operational standard for years to come.
Strategic Influence & Visibility: You will report directly to the COO. This is a high-visibility role where your work will be critical to the company's strategic goals.
True Autonomy: My client hires experts they can trust. You will be given the autonomy to innovate and drive this function forward, with a culture that values progress over perfection.
About the Company
In construction, talent can be hard to find. It's an industry built on relationships, priding itself on attracting and retaining the best talent. At Lignum, we match high-quality roles and opportunities with equally sought-after candidates and people. Specialising in niche industries, we work directly with respected UK and North America contractors and sub-contractors, finding skilled people to take their business forward. Our international network of talent means we're ideally placed to deliver, with a team on hand to work ...
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