Requirements
Candidates should have inspection experience in aerospace, defence, automotive, or another regulated manufacturing environment, along with the ability to interpret engineering drawings and use hand metrology equipment. Accurate record keeping, confidence managing nonconformances, experience with ERP or quality systems, strong collaboration skills, and the ability to meet BPSS requirements are sought; relevant certifications and specialist inspection experience are advantageous.
Job Description
Build quality into the future of autonomous systems.
SYOS designs and manufactures advanced uncrewed systems across air, land, sea and subsurface. We combine intelligent engineering, AI-driven autonomy and innovative design to create next-generation vehicles operating in some of the world's most challenging environments.
Our mission is to extend human capability, protect people and deliver operational advantage through accessible, scalable and intelligent autonomous technology.
About the role
As a Quality Inspector, you'll play a hands-on role across the site's key quality gates — goods receipt, in-process production and final inspection. You'll work closely with the Quality Manager and wider production team to ensure components, assemblies and finished products meet the required quality standards. As you build competence, you'll become authorised across different inspection areas, giving you the opportunity to develop a broad understanding of the production process.
During the early production ramp, you'll carry out in-process inspections directly before helping transfer routine checks to trained operators. Over time, your focus will develop towards independent verification of critical characteristics, auditing operator inspections and final inspection.
What you'll be doing:
- Carry out inspections across goods receipt, in-process production and final inspection, following inspection and Control Plans and accurately recording measured results.
- Perform receiving inspections, including reviewing certificates, material documentation, part approval status, batch/lot information, shelf life, packaging and dimensional requirements.
- Conduct in-process checks covering areas such as harness workmanship, torque and sealing, composite inspection and assembly completeness.
- Independently verify critical and safety-critical characteristics and special process steps that require quality sign-off.
- Support the transition of routine inspections to trained operators by coaching, verifying and auditing operator inspection activities.
- Complete final inspection activities including configuration, traceability, identification, build records, packaging and labelling, supporting First Article Inspection where required.
- Identify and control non-conforming product by raising nonconformances, quarantining product and supporting containment and investigation activities.
What we're looking for
We're looking for a quality professional who is hands-on, detail-focused and confident making quality decisions in a production environment.
You'll ideally have:
- Inspection experience within aerospace, defence, automotive or another regulated manufacturing environment.
- Experience reading engineering drawings and using hand metrology equipment such as calipers, micrometers, gauges and torque tools.
- A strong commitment to accurate inspection and record keeping — you measure, record what you find and don't sign off work you haven't checked.
- Confidence raising and managing nonconformances with production teams.
- Experience recording inspection results within an ERP or quality management system.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with Production, Engineering and Quality teams.
- Ability to meet Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) requirements.
It would be advantageous if you also have:
- IPC/WHMA-A-620 or IPC-A-610 certification.
- CMM operation experience.
- Composite or mechanical assembly inspection experience.
- Receiving inspection and certificate review experience.
- Aerospace, defence or uncrewed systems experience.
- Experience coaching operators or auditing operator self-inspection.
- A quality qualification such as CQI.
Why join SYOS?
This is an opportunity to join the founding Quality team at a new UK production facility and help establish the inspection standards and processes that will support SYOS as we scale. You'll work alongside engineers, production specialists and other quality professionals building advanced autonomous systems across air, land, sea and subsurface.
At SYOS, we value communication, collaboration, integrity, delivery and continuous improvement. We want people who take ownership, ask questions, challenge constructively and care about getting the details right.
If you're a Quality Inspector looking for a hands-on role where your work directly contributes to the quality and reliability of next-generation autonomous systems, we'd love to hear from you.
Skills
About SYOS Aerospace
SYOS is a rapidly growing uncrewed systems technology company tackling real-world challenges across air, land, sea and subsurface domains. We design and manufacture a multi-domain portfolio of advanced, uncrewed, autonomous systems engineered for mission readiness, reliability and the best cost to capability in the market. Built to perform in remote environments, high-risk scenarios or everyday operations our vehicles enable defence, civil and commercial organisations to work smarter, safer and with greater capability. Our expertise spans autonomous hardware, mission‑critical uncrewed technologies and AI‑enabled autonomy, and we are one of the world’s largest manufacturers of Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs). Combining world-class engineering and proven AI-driven autonomy, we operate with agile design, lean manufacturing and rapid innovation - with a relentless focus on Minimum Viable Capability. Working shoulder to shoulder with customers and end users, shaping solutions informed by real-world evidence and validated in the harshest conditions. SYOS is dual headquartered in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, with a proven international footprint. Our R&D, manufacturing and production sites are based in UK and NZ, with an operational and support presence in Ukraine.
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