Supplier Quality Engineering Industrial Placement 2027

Who Are We?

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.

What to Expect

We are recruiting for Industrial Placement Interns to join our Supplier Quality Engineering team at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey. As a Supplier Quality Engineering Intern, you will help ensure that every component delivered by our suppliers meets McLaren’s uncompromising standards for quality, performance, and reliability.

Working closely with experienced Supplier Quality Engineers, you’ll be part of the team responsible for developing, auditing, and supporting suppliers across our global network. Your work will directly contribute to the quality of McLaren’s high-performance vehicles, from prototype builds to full series production.

This is a 12-month, full-time Industrial Placement designed to give you practical exposure to the supply chain and quality engineering disciplines within the automotive industry. You will gain hands-on experience with real supplier quality challenges, learn how to apply industry best practices, and develop the skills needed for a future career in automotive quality and supplier management.

Please note this is an on-site position.

What You'll Do

During your Industrial Placement, you’ll play an active role in ensuring suppliers deliver parts that meet specification, on time, and to the required quality level.

Typical responsibilities include:

• Supporting supplier quality audits and documenting findings.
• Assisting with incoming part inspections and data analysis to identify trends or non-conformances.
• Helping to manage supplier corrective actions and following up to ensure effective closure.
• Contributing to supplier performance reviews and monitoring key metrics such as PPM (parts per million defect rate) and delivery adherence.
• Participating in Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) activities for new model introduction.
• Supporting root cause analysis for supplier-related quality issues.
• Assisting with supplier capability assessments and reporting.
• Helping coordinate containment actions when non-conforming parts are detected.

You’ll gain valuable insight into how a high-performance automotive supply chain operates, and how supplier partnerships are managed to deliver the quality McLaren is known for.

What You'll Bring

• You must be currently studying for a Mechanical, Manufacturing, Automotive Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or related degree at a UK university.
• A strong interest in quality assurance and supplier development.
• Analytical mindset and a willingness to engage with real-world engineering and supply chain challenges.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Good communication skills to work effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Basic understanding of manufacturing processes or quality tools (such as 8D, FMEA, or Six Sigma) is advantageous.

Personal Attributes:

We’re looking for individuals who are proactive, detail-focused, and committed to maintaining the highest standards. Desirable traits include:

• Quality-focused mindset – cares deeply about accuracy, precision, and doing things right first time.
• Analytical thinker – able to interpret data, spot patterns, and identify potential risks.
• Collaborative approach – works well with suppliers, engineers, and cross-functional teams.
• Problem-solving ability – can think logically when facing quality issues and propose practical solutions.
• Adaptability – comfortable working in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• Resilience – remains calm and focused when faced with unexpected challenges.
• Ownership – takes responsibility for assigned tasks and sees them through to completion.
• AI proficiency - comfortable using AI tools ethically and effectively to support learning, productivity, innovation, and problem-solving.
• Commercial awareness – understands the balance between quality, cost, and delivery.

What We'll Do for You

We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:

• 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days.
• Enhanced company pension scheme.
• Discretionary annual bonus award.
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan.
• Life assurance benefit.
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping.
• A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice.
• Opportunities to experience our fantastic cars.

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