Job Title
Visual Qualilty Surface Materials Engineer
Ref #
58667
Date posted
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Country
United Kingdom
Location
Bicester
Business area
Quality
Department
Perceived Quality
Position level
G - Qualified Senior
Working time
Full Time
Contract type
Fixed Term Contract
Duration
24 months
Working pattern
9am - 6pm Monday to Friday
What to Expect
As the Visual Quality Material Specialist, you will be responsible for leading the creations and updates of the Quality Standards applicable for the ongoing programmes. You will own the VQ surface material programme deliverables for interior and exterior, leading all topics related to appearance and colour harmony, ensuring the products of McLaren exceed customer expectations, focusing on collaborating cross-functionally and driving the introduction of surface materials that perform to engineering standards and cosmetic targets, mastering these fully validated, mass production ready materials.
This will include defining the visual quality zoning that will drive the appropriate application of the quality standards. You will support the Perceived Quality Specialist and the DVA Engineer with relevant benchmark data that drives the achievement of targets, specifications, and designs of components to achieve the attribute goals on several future vehicle projects. The VQ Material Specialist reports to the PQ Manager. You will not receive direct supervision and will be expected to manage your own tasks and workload, ultimately you are accountable for leading cross functional team to achieve the Product Quality targets.

Please note we consider Woking and Bicester as a location 
This is 24 month fixed term contract
 
What You'll Do

Appearance Approval Specialist Accountabilities:   

  • Develop and cascade to the business the PQS Visual Quality process with the appropriate MDP deliverables and implement it on the ongoing programmes.  
  • Create and cascade the programme quality zone requirements of the vehicle on customer facing parts.  
  • Is actively involved in setting the appropriate standards for the ongoing programmes in support for the RFQ process, working alongside the CMD and SQD team.  
  • Lead and work closely with the relevant programme stakeholders to support the adherence and implementation of the cosmetic standard into the product development. 
  • Set up and co-ordinate specific Appearance Approval reviews for each programme for a successful and efficient management of quality standards development and buy-off. 
  • Create and cascade the programme quality zone requirements of the vehicle on customer facing parts.  
  • Liaising with the Colour Materials and Finish (CMF) design team to understand design intent for surface materials.  
  • Creating and maintaining a Surface Material List, or legend, which expresses these materials at engineering component level and use it to track AARs for new programmes reporting out AAR status.  
  • Management of the mastering of these materials resulting in production master samples.  
  • Validating commodities and components conform to cosmetic standards and completing appearance approvals on all components and commodities.  
  • Owning, maintain and delivering the Grain Go process for injection moulded grained plastic components, including draft analysis and grain mapping.  
  • Define, develop and maintain mastering process.  
  • Support, defining and maintaining McLaren cosmetic standards.  
  • Reporting out statuses to all stakeholders during pre-production for colour harmony, AAR and mastering.  
  • Define and release vehicle zoning documentation.  
  • Drive and deliver colour harmony for all interior and/or exterior products during all build phases and vehicle sign off.  
  • Support trim feasibility trials and drive cosmetic issue resolution throughout launch. 
  • Working alongside the Product Delivery team to ensure the design and manufacture of parts adhere to zoning criteria to minimise defects in critical areas. 
  • Review and buy off the quality zones when applied to CAD ahead of engineering release. 
  • Support and validate the ER process by signing off the relevant drawings and making sure they adhere to the agreed standards. 
  • Support all the TVM Initiatives and Events and represent PQS voice in product content change related forums                    
What You'll Bring
Knowledge, Skills, and Experience:
  • Degree-qualified in a relevant Engineering discipline, Product Design or Consumer Science or have more than 5 years of relevant experience in a similar role. You should be able to demonstrate design (aesthetic) empathy through work experience or personal projects.
  • Exceptionally good MS Office Skills Knowledge.
  • CATIA CAD software or Alias/ICEMSurf CAS is a basic requirement.
  • Colour trained, will need to pass a Munsell test. 
  • Proficient with spectrophotometers, gloss meter. 
  • Excellent Communication skills - verbal and written 
  • Experience working for an automotive OEM or 1st tier in engineering, CMF, or quality. 
  • Proficient with Byk Mac-i, Wavescan and smart chart or equivalent. 
  • Experience with natural leather characteristics. 

Personal Attributes:
  • You will join a close-knit and supportive team of talented people from diverse backgrounds, who will guide and support you in your journey to become a perceived quality specialist. We will actively seek to develop you and promote your career. The opportunities in McLaren for a person in this role are many. Beyond that, we are a company which invests in potential, and you will equally be judged on the following personal characteristics:
  •  Analytically intelligent, thinks fast, naturally creative and questioning.
  •  Presentable, self-confident, and affable.
  •  Motivated, driven, positive mindset.
  •   Curious, resilient, acts with integrity.
  •    Clear thought and an organised mind, with attention to detail.  
What We'll Do for You

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

  • Structured career development framework
  • 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
  • Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service
  • Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
  • Generous parental leave policies
  • A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice
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. 

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