How to become a quality control and planning engineer
Official title: Quality control and planning engineers
Also called: Engineer, Quality engineer, Planning officer, Planning engineer, Progress engineer, Quality consultant, Quality controller, Quality control analyst, Quality control officer, Quality control engineer, Quality systems engineer, Quality assurance officer
Quality control and planning engineers plan production schedules, work sequences, and manufacturing and processing procedures to ensure accuracy, quality and reliability.
Main tasks
- Devises inspection, testing and evaluation methods for bought-in materials, components, semi-finished and finished products
- Ensures accuracy of machines, jigs, fixtures, gauges and other manufacturing and testing equipment
- Prepares work flow charts for individual departments and compiles detailed instructions on processes, work methods and quality and safety standards for workers
- Analyses plans, drawings, specifications and safety, quality, accuracy, reliability and contractual requirements
- Prepares plan of sequence of operations and completion dates for each phase of production or processing
- Oversees effective implementation of adopted processes, schedules and procedures
How to become one
Quality control and planning engineers usually possess an accredited university degree. After qualifying, periods of appropriate training and experience are required before membership of a chartered engineering institution is achieved. Incorporated engineers possess an accredited university degree, BTEC/SQA award or an apprenticeship leading to an NVQ/SVQ at level 4. All routes are followed by periods of appropriate training and relevant experience.
Ways in
- University: Health & Public Health degrees, Offered by 23 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £43,592 a year The middle half earn £35,425 to £54,194.
- About 47,700 people work in this job now, and about 53,500 are projected by 2035. (+12.2%)
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Questions people ask
How do I become a quality control and planning engineer?
Quality control and planning engineers usually possess an accredited university degree. After qualifying, periods of appropriate training and experience are required before membership of a chartered engineering institution is achieved. Incorporated engineers possess an accredited university degree, BTEC/SQA award or an apprenticeship leading to an NVQ/SVQ at level 4. All routes are followed by periods of appropriate training and relevant experience.
How much does a quality control and planning engineer earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £43,592 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £35,425 to £54,194.
Is a quality control and planning engineer a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 12% by 2035, from about 47,700 to about 53,500 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become a quality control and planning engineer?
Usually. 69% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.