Principal Quality Management (Position can be based in SA, Brazil, Peru or Chile)

We are seeking an exceptional, strategically minded Principal Quality Management professional to shape and lead Anglo American's quality objectives across Engineering, Maintenance, and Supply Chain functions globally.

This is a highly influential enterprise role operating at the intersection of asset integrity, technical governance, operational performance, and strategic sourcing. The successful candidate will establish and continuously evolve Anglo American's integrated quality management framework, ensuring quality principles are embedded throughout the entire asset lifecycle—from engineering design and strategic sourcing through manufacturing, logistics, construction, commissioning, operation, maintenance, and asset renewal.

A key success factor for this role is recognising and strengthening the critical relationship between quality performance and supply chain effectiveness. In a complex global mining environment, supplier capability, manufacturing quality, technical compliance, and sourcing decisions directly influence safety outcomes, asset reliability, operational continuity, total cost of ownership, and business performance. This role will provide strategic leadership to ensure quality considerations are embedded within supplier selection, category strategies, contract management, and vendor development programmes across a global network of critical equipment and service providers.

Working closely with senior leaders across Technical, Engineering, Maintenance, Projects, and Supply Chain functions, the Principal Quality Management professional will act as the custodian of supplier oversight, quality governance, providing independent assurance, driving continual improvement, and ensuring that quality risks are proactively identified and mitigated before they impact operations.

By aligning quality management practices with Anglo American's business objectives, industry-leading standards, and asset performance ambitions, this role will play a pivotal part in improving safety, reducing operational risk, enhancing supplier performance, increasing equipment reliability, minimising unplanned downtime, and creating sustainable value across the Group's global operations.

Core Responsibilities (amongst others):   

• Define, implement, and continuously evolve Anglo American's enterprise Quality Management Strategy and integrated Quality Management System (QMS) across Engineering, Maintenance, Projects, and Supply Chain functions.
• Serve as the enterprise authority for quality governance, establishing policies, standards, procedures, technical specifications, and assurance frameworks aligned with Anglo American requirements, regulatory obligations, asset integrity principles, OEM requirements, and international standards.
• Provide independent assurance over critical business processes, including engineering design, strategic sourcing, procurement, manufacturing, fabrication, construction, installation, commissioning, and maintenance execution, ensuring compliance with defined quality standards and performance requirements.
• Lead the development and execution of quality assurance, audit, inspection, and process maturity programmes across operations, projects, and supply chains to drive consistency, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate quality-related risks across the asset lifecycle, with particular focus on critical supply chains, supplier capability, manufacturing quality, logistics complexity, and operational readiness.
• Partner with Supply Chain leadership to embed quality requirements into strategic sourcing strategies, supplier qualification, category management, contract governance, supplier relationship management, and critical equipment procurement decisions.
• Lead supplier quality governance for strategically important suppliers, including qualification, capability assessments, performance monitoring, vendor development initiatives, and technical assurance of products and services supplied to Anglo American operations.
• Develop and execute a risk-based global supplier assurance programme, including audits of critical suppliers, management of corrective actions, and oversight of third-party inspection and verification service providers.
• Establish assurance processes that verify sourced products, equipment, components, and services meet technical, regulatory, reliability, safety, and lifecycle performance requirements before deployment into operations.
• Define and maintain maintenance quality standards, inspection requirements, workmanship expectations, and acceptance criteria to ensure alignment with asset integrity objectives, engineering change governance, OEM requirements, and statutory compliance obligations.
• Develop quality intelligence, performance metrics, and reporting frameworks that provide visibility of quality risks, supplier performance, compliance status, and improvement opportunities to operational and executive leadership.
• Drive the adoption of innovative technologies and digital quality solutions, leveraging data, predictive analytics, automation, artificial intelligence, and advanced inspection technologies to strengthen quality governance, optimise supply chain performance, enhance asset reliability, and deliver sustainable business value.
• Drive a culture in which quality is recognised as a strategic enabler of safety, asset reliability, operational performance, supply chain resilience, and sustainable business value.

#LI-AB2

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality Management, Supply Chain, or a related technical discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in quality management, supplier quality, engineering assurance, asset integrity, manufacturing quality, or operational excellence within mining, heavy industry, oil & gas, infrastructure, or related sectors.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing enterprise-wide quality management frameworks across complex, geographically dispersed operations.
• Significant experience managing quality within highly technical global supply chains supporting critical assets and operational infrastructure.
• Proven ability to influence strategic sourcing decisions through supplier qualification, technical governance, risk assessment, and quality assurance processes.
• Experience leading supplier quality programmes and managing relationships with strategically important global suppliers across multiple regions.
• Strong understanding of quality management systems, ISO 9001 principles, supplier quality management, and quality governance frameworks.
• Demonstrated success in identifying, mitigating, and managing quality-related risks throughout the asset lifecycle.
• Strong executive stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence senior leaders across operational, technical, engineering, and supply chain disciplines

Preferred

• Master's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business Administration, or related field.
• Certification in quality management or operational excellence disciplines (ASQ, Six Sigma, Lean, ISO Lead Auditor or equivalent).
• Experience in strategic sourcing, supplier development, category management, or procurement governance within capital-intensive industries.
• Strong knowledge of reliability engineering, asset integrity management, lifecycle asset management, and project quality assurance.
• Experience working across global and culturally diverse supplier networks, particularly in regions such as China, Latin America, Africa, North America, and Europe

Who we are

At Anglo American, we’re redefining what it means to mine responsibly. We lead with integrity, care deeply about people and the planet, and constantly push the boundaries of innovation to work safer and smarter. From reducing water and energy use to pioneering precision extraction technologies, we’re committed to sustainable practices that deliver real impact—today and for generations to come.

How we are committed to your safety

Nothing is more important to us than ensuring you return home safely after a day’s work. To make that happen, we have the most rigorous safety standards in the industry. Not only that, we’re also continually investing in new technologies – from drones to data analytics – that are helping to make mining safer.

Inclusion and Diversity

Anglo American is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace where we value and respect every colleague for who they are and provide equality of opportunity so that everyone can fulfil their potential.

How to apply

To apply for this role, please complete our online application form. You will have the opportunity to upload your CV and other relevant documentation as part of the process.