Quality & Aftercare Lead (m/f/d)

The opportunity

Vickerstock is recruiting on behalf of an international mechanical building services specialist delivering complex data centre projects in the Frankfurt / Rhine-Main region.

The business designs, manufactures and installs prefabricated mechanical systems, with an established project portfolio and further regional expansion planned.

We are seeking a qualified Installateur- und Heizungsbauermeister (SHK) to lead quality across its German projects and take ownership of aftercare on completed installations.

This role combines technical leadership, team management and practical problem-solving. You will set installation standards, oversee inspections and handover, and ensure that defects are diagnosed, rectified and closed out properly. You will also use lessons from completed projects to improve how future systems are designed, manufactured and installed.

The position offers an opportunity to build a regional quality and aftercare function, with scope for broader management responsibility as the business grows.

Your role

Reporting to the Regional Delivery Lead, you will oversee quality across live projects and manage aftercare throughout the contractual defects liability period on completed sites.

The installations include chilled water systems, pumps, valves, pipework, heat exchangers and prefabricated mechanical modules serving large-scale data centres.

Initially, approximately 60% of your time will focus on quality leadership and improvement, with 40% on aftercare and reactive work. This balance will change as projects progress through installation, commissioning and handover.

You will lead an existing quality resource and support the recruitment and development of a regional service and rectification team. Some technicians will work across both project delivery and aftercare, requiring close coordination with site management.

Reporting to the Regional Delivery Lead, you will oversee quality across live projects and manage aftercare throughout the contractual defects liability period on completed sites.

The installations include chilled water systems, pumps, valves, pipework, heat exchangers and prefabricated mechanical modules serving large-scale data centres.

Initially, approximately 60% of your time will focus on quality leadership and improvement, with 40% on aftercare and reactive work. This balance will change as projects progress through installation, commissioning and handover.

You will lead an existing quality resource and support the recruitment and development of a regional service and rectification team. Some technicians will work across both project delivery and aftercare, requiring close coordination with site management.

Your responsibilities

Quality leadership and project delivery

• Own and develop the regional quality management plan and inspection and test plans (ITPs).
• Align site inspections and acceptance procedures with client requirements and manufacturing quality processes.
• Lead the quality team, setting priorities and reviewing inspection records, workmanship and readiness for sign-off.
• Manage non-conformance reports (NCRs), corrective actions and verification of completed rectification work.
• Represent the business during client, consultant and third-party inspections, witnessing activities and audits.
• Oversee quality documentation for commissioning and handover, working closely with the mechanical engineering team.
• Check that installations meet applicable German requirements, recognised technical standards and project specifications.

Aftercare and defects management

• Take ownership of defects on completed sites, from initial notification through diagnosis, rectification and client acceptance.
• Act as the principal client contact for quality and aftercare matters following handover.
• Assess urgent issues, determine the response required and either resolve them directly or allocate work to the appropriate technicians.
• Lead the regional aftercare team and coordinate shared resources with project and site managers.
• Maintain clear defect records, photographs and evidence of completed work.
• Provide technical and cost-related evidence where defects involve subcontractors, suppliers or manufactured components.

Continuous improvement

• Analyse inspection failures, NCRs, snags and callbacks to identify recurring problems.
• Lead root cause investigations and agree corrective and preventive actions with site, design, manufacturing and supply chain teams.
• Feed lessons learned into installation methods, manufacturing checks, inspection plans and future project mobilisation.
• Introduce practical improvements such as digital inspection records, first-of-type inspections and defined hold points.
• Report on quality performance, defect trends, response times and close-out progress.

Team leadership and practical support

• Coach supervisors and technicians on workmanship, inspection requirements and quality expectations.
• Support recruitment, induction and development as the regional team expands.
• Remain hands-on where required, including fault finding, pipework and system rectification, pressure testing, flushing and commissioning support.

Essential

• A legally recognised Installateur- und Heizungsbauermeister (SHK) qualification.
• Proven experience with chilled water or comparable commercial mechanical systems, including pumps, valves, pipework and heat exchangers.
• Experience managing site quality processes, including ITPs, inspection records, NCRs, defects and handover documentation.
• Experience leading or supervising technicians, installation teams or subcontractors.
• The ability to diagnose technical faults and oversee effective rectification.
• A structured approach to identifying recurring issues and following corrective actions through to completion.
• Strong spoken and written German and English, sufficient to lead technical discussions, communicate with clients and prepare documentation.
• A valid driving licence and willingness to travel regularly between regional sites.

Desirable

• Data centre or other mission-critical project experience.
• Experience with prefabricated or modular mechanical systems.
• Knowledge of commissioning processes and building management systems (BMS).
• Familiarity with ISO 9001 and structured root cause analysis.
• Experience managing defects and warranty obligations under German construction contracts, including VOB/B or BGB.
• Experience using digital inspection and issue-tracking tools, such as Revizto.

Data centre experience is desirable; candidates with strong, relevant commercial or mission-critical mechanical systems experience are also encouraged to apply.

Location and working arrangements

You will be based in the Frankfurt / Rhine-Main region, working from the regional office and attending project sites regularly. Occasional travel to the business's European manufacturing operations and other European locations will be required.

The role includes responding to urgent client callbacks on completed sites within agreed response times. An on-call arrangement will be agreed as the regional aftercare team is established.

A company vehicle is provided for site visits and callback work.

What success looks like

During your first three months, you will review existing installations and quality processes, establish consistent regional standards, define the aftercare response process and identify the main opportunities for improvement.

Over the first year, your impact will be visible through fewer repeat defects, timely close-out of NCRs and callbacks, stronger inspection pass rates and complete handover documentation. You will also help ensure new projects benefit from lessons learned on previous installations.

• Competitive salary, depending on experience.
• A 38-hour working week.
• Company vehicle for site and aftercare duties.
• In-house training and career development.
• Quality, auditing and leadership development opportunities.
• Exposure to offsite manufacturing, project mobilisation and future project planning.
• Annual leave entitlement increasing with length of service.
• Long service awards.
• Social and wellbeing events.

As the project portfolio and team expand, potential progression could include Quality & Service Manager, Germany, wider European quality and service leadership, or regional operational management. Progression will depend on business growth, performance and the scope of future opportunities.