QinetiQ
Group Director Engineering
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Job Title: Group Director of Engineering
Global Grade: GG17 Location: UK Selected Sites - Farnborough, Malvern, Boscombe Down, Portsmouth. Role Type: Permanent – Full Time Role ID: 20082
Role Purpose
Lead the transformation of engineering across the Group, positioning it as a core driver of growth, innovation, and competitive advantage. Define and deliver a world-class engineering strategy that enhances delivery performance, accelerates innovation, and strengthens QinetiQ’s reputation as a trusted technical authority with customers, partners, and regulators globally. The role will establish engineering as a critical voice at Executive level, ensuring technical excellence, innovation, and delivery confidence are central to the Group’s strategic and commercial success.
Strategic Impact of the Role
- Establish engineering as a critical influence in Executive decision-making.
- Enable faster, more predictable programme delivery across the Group.
- Drive adoption of digital and modern engineering practices.
- Strengthen external technical credibility with key customers and partners.
- Build a scalable, future-ready engineering workforce and capability.
Strategy Development & Transformation of the Function
- Define and drive the Group Engineering and Science Strategy aligned to growth priorities and market needs.
- Position engineering as a key enabler of revenue growth, competitive advantage, and customer value.
- Lead the transformation of engineering operating models, governance, and lifecycle frameworks to improve pace, predictability, and reuse.
- Champion modern engineering practices including digital engineering, model-based systems engineering, and data-enabled decision-making.
- Build a world-class engineering and science capability, including early careers, skills development, and future workforce planning.
- Define principles, policies, and standards that enable high-performance, scalable engineering delivery across the Group.
- Own Product Safety policy and ensure alignment with regulatory and licence-to-operate requirements.
Delivery Confidence, Assurance and Performance
- Provide independent technical leadership and assurance to enable confident, high-quality programme delivery.
- Drive improvement in right-first-time delivery, reducing rework and increasing efficiency.
- Simplify engineering governance to enable agility while maintaining rigour and safety.
- Align closely with Sector Chief Engineers/Scientists to ensure consistency and clarity of engineering standards.
Innovation, Knowledge and Continuous Improvement
- Establish a systematic, Group-wide approach to knowledge management and lessons learnt.
- Embed continuous improvement practices across the engineering community.
- Enable effective transfer of innovation from concept through to delivery.
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Technical Community and Capability Leadership
- Lead and inspire the Group engineering community, fostering a culture of professionalism, collaboration, and excellence.
- Build and sustain an engaged and productive technical community of interest.
- Strengthen engineering leadership capability at all levels of the organisation.
External Engagement and Influence
- Act as a visible external ambassador for QinetiQ engineering capability.
- Build strategic partnerships across industry, academia, and government.
- Leverage external best practice to continuously enhance engineering performance and relevance.
Key Accountabilities
Overall accountability for the consistency, efficiency and effectiveness of technical/ engineering QinetiQ Group - specific KPIs include:
- Delivery of a clear, actionable Engineering and Science Strategy for the Group
- Measurable improvement in programme delivery performance (cost, schedule, quality)
- Increased right-first-time delivery and reduction in rework across programmes
- Adoption and impact of modern engineering frameworks and toolsets
- Contribution of engineering to business growth, win rate, and customer satisfaction
- Simplification and effectiveness of engineering governance and assurance
- Engagement, capability, and retention of the engineering workforce
Key Capabilities/Knowledge
- Strategic Leadership: Ability to shape and deliver enterprise-wide engineering transformation.
- Executive Influence: Credibility and presence to influence and challenge at Board and Executive level.
- Technical Credibility: Deep engineering or scientific background with recognised professional standing.
- Commercial Acumen: Strong understanding of how engineering drives business performance and competitive advantage.
- Transformation Expertise: Proven ability to lead large-scale organisational and operating model change.
- Systems Thinking: Ability to connect engineering, technology, operations, and commercial outcomes.
- Collaboration and Influence: Highly effective at working across organisational and external boundaries.
- People Leadership: Track record of building high-performing teams and long-term capability.
Experience & Qualifications
- Proven experience operating at senior leadership level within a complex, engineering-led organisation
- Track record of delivering enterprise-wide engineering or technology transformation
- Experience leading global functions and influencing across geographic and organisational boundaries
- Strong external reputation for technical and/or programme excellence
- Experience in regulated, safety-critical, or high-assurance environments
- Extensive multi-disciplinary engineering experience
- Chartered Engineer (or equivalent professional recognition)
- International experience working with global stakeholders and customers
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Why Join QinetiQ?
As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.
As a QinetiQ employee, you’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experience enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in a diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential. Visit our website to read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture. www.qinetiq.com/en/careers/life-at-qinetiq
Our Benefits
- Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
- Competitive holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days
- Options to join Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance
- Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and much more
- We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant and maintaining our Gold Award standard in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme
- Volunteering Opportunities - helping charities and local community
Our Recruitment Process:
We want to make sure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and we aspire to bring out the best in our candidates by creating an environment where everyone feels value, heard and supported. If you have a disability or health condition that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your Recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.
Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed, applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which mean factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in.
Please note that all applicants for this role must be eligible for SC clearance, as a minimum. UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
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