Kaizen Resourcing
Head of Engineering
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Head of Engineering – Autonomous Systems
Competitive salary and benefits package. Further details on application.
We’re looking for an experienced Head of Engineering to lead the engineering function developing advanced autonomous UAV systems for demanding defence and aerospace applications.
This is a senior leadership role spanning technical leadership, engineering delivery, organisational development, and people management. You’ll lead a cross-functional team across systems, software, electronics, mechanical, autonomy/GNC, modelling, integration, and test, and you’ll have the technical depth to challenge decisions, set direction, and lead experienced engineers with credibility.
This is a chance to shape the engineering capability of a fast-growing technology business: building the organisation, putting proportionate processes in place, and keeping teams focused on delivering robust, high-performance products at pace.
What you’ll do
- Lead the multi-disciplinary engineering function and take overall responsibility for engineering delivery
- Align technical activity with product, programme, and business priorities
- Define and grow the engineering organisation: structure, technical leadership, recruitment, and capability
- Provide technical leadership across the product lifecycle, concept, and architecture through development, integration, verification, flight test, and productionisation
- Set technical direction, plans, and priorities with your technical leads
- Manage dependencies and interfaces between disciplines
- Establish proportionate engineering governance, design reviews, and decision-making for a fast-moving scale-up
- Maintain oversight of architectures, requirements, interfaces, verification strategies, and key technical decisions
- Balance performance, schedule, cost, technical risk, manufacturability, and future scalability
- Identify significant engineering risks and drive mitigation and technical closure
- Work closely with Product, Programme, Operations, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain
- Take products from prototype and development into repeatable, supportable, manufacturable systems
- Build a culture of technical excellence, ownership, pace, and pragmatic problem-solving
- Recruit, coach, and develop engineers and engineering leaders
- Represent the business with customers, partners, and suppliers
- Contribute to product and technology strategy and engineering investment priorities
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What we’re looking for
- Degree or equivalent experience in Systems, Aerospace, Electronic, Mechanical, or Software Engineering, Robotics, Physics, or a related discipline
- Significant experience in complex multidisciplinary product development
- Proven experience leading cross-functional engineering teams or an engineering function
- Technical credibility with senior engineers and specialists
- Experience developing autonomous systems, UAVs, UxVs, robotics, or other intelligent electromechanical products
- Experience in defence, aerospace, robotics, autonomous systems, or another safety/mission-critical environment
- Experience delivering products that combine hardware, software, sensors, communications, and control
- Strong systems engineering: requirements, architecture, interfaces, integration, and verification
- Experience taking products through physical integration, test, and evaluation, not purely desk-based development
- Strong delivery: planning, prioritisation, resource allocation, technical risk, and programme execution
- Experience in a start-up, scale-up, or rapidly growing technology organisation
- Experience building teams and improving engineering ways of working
- Strong communication, leadership, and stakeholder management
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Particularly relevant (advantageous, not essential)
- UAV/UxV development and test
- Autonomous navigation, guidance, and control
- Robotics
- GNC, flight-control, or autopilots
- Sensors, sensor fusion, computer vision, or AI/ML
- RF communications, datalinks, or GNSS/GNSS-denied navigation
- Embedded electronics and software
- MBSE
- HIL/SIL simulation
- Defence product development, qualification, or certification
- Prototype-to-NPI and low-rate production
- Scaling engineering organisations
- Establishing processes and governance in an early-stage or scale-up environment
The kind of leader you’ll be
- Hands-on and close to the technology
- Comfortable with incomplete information and pragmatic decisions
- Able to move between detailed technical issues and programme, product, and business considerations
- Collaborative across disciplines
- Delivery-focused without unnecessary bureaucracy
- Willing to challenge assumptions and resolve difficult technical or organisational issues
- Calm under pressure, adaptable, and motivated by building both high-performance products and a high-performance engineering organisation
Eligibility
Due to the nature of the work with the UK MOD, applicants must be a British Citizen (or dual UK national with British citizenship) and eligible for UK Security Clearance (SC).
Working pattern
We value working together in person and expect the role to be office-based for the majority of the week, with a pragmatic approach to start/finish times and some remote working.
Package
Competitive salary and benefits package. Further details will be shared with candidates during the application process.
To apply, please submit your CV via LinkedIn
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