Head of Engineering

Head of Engineering

Vacancy Reference: CLA- 355

Position: Full-time

Location: Salisbury Wiltshire UK

Salary: 90000 DOE

At Callen-Lenz we are expanding the limits of what is possible. We specialise in manned and unmanned aircraft operations and technology and having recently received investment into the business we are going through a period of rapid growth and development and are looking for key roles to assist with these changes. Callen-Lenz offers innovative and customer focused UAS solutions through our 4 key business strands; technical services products platforms and operational services. We are looking for individuals to help drive forward our expansion placing you at forefront of UAS development in the UK.

Our Values

• Teamwork
• Commitment
• Initiative
• Creativity
• Agility
• Integrity
• Enjoyment

Why Work for Us

Based in the heart of rural Wiltshire close to the Historic city of Salisbury you will join our rapidly growing friendly and multi-disciplined team working on a range of diverse and interesting projects leading the way in this exciting field and witnessing the full lifecycle of our products. The Callen-Lenz team are passionate about what we do and we are searching for individuals to grow with us as we expand into the aerospace industry.

Our benefits include:

• 25 days annual leave per year (plus bank holidays)
• Buy/Sell holiday policy up to 5 days either way
• Pension Scheme via Royal London

• Company contributed Share Incentive Plan.
• Green Car Scheme

• Life assurance scheme (6x basic salary)
• Income protection policy (75% of basic salary)
• Private Health Insurance via Vitality
• Private Dental insurance via Bupa
• Enhanced Maternity and paternity
• 1 Professional membership reimbursed per year
• 1 paid volunteering day per year
• Access to an independent financial advisor year round
• Training & development opportunities

About the role

Reporting to the Engineering Director you will play a pivotal role in coaching mentoring and developing a talented team of engineers with the goal to continuously lead the way in this exciting and challenging area of aerospace.

This exciting opportunity will place the right candidate at the forefront of uncrewed air systems development in the UK.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Management

• Lead and oversee the management of engineering departments for aircraft design systems and software development
• Build team capability through coaching mentoring and structured development plans
• Drive recruitment efforts in collaboration with department managers
• Foster a high-performance collaborative engineering culture
• Support line managers in organisational development including facilities and IT enablement
• Manage departmental budgets aligned with strategic goals
• Represent the company with customers and suppliers as necessary
• Act as deputy to the Engineering Director in operational and delivery matters

Health and Safety

• Champion Health Safety and Environmental (HSE) standards across all engineering activities
• Promote a proactive safety culture

Process & Quality

• Implement scalable engineering processes to support rapid innovation and robust volume production

• Introduce tools practices and training to advance engineering capability

• Establish best practice ways of working across the engineering teams
• Encourage feedback and embed continuous improvement principles into engineering workflows

Engineering Delivery

• Overall responsibility for engineering delivery
• Collaborate with project teams to balance technical risk resources and timelines
• Work with project teams to establish forward-looking resource plans to support delivery and staff growth
• Identify and manage technical outsourcing opportunities
• Lead major technical reviews including design reviews and system-level assessments

Strategic Growth

• Work closely with the Engineering Director to align technical execution with strategic goals and budget planning

• Contribute technical insight to business development bids and proposals

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Proven experience in a senior engineering leadership role

• Demonstrable people and line management experience

• Strong track record in managing multidisciplinary teams and delivering complex products
• Expertise in engineering lifecycle and process development for ISO9001/ISO14001/IEC15288

• Whole lifecycle experience in regulated industries such as aviation or defence
• Degree educated in Engineering or related field (e.g. Aerospace Robotics Avionics etc.)

Desirable

• Background in aerospace autonomous systems or safety critical systems.

• Familiarity with rapid prototyping design for manufacture and agile methodologies

Personal Attributes

• Must be a British Citizen or have an existing right to work in the UK
• Ability to commit to occasional national and international travel
• A full valid UK driving license a
• Ability to hold Security Clearance 5 years residence in the UK

Please click here to read our privacy notice

Callen-Lenz is an equal opportunities employer committed to building an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race sex disability religion/belief sexual orientation or age. It is essential that the successful candidate must by the start of their employment have permission to work in the UK. Proof of identity and eligibility to work in the UK will be required prior to commencement of employment.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality any nationalities you may have previously held and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role to allow for meaningful security vetting checks