Senior Manager​/Director of Engineering

Are you ready to shape the future of aerospace manufacturing? An AS9100-accredited aerospace organisation is seeking a Senior Manager / Director of Engineering to lead day-to-day engineering execution within a high-performance production environment.

This is a pivotal leadership role, offering the opportunity to drive operational excellence, scale engineering capability, and ensure production readiness across complex aerospace programmes.

Reporting directly to the Vice President of Engineering, you’ll act as a central cross-functional leader—partnering closely with Programme Management, Quality, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing to deliver precision, compliance, and performance at every stage.

As Senior Manager / Director of Engineering, you will lead Manufacturing Engineering, Engineering Technicians, Test Engineering, and Configuration Management within a regulated aerospace manufacturing facility.

This role blends strategic oversight with hands‑on operational leadership. You’ll ensure engineering rigour, production scalability, and compliance across all programmes—while driving New Product Introduction (NPI), tooling development, automation initiatives, and error‑proofed manufacturing processes.

You’ll play a key role in strengthening engineering discipline, embedding accountability, and building a culture of continuous improvement aligned to AS9100 and customer requirements.

• Lead day-to-day activities across Manufacturing Engineering, Test Engineering, Engineering Technicians, and Configuration Management
• Translate programme requirements into executable manufacturing plans aligned to cost, quality, schedule, and compliance objectives
• Align engineering resources to support production priorities and programme ramp-ups
• Establish clear metrics, accountability frameworks, and performance expectations
• Act as primary engineering interface to Programme Management, supporting proposals, planning, and execution
• Partner with Manufacturing leadership on process readiness, capacity planning, and production flow optimisation
• Collaborate with Supply Chain on make/buy decisions, tooling strategy, supplier readiness, and manufacturability
• Work alongside Quality leadership to ensure robust process controls, FAI readiness, and sustained AS9100 compliance

• Lead disciplined transition from development to production through structured NPI processes
• Establish and chair formal phase/gate reviews ensuring technical, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain readiness
• Drive manufacturability reviews, risk assessments, and production readiness reviews
• Ensure tooling, fixtures, test equipment, and work instructions are validated and released ahead of production
• Identify and mitigate technical, schedule, and manufacturing risks early in the lifecycle

• Lead development and deployment of production tooling, fixtures, and test equipment
• Drive automation initiatives to enhance safety, quality, throughput, and cost efficiency
• Implement error-proofing (poka‑yoke) strategies across manufacturing and test processes
• Champion continuous improvement using Lean, Six Sigma, and aerospace best practices

• Ensure disciplined configuration management and change control practices
• Oversee engineering change implementation with minimal production disruption
• Maintain full compliance with AS9100, customer specifications, and internal standards
• Support internal, customer, and regulatory audits

• Mentor and develop engineering leaders and technical teams
• Support workforce planning, hiring, and succession development
• Foster a culture built on accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement

We’re looking for a seasoned engineering leader who combines technical depth with operational focus and cross-functional influence.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Electrical, Aerospace, or related discipline)
• 12+ years’ progressive experience within aerospace or defence manufacturing
• Proven leadership experience managing…