Head of Engineering; Hardware​/Mechanical

Position: Head of Engineering (Hardware/ Mechanical)
Job Title:

Head of Engineering (Hardware/Mechanical)

Location:

Rochester.

Salary:  £100,000+ per annum dependent on skills and experience, plus car allowance and annual bonus

What you’ll be doing :

Chart the Course:
Provide strategic direction and inspire growth for our Hardware and Mechanical Engineering functions, ensuring alignment with our  ambitious  business goals

Lead  and Inspire:
As a key member of our engineering  leadership  team, guide and mentor over 250 talented engineers, fostering a culture of excellence and innovation

Future-Proof Our Capabilities:
Develop and implement long-term strategic improvement plans, ensuring our functions are equipped to meet future business needs

Set the Standard:
Define, develop, and maintain industry-leading functional processes, policies, and best practice guides, establishing BAE Systems as a  leader  in our field

Drive Excellence in Execution:
Tailor processes effectively for project application, ensuring optimal efficiency and delivering  exceptional  results

Manage  and Optimise Talent:
Strategically  manage  functional overhead budgets and allocate resources effectively, making critical prioritisation  decisions  to maximise impact

Your skills and experiences:

Engineering  Expertise :
Extensive experience in a  leadership  role within Engineering, with a  strong  depth of experience in one or more of Electronic Hardware, Firmware, Mechanical Design &  Analysis  and Qualification

Proven   Leadership :
Demonstrated success in  managing  an Engineering functional department or large-scale product delivery program

Influence and

Collaboration:

Exceptional stakeholder  management  skills, with a  proven  ability to influence, negotiate, and build consensus across diverse teams

Foundation in STEM: A relevant Engineering or STEM degree (or equivalent qualification) that provides a solid foundation for your  expertise

Benefits:

As well as a  competitive  pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts – you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Engineering team:

This leadership role is responsible for delivering world-class Electronics and Avionics Systems products to military and commercial customers. Our product families include Head Up Displays, Mission Computers, Head Worn Displays, Active Inceptors, Flight Control, Maritime Controls, and Aftermarket Support.

You will lead a multi-discipline department of over 250 Engineers, including Electronic Hardware, Firmware, Mechanical Design & Analysis and Qualification. This is part of an 800 strong growing engineering department.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder  etc .)

that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please  speak  to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

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.

Closing Date:  28th January 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for  the role . Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

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