Chief Engineer

Job summary

Can you lead the engineering integrity of the UK's most critical national security technologies?

In the world of national security, the stakes couldn't be higher. While the pace of delivery continues to accelerate, our commitment to quality, rigour and long-term sustainability remains. We're looking for someone who can help us maintain that balance and drive excellence at every stage.

We are HMGCC, the engineering specialists at the heart of the UK's national security.

Working across government, industry, academia and with international allies, we bring engineering ingenuity to some of the nation's most complex challenges, developing the tools and technologies that help keep the UK safe.

Our engineers work across an exceptionally broad range of disciplines, from software and hardware through to electronics, manufacturing and specialist engineering. Together, they create capabilities that make a genuine difference to the national security mission. This breadth creates unique challenges and opportunities, requiring engineering leadership that can bring together different disciplines, perspectives and approaches to solve complex problems.

As the Chief Engineer, you are the guardian of engineering integrity.

You aren't just managing a team; you are owning the technical health of the entire HMGCC engineering system. Your mission is to ensure that as we innovate and deliver at pace, we never compromise on the coherence, security or resilience of our technical solutions.

You will hold authority across all product areas, acting as the ultimate technical escalation point and the voice of engineering excellence. You will balance the urgent needs of today with the strategic health of tomorrow, ensuring our engineering capabilities remain sustainable, resilient and ready to meet future challenges.

This is a high-impact leadership role. You will work alongside members of the senior leadership team, influencing the direction of the organisation and sponsoring engineering communities of practice. From defining the guardrails of our engineering standards to shaping how emerging technologies and new ways of working are adopted, you will help define the future of engineering at HMGCC.

You will lead our technical Heads of Profession, cultivating the future talent and ensuring that technical career paths are clear, rewarding and aligned with the national security mission.

Job description

Key responsibilities

• Own the guardrails: define and evolve the engineering standards, security expectations, and lifecycle processes (from R&D to disposal).
• Protect the future: ensure that the pressure to deliver does not erode the long-term viability of our systems.
• Drive the AI agenda: lead on AI/ML tooling across the organisation, identifying opportunities that move the needle for national security.
• Act as the final word: serve as the ultimate escalation point for technical tensions and provide final sign-off on safety and engineering compliance.
• Develop the profession: line manage and sponsor Heads of Profession, ensuring our technical skills remain world-class.
• Modernise infrastructure: steer the future of our engineering facilities and act as an intelligent partner to other areas of the organisation.

Person specification

More about you

To apply for this role, you'll bring a strong engineering foundation and a track record of leading in complex technical environments. You may have developed your expertise within a particular engineering discipline, but you'll also have the breadth, curiosity and leadership capability to work across diverse technical domains.

You'll be motivated by engineering excellence and comfortable balancing pace, innovation and delivery with appropriate governance, assurance and risk management. Most importantly, you'll enjoy helping teams make sound engineering decisions whilst supporting the long-term development of engineering capability and technical excellence across an organisation.

To apply for this role, you will have:

• Deep technical expertise: an effective background in software engineering, hardware engineering, or a related field, underpinned by engineering principles.
• Proven engineering leadership: experience leading large-scale engineering teams or organisations with a track record of driving technical excellence.
• Strategic foresight: the ability to see the "big picture," balancing immediate delivery pressures with long-term sustainability and technical health.
• Influence and communication: the interpersonal skills to collaborate with product and delivery leadership, bridging the gap between fast delivery and engineering rigour.
• Risk mastery: a proven ability to identify, assess, and mitigate complex technical risks in high-stakes environments.

Additional experience in any of the following areas would be beneficial:

• Experience defining and governing engineering standards and compliance frameworks.
• Familiarity with modern practices such as Agile, DevOps, and CI/CD.
• A passion for AI/ML and the ability to implement these technologies within a complex delivery structure.
• Experience leading engineering communities of practice or making high-level technical investment decisions.

Your personal skills

You’ll be someone who:

• Leads with vision: you can articulate a clear engineering strategy that inspires others and aligns with our national security goals.
• Collaborates across boundaries: you enjoy working in partnership with peers to find solutions to cross-area technical tensions.
• Champions quality: you have an uncompromising commitment to excellence and the courage to advocate for long-term health over short-term wins.
• Is a catalyst for innovation: you are curious about the future, particularly AI, and know how to integrate new tech into a secure, stable environment.
• Empowers others: you value mentorship and are dedicated to helping engineers realise their full potential.
• Remains calm under pressure: you are a steady hand during critical decision-making processes and gate reviews.

Benefits

What we offer

Now that we’ve explained what you will be doing, here’s what we can offer you:

• A positive, collaborative and inclusive work environment.
• 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 after 5 years’ service.
• 8 Bank Holiday days off in addition to your annual leave.
• 2 ½ additional days leave (set dates through the year).
• Pension. Our Pension scheme is Alpha. It’s competitive.
• Flexible or compressed hours to support you to balance your life with your work.
• Paid parental and adoption leave and neonatal policy.
• Training. This can be anything from a ½ day internal course to a distant learning degree. If it’s relevant to your career, we will aim to support you.
• Opportunities for mentoring and coaching.
• Free secure parking and allocated parking for car shares.
• Affinity groups – whether you are a person with a disability, part of the LGBTQIA+ community and/or from an ethnic minority background, we provide an inclusive environment, support and a variety of networks for everyone.
• Free onsite gym, open 24 hours a day.
• Bike to work scheme.
• Multi-faith Prayer room. This is a quiet contemplation room for staff to use for prayer or reflection.
• 3 days paid leave a year to support a registered charity of your choice.
• Sports & Social Society. Whether its classic cars or baking, golf or crafting, we have a society for you. We offer regular subsidised theatre tickets and