Chief Engineer (Software & Electronic Hardware)

Chief Engineer, Software & Electronic Hardware   Based in Bristol    Salary c£90,000 (DOE) + Bonus, Pension, Health Cover   If you've spent years being the person other engineers go to when a design needs a second, sharper set of eyes, this is built around exactly that instinct.   This is a technical authority role, not a management-heavy one. You'll provide independent, credible review across bids and complex programmes spanning fixed wing, rotary wing, marine control systems and flight simulation, working directly with an Operations Director who wants your judgement in the room, not just your sign-off on paper.   The work is genuinely varied. One month you might be shaping a technical bid response for a new aircraft programme, the next reviewing a design for a submarine control system, the next providing hands-on leadership on a complex delivery that needs a safe pair of hands. If you've ever felt boxed into one product line or one customer, this is the opposite of that.   You'll be joining a business with a strong order book and a track record of genuine engineering firsts, including active control technology supplied into current-generation fast jet simulators. Hybrid working is standard, with the expectation of time in the Bristol office balanced against home working.   What you'll need to bring:

• Degree-qualified engineer in a relevant discipline
• Significant experience in software and/or electronic hardware within regulated, high-integrity environments (aerospace, defence, rail or similar), with working familiarity of standards such as DO-178 and DO-254
• A track record of shaping and contributing to technical bids, not just delivering after the ink is dry
• Demonstrated success leading complex engineering programmes and multi-disciplinary teams
• Comfortable operating as a technical authority, questioning and challenging constructively where needed
• Current SC clearance, or genuinely eligible to obtain it

  If this sounds like the kind of technical scope you've been missing, even if you're not actively job hunting, it's worth a conversation. Reach out, and we can talk through what the role actually looks like day-to-day.