Head of Expeditionary Operations Lab

Title: Head, Expeditionary Operations Lab Reports to: Technical Director Entity: MAMK Group: EM&C Work Arrangement: Hybrid Company Overview Metrea delivers effects-as-a-service to national security partners across five domains and more than a dozen mission areas—including airborne ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refueling, special mission aviation, aerial firefighting, and advanced simulation. Wherever we operate, we build vertically integrated full stacks of capability—designing, building, and operating turnkey solutions that let customers scale capacity while benefiting from continuous cycles of innovation. With operators and engineers under one roof, we close the gap between lab and field—what we call connecting design with effect. Metrea’s solutions are built for elegance: effective, efficient, and evolving. This approach enables our partners to do more with less and achieve outsized, asymmetric advantage against rapidly evolving threats. Headquartered in Washington, DC, Metrea has facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and beyond. Support Groups Special Air Missions Group (SAM) – responsible for developing and delivering Metrea’s ISR, Special Mobility, and Aerial Firefighting capabilities. SAM oversees the integration of new mission systems, ensuring operational readiness across specialized aviation operations, fleet maintenance, regulatory compliance, and strategic partnerships. Digital and Synthetic Capability Unit (D&S) – committed to providing mission‑driven information solutions that seamlessly bridge the digital and physical realms, leveraging cutting‑edge technologies to elevate situational awareness across air, maritime, and space domains. Air Mobility Group (AIRMOB) – responsible for developing and delivering aerial refueling capabilities, ensuring the readiness and operational effectiveness of the tanker fleet, and coordinating across teams to meet current and future operational needs. Electromagnetic and Cyber Group (EM&C) – developing advanced electronic warfare and secure communications equipment, providing leading signal classification, direction finding, advanced geolocation techniques, and waveform development. Position Summary Reporting to the Technical Director of EMCO, the Head, Expeditionary Operations Lab (H/EXOLAB) guides a forward‑leaning, EW and cyberspace operations‑focused engineering team, developing specialized products and support for the larger Metrea enterprise. The role tracks and reports technical progress to Metrea Aerospace Management, maintains relationships across Metrea, engages in solutioning and co‑development of full‑stack capabilities, and supports business development through frequent travel and face‑to‑face partner engagement. What You’ll Do Process, Systems & Frameworks Development: Lead the design, development, and management of EXOLAB, focusing on scalable technologies and processes to support mission execution. Develop technological and engineering frameworks in partnership with Metrea Aerospace, implementing systems and methodologies that facilitate process automation and decision support from tactical to strategic levels. People Development: Identify growth areas in EXOLAB’s knowledge and skill sets, building a high‑performing embedded systems engineering team. Strategy BCA: Support enterprise strategy with EM&C considerations and participate in major technical decisions, including new system lines, acquisition or disposal of key assets, and investment decisions. Assist strategy and investment teams with potential acquisition assessments and research support for EMCG‑related projects. Advise strategy and risk teams on technical, EW, cyber, RF, and software‑defined radio risk exposure dashboards and support risk mitigation efforts. Work with EMCO Leadership to design, implement, and develop technical methodologies. Provide legal and compliance inputs and ensure contract structures support EXOLAB objectives and customer requirements. Support market engagement efforts, supplementing strategy’s cueing of Market Engagement Teams and engaging with stakeholders at external forums. Participate in reviewing EMCO risk exposure to shape internal programs and future acquisitions. What You’ll Bring 15+ years of EW, cyber and/or RF engineering experience related to signals intelligence, electronic support operations, RF operations, access operations, technical report writing, project planning, and EW, cyber and RF systems and related manufacturing. Experience developing and architecting EW, cyber, RF, and communication solutions. Familiarity with establishing project plans and budgets. Experience leading large teams. Ability to align business and technical roadmaps. Deep interest in SI, RF, and communication solutions. Additional Eligibility Qualifications Leadership experience managing multiple aerospace, defense, security, or government contracting programs. Skill in gathering customer requirements and creating SOWs, project plans, roadmaps, and milestone schedules. Expert knowledge of the UK Government’s SI, RF, and communications‑based ISR community and strong professional network. Proven ability to engage stakeholders across industry, science, technology, military, policy, and finance sectors. Cross‑cultural communication skills and experience in diverse international environments. Experience managing people with measurable performance outcomes. Flexibility to travel frequently and on short notice, both domestically and internationally. Ability to analyse information and identify key issues supporting long‑term strategic objectives. Capacity to balance strategic vs. operational mindsets and result versus process orientation; strong ethical compass. Ability to travel approximately 30% of the time. Benefits Private Medical Insurance Subsidised gym membership/plans through Wellhub Electric Car scheme Cycle to work scheme Salary‑sacrificed pension scheme Free lunch on office days Enhanced parental leave 30 days annual PTO plus bank holidays Bonus scheme Personal development opportunities Right to Work The employee will have the legal right to work in the relevant country and will be able to produce right‑to‑work documentation. Equal Opportunities Statement Metrea Management Limited (MAM) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or other protected characteristics. Position Type and Expected Hours of Work Full‑time non‑exempt position. Typical working hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Hours and shifts may change in accordance with departmental and business needs. Exempt employees must be on‑call as required; non‑exempt employees may work over 40 hours per week with approval. Work Location Lincoln – Hybrid Work Environment Office setting. Travel Approximately 30%. Seniority Level Executive Employment Type Full‑time Job Function Management and Manufacturing Industries Defense and Space Manufacturing #J-18808-Ljbffr