Head of Engineering

Date Posted:

Country:

United Kingdom

Location:

GBR01:Harlow, Essex, Kao One, Kao Park, Harlow, CM17 9NA

Position Role Type:

Unspecified

Head of Engineering (Systems & Products)

Location

Travel to various sites inc. Glenrothes and Harlow

SC Required

SC, eligible for DV

Duration

Perm, Fulltime

Raytheon UK

At Raytheon UK, we take immense pride in being a leader in defence and aerospace technology. As an employer, we are dedicated to fuelling innovation, nurturing talent, and fostering a culture of excellence.

Joining our team means being part of an organisation that shapes the future of national security whilst investing in your growth and personal development. We provide a collaborative environment, abundant opportunities for professional development, and a profound sense of purpose in what we do. Together, we are not just advancing technology; we're building a community committed to safeguarding a safer and more connected world.

About the role:

We're searching for an exceptional technical leader to serve as Head of Engineering – Weapons and Advanced Products. This is a senior leadership role within Raytheon UK's Engineering function, responsible for the strategic direction, technical execution, and resource management across a diverse portfolio of safety- and mission-critical products.

The role spans two key Mission Areas:

• Weapons: Delivering complex weapons systems to the UK Armed Forces and international partners. Our portfolio includes the AMRAAM air-to-air missile, Paveway IV precision-guided weapon, Phalanx close-in weapon system, and Javelin anti-tank guided weapon. We are actively investing in next-generation capabilities such as directed energy weapons, precision-guided infantry systems, and utility weapons.
• Advanced Products: Designing and manufacturing Assured Position, Navigation and Timing (APNT) solutions and bespoke power conversion systems for land, sea, and air platforms. We also play a critical role in supplying components for RTX's complex weapons systems.

Reporting directly to the Engineering Director, you will be a key member of the Engineering Leadership Team and a strategic partner to Mission Area Leaders. You will collaborate closely with Programme Management, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Quality to ensure successful delivery of engineering programmes from concept through to entry-into-service.

Skills and Experience

• Proven senior engineering leadership in mission-critical product development, with deep understanding of design assurance and military standards.
• Broad technical expertise across Systems, Electronics, Software, Mechanical, Reliability, and Manufacturing Engineering.
• Experience in transitioning products to manufacturing and managing through-life support.
• Demonstrated ability to lead in matrixed environments and build high-performing teams.
• Strong track record in coaching, mentoring, and developing engineering talent.
• Financial acumen with experience managing multi-programme engineering budgets.
• Strategic thinker with a structured approach to problem solving and decision-making.
• Highly dependable, autonomous, and results-driven.
• Eligible for SC clearance, with potential requirement for DV clearance.

Desirable

• Experience in UK, US, or international defence sectors.
• Strong stakeholder relationships within defence industry and government.
• Familiarity with digital engineering tools and methodologies.
• Chartered Engineer status and membership of a relevant professional institution.

Responsibilities

• Lead all engineering activities across the Weapons and Advanced Products Mission Areas, ensuring alignment with business strategy and customer requirements.
• Line management of Senior Engineering Managers and Subject Matter Experts, overseeing a team of c120 engineers.
• Act as the senior escalation point for engineering matters, ensuring timely resolution and optimal value delivery.
• Drive engineering capability development, including:
• Strategic resource planning and workload management
• Talent development and succession planning
• Performance and career management
• Recruitment and compensation strategy
• Own engineering budgets and approve Basis of Estimates for Control Accounts.
• Lead technical input into bids and proposals, identifying risks, opportunities, and execution strategies.
• Champion technology roadmaps and investment cases to support future capability growth.
• Inspire and coach engineering teams, setting clear expectations for technical excellence and delivery discipline.
• Represent Raytheon UK as a senior technical authority with customers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders.
• Provide hands-on support for complex technical challenges in development and manufacturing.
• Deliver regular engineering status updates to senior leadership.
• Mentor future technical leaders and foster a culture of continuous improvement and process maturity.

Benefits and Work Culture

Benefits

• Competitive salaries.
• 25 days holiday + statutory public holidays, plus opportunity to buy and sell up to 5 days (37hr)
• Contributory Pension Scheme (up to 10.5% company contribution)
• Company bonus scheme (discretionary).
• 6 times salary 'Life Assurance' with pension.
• Flexible Benefits scheme with extensive salary sacrifice schemes, including Health Cashplan, Dental, and Cycle to Work amongst others.
• Enhanced sick pay.
• Enhanced family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, paternity & shared parental leave.
• Car / Car allowance (dependant on grade/ role)
• Private Medical Insurance (dependant on grade)

Work Culture

• 37hr working week, although hours may vary depending on role, job requirement or site-specific arrangements.
• Early 1.30pm finish Friday, start your weekend early
• Remote, hybrid and site based working opportunities, dependant on your needs and the requirements of the role.
• A grownup flexible working culture that is output, not time spent at desk, focussed. More formal flexible working arrangements can also be requested and assessed subject to the role. Please enquire or highlight any request to our Talent Acquisition team to explore the flexible working possibilities.
• Up to 5 paid days volunteering each year.

RTX

Raytheon UK is a landed company and part of the wider RTX organisation. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, USA, but with over 180,000 employees globally across every continent, RTX provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide and comprises three industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace Systems, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon.

Supporting over 35,000 jobs across 13 UK sites, RTX is helping to drive prosperity. Each year our work contributes over £2.7bn to the UK economy and offers a wealth of opportunities to 4,000 suppliers across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We're investing in all corners of the country, supporting 29,040 jobs in England, 3,040 in Northern Ireland, 1,900 in Scotland and 1,600 in Wales.

RTX adheres to the principles of equal employment. All qualified applications will be given careful consideration without regard to ethnicity, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

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