Roke offers specialist knowledge in sensors, communications, cyber, and AI and ML. We change the way organisations think and act – through dynamic insights from the analysis of multiple layers of data. We take care of the innovative, technical stuff that keeps everyone safe – that’s our mission, passion, and motivation.
Joining a team united by purpose and ambition, you’ll be at the heart of an exciting growth journey. We push technical boundaries, together. We re‑invest in product innovation, and we empower our people to make a difference.
The Opportunity
Roke provides technology innovation and consultancy to a variety of Defence clients and are seeking a Chief Engineer to drive forward delivery across a number of our key programmes.
The role of the Chief Engineer provides strategic and hands‑on engineering leadership across multiple programmes, acting as the senior technical authority for end‑to‑end system development. Working closely with the Line of Business Leadership team, the role ensures that engineering excellence, technical governance, and robust lifecycle management are embedded throughout all projects. The Chief Engineer also plays a key role in shaping product strategy, driving technical decisions, and enabling successful delivery across the engineering portfolio.
Success in the role will require an effective and engaging communicator able to manage multiple programmes simultaneously. The candidate will need to be able to act as a trusted advisor to our clients and their business stakeholders as well as supporting the delivery team to manage engineering risk.
Areas of Responsibility / Tasks
Technical Leadership & Governance
- Serve as the senior technical authority across assigned programmes, ensuring engineering integrity, design consistency, and compliance with standards.
- Provide expert guidance on system architecture, design trade‑offs, technology selection, and engineering best practice.
- Define and maintain engineering governance processes across the full product lifecycle.
End‑to‑End Lifecycle Management
- Oversee engineering activities from concept development through to deployment, sustainment, and disposal.
- Ensure that design reviews, verification & validation activities, and configuration management are conducted effectively.
- Identify engineering risks and implement robust mitigation strategies.
- Provide engineering leadership and oversight to programme managers and delivery teams.
- Support planning, estimation, technical direction, and solution development across multiple concurrent programmes.
- Act as the escalation point for complex or critical technical issues.
Product Strategy & Technical Roadmapping
- Work with the Head of Engineering, Product Management, and Architecture teams to shape product direction and technology strategy.
- Contribute to long‑term roadmaps, ensuring alignment between customer needs, technology evolution, and business priorities.
- Evaluate emerging technologies and drive innovation across the engineering organisation.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Communicate complex technical matters to senior leadership, customers, and non‑engineering stakeholders.
- Build strong relationships across engineering, operations, and commercial teams to enable effective collaboration.
Coaching & Capability Development
- Mentor engineering teams, fostering a culture of high technical standards and continuous improvement.
- Help define competency frameworks, training plans, and career development pathways for engineers.
- Promote best practices in systems engineering, architecture, and lifecycle management.
- Extensive experience in a senior engineering leadership role, ideally overseeing multi‑disciplinary systems.
- Proven capability delivering end‑to‑end lifecycle management.
- Strong systems‑thinking mindset and experience with complex system architectures.
- Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction and drive engineering decision‑making.
- Excellent communication skills, able to articulate engineering issues to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Track record of working across multiple programmes simultaneously.
- Knowledge and experience of the Defence domain and experience on MOD programmes.
- Knowledge of appropriate Defence Standards across the Engineering lifecycle.
- Familiarity with model‑based systems engineering (MBSE) and architecture frameworks.
- Understanding of product management principles, including agile methodologies and technology strategy.
- Degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or similar field.
Why You Should Join Us
We have a competitive salary and access to a number of additional flexible benefits, which will cover Health and Wellbeing, Savings and Protection and Life, Leisure and Entertainment.
We are committed to a policy of Equal Opportunity, Diversity and Inclusion. Our working environment is friendly, creative and inclusive and support a diverse work‑force and those with additional needs.
Security Information
Due to the nature of this position, we require you to be willing and eligible to achieve a minimum of SC clearance. To qualify, the candidate should have resided in the UK for the last 5 years for SC.
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