Project Engineering Lead

Job Description:
We are looking for a Project Engineering Lead to work within our electro-optic (EO) systems product support area. This business area covers several defence related EO systems products in the land and naval domain. Engineering tasks that the Project Engineering Lead is responsible for covers the support tasks and also any engineering development tasks that may arise through drivers such as obsolescence or capability upgrades.
Project Engineering Leads are responsible for the total engineering activity undertaken on a project or portfolio of projects and so manage cross-disciplined engineering teams. The Project Engineering Lead is tasked to ensure that the engineering team delivers a solution that is compliant with the customer technical requirements; contractual requirements; and legislative requirements. Working closely with Project Managers, the Project Engineering Lead must effectively plan and manage the engineering effort within projects from a performance, schedule and cost perspective.
Reporting to a Project Engineering Manager, the Project Engineering Lead contributes to the monthly engineering governance cycle through preparation of engineering status reports. Project Engineering Leads build strong relationships with Engineering Functional Leads to ensure the resourcing plans for their projects are realistic and any issues arising are resolved swiftly. Project Engineering Leads play a key role in business winning activities, coordinating the collection of engineering costs, preparation of engineering plans and holding engineering bid reviews.
The role requires a candidate who is self-motivated, proactive and enthusiastic, with strong leadership and communication skills. The ability to foster and develop effective working relationships is key to ensure engineers perform to the levels required of the projects. A strong commercial and business awareness is also essential to ensure that the engineering effort can be managed in the correct context for each given project.
Key Responsibility Areas

• Project Engineering Leads are responsible for the management of multi-disciplined engineering teams across multiple projects. Working closely with project managers, they are responsible for delivery of the overall engineering output against time, cost and performance budgets.
• Project Engineering Leads are responsible for generating clear and relevant engineering plans, establishing key milestones and identifying risks, opportunities and interdependencies.
• Project Engineering Leads are responsible for reviewing the current engineering positions on projects, and adapting plans as required to mitigate risks to either cost, schedule or performance budgets.
• Project Engineering Leads are responsible for preparation and communication of monthly engineering status reports for each of their assigned projects into their line manager, the Head of Engineering Projects
• Project Engineering Leads are responsible for the coordination of engineering input into bids as part of the business winning process.

Skills, Qualifications & Knowledge Required
The following skills and experience are required:

• Educated to a degree level in an engineering-related subject (essential)
• Previous experience of managing and/or leading multi-disciplined engineering teams (essential)
• Strong understanding and proven track record of engineering lifecycles and processes (essential)
• An understanding, or experience of Electro-Optic based products in the defence industry (desirable)
• Experience of working within the defence or aerospace industry (desirable)

Intrinsic Factors
The candidate must have demonstrable relevant experience and proven success in their previous roles.
The candidate must have well-rounded engineering experience in all phases of the design lifecycle, and must have previous significant exposure to all aspects of engineering planning.
Primary Location:
GB - Basildon
Contract Type:
Hybrid Working:
Hybrid