Interim Chief Engineer

Interim Chief Engineer Defence & Complex Engineering South West We are supporting a leading organisation operating within the UK defence and advanced engineering sector in the appointment of an Interim Chief Engineer. This is a senior engineering leadership position with responsibility for providing technical authority, design leadership and strategic direction across complex, safety-critical products and customer programmes. The organisation is experiencing continued growth and increasing programme complexity and is looking for an experienced engineering leader who can provide immediate technical leadership, strengthen engineering governance and ensure delivery across the full product lifecycle. The Role Provide technical direction and leadership to Engineering Leads and multi-disciplinary engineering teams.Act as Technical Authority / Design Authority for complex engineered products and systems.Ensure technical delivery is coherent, governed and aligned with cost, quality, schedule, safety and performance requirements.Lead and develop the technical roadmap, architecture and design approach across assigned products and programmes.Own technical baseline integrity, configuration control, design authority decisions and lifecycle evidence.Provide technical leadership through bid, development, qualification, production, customer acceptance and in-service support.Lead technical risk, obsolescence and in-service engineering issues, ensuring appropriate mitigation and resolution plans are established.Ensure compliance with customer requirements, regulatory obligations, relevant defence and industry standards.Provide senior technical input to customers, major programme stakeholders and internal leadership teams.Support bids, proposals and business development activity with credible technical expertise.Provide technical support to quality, manufacturing, supply chain and support functions, ensuring root cause, corrective action and design implications are effectively managed.Champion engineering excellence, professional standards and a strong culture of safety, quality and accountability.Lead and develop senior engineering personnel, setting clear expectations around performance, delivery and professional development. About You Proven experience operating as a Technical Authority, Design Authority or equivalent for complex engineered products or systems.Significant experience across the full product lifecycle, from bid and development through qualification, production and in-service support.Experience within defence, security, maritime, aerospace or another highly regulated and safety-critical engineering environment.Strong understanding of systems engineering, technical assurance, product safety, configuration management, verification, validation and qualification.Experience leading substantial multi-disciplinary engineering teams or functions.Strong technical judgement and the ability to make informed decisions in complex programme environments.The credibility to engage confidently with senior customers, programme leadership and technical stakeholders.Chartered Engineer status, or demonstrable equivalent professional standing, would be advantageous.A STEM degree and/or equivalent relevant professional engineering qualification.