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Chief Engineer
Job summary
Can you lead the engineering integrity of the UK's most critical national security technologies?
In the world of national security, the stakes couldn't be higher. While the pace of delivery continues to accelerate, our commitment to quality, rigour and long-term sustainability remains. We're looking for someone who can help us maintain that balance and drive excellence at every stage.
We are HMGCC, the engineering specialists at the heart of the UK's national security.
Working across government, industry, academia and with international allies, we bring engineering ingenuity to some of the nation's most complex challenges, developing the tools and technologies that help keep the UK safe.
Our engineers work across an exceptionally broad range of disciplines, from software and hardware through to electronics, manufacturing and specialist engineering. Together, they create capabilities that make a genuine difference to the national security mission. This breadth creates unique challenges and opportunities, requiring engineering leadership that can bring together different disciplines, perspectives and approaches to solve complex problems.
As the Chief Engineer, you are the guardian of engineering integrity.
You aren't just managing a team; you are owning the technical health of the entire HMGCC engineering system. Your mission is to ensure that as we innovate and deliver at pace, we never compromise on the coherence, security or resilience of our technical solutions.
You will hold authority across all product areas, acting as the ultimate technical escalation point and the voice of engineering excellence. You will balance the urgent needs of today with the strategic health of tomorrow, ensuring our engineering capabilities remain sustainable, resilient and ready to meet future challenges.
This is a high-impact leadership role. You will work alongside members of the senior leadership team, influencing the direction of the organisation and sponsoring engineering communities of practice. From defining the guardrails of our engineering standards to shaping how emerging technologies and new ways of working are adopted, you will help define the future of engineering at HMGCC.
You will lead our technical Heads of Profession, cultivating the future talent and ensuring that technical career paths are clear, rewarding and aligned with the national security mission.
Job description
Key responsibilities
- Own the guardrails: define and evolve the engineering standards, security expectations, and lifecycle processes (from R&D to disposal).
- Protect the future: ensure that the pressure to deliver does not erode the long-term viability of our systems.
- Drive the AI agenda: lead on AI/ML tooling across the organisation, identifying opportunities that move the needle for national security.
- Act as the final word: serve as the ultimate escalation point for technical tensions and provide final sign-off on safety and engineering compliance.
- Develop the profession: line manage and sponsor Heads of Profession, ensuring our technical skills remain world-class.
- Modernise infrastructure: steer the future of our engineering facilities and act as an intelligent partner to other areas of the organisation.
Person specification
More about you
To apply for this role, you'll bring a strong engineering foundation and a track record of leading in complex technical environments. You may have developed your expertise within a particular engineering discipline, but you'll also have the breadth, curiosity and leadership capability to work across diverse technical domains.
You'll be motivated by engineering excellence and comfortable balancing pace, innovation and delivery with appropriate governance, assurance and risk management. Most importantly, you'll enjoy helping teams make sound engineering decisions whilst supporting the long-term development of engineering capability and technical excellence across an organisation.
To apply for this role, you will have:
- Deep technical expertise: an effective background in software engineering, hardware engineering, or a related field, underpinned by engineering principles.
- Proven engineering leadership: experience leading large-scale engineering teams or organisations with a track record of driving technical excellence.
- Strategic foresight: the ability to see the "big picture," balancing immediate delivery pressures with long-term sustainability and technical health.
- Influence and communication: the interpersonal skills to collaborate with product and delivery leadership, bridging the gap between fast delivery and engineering rigour.
- Risk mastery: a proven ability to identify, assess, and mitigate complex technical risks in high-stakes environments.
Additional experience in any of the following areas would be beneficial:
- Experience defining and governing engineering standards and compliance frameworks.
- Familiarity with modern practices such as Agile, DevOps, and CI/CD.
- A passion for AI/ML and the ability to implement these technologies within a complex delivery structure.
- Experience leading engineering communities of practice or making high-level technical investment decisions.
Your personal skills
You’ll be someone who:
- Leads with vision: you can articulate a clear engineering strategy that inspires others and aligns with our national security goals.
- Collaborates across boundaries: you enjoy working in partnership with peers to find solutions to cross-area technical tensions.
- Champions quality: you have an uncompromising commitment to excellence and the courage to advocate for long-term health over short-term wins.
- Is a catalyst for innovation: you are curious about the future, particularly AI, and know how to integrate new tech into a secure, stable environment.
- Empowers others: you value mentorship and are dedicated to helping engineers realise their full potential.
- Remains calm under pressure: you are a steady hand during critical decision-making processes and gate reviews.
Benefits
What we offer
Now that we’ve explained what you will be doing, here’s what we can offer you:
- A positive, collaborative and inclusive work environment.
- 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 after 5 years’ service.
- 8 Bank Holiday days off in addition to your annual leave.
- 2 ½ additional days leave (set dates through the year).
- Pension. Our Pension scheme is Alpha. It’s competitive.
- Flexible or compressed hours to support you to balance your life with your work.
- Paid parental and adoption leave and neonatal policy.
- Training. This can be anything from a ½ day internal course to a distant learning degree. If it’s relevant to your career, we will aim to support you.
- Opportunities for mentoring and coaching.
- Free secure parking and allocated parking for car shares.
- Affinity groups – whether you are a person with a disability, part of the LGBTQIA+ community and/or from an ethnic minority background, we provide an inclusive environment, support and a variety of networks for everyone.
- Free onsite gym, open 24 hours a day.
- Bike to work scheme.
- Multi-faith Prayer room. This is a quiet contemplation room for staff to use for prayer or reflection.
- 3 days paid leave a year to support a registered charity of your choice.
- Sports & Social Society. Whether its classic cars or baking, golf or crafting, we have a society for you. We offer regular subsidised theatre tickets and on-site activities.
- On site café and restaurant.
- On site nursery (subject to availability).
- New joiners loan*.
About HMGCC
We work with the national security community, UK government, academia, private sector partners and international allies to bring engineering ingenuity to the national security mission, creating tools and technologies that drive us ahead and help to protect the nation.
We invest in our people, not only with training but also support throughout your career with us; to allow you to reach your full potential at work, as well as enjoy the work/life balance many aspire to.
To find out more about us and if we’re right for you, please visit our website.
Equal Opportunities
Inclusion and diversity really matter to us. It's not just about numbers or visible differences.
HMGCC are committed to providing equal opportunities and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, and those with disabilities or who are neurodiverse.
We’re not looking for any one type of person. We’re looking for talent from all different backgrounds to join our organisation, where we genuinely respect and value each other's differences, as well as our similarities. It makes us even better at what we do.
To find out more about our culture and inclusion and diversity, please visit our website.
We are proud to offer applicants who declare a disability or long-term health condition the opportunity to apply through the Offer of Interview Scheme. We aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that best meet the minimum essential criteria for this position are offered an interview where practicable.
We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in person interviews or assessments during the recruitment and vetting process. Full details will be provided with your interview or assessment invitation. Reimbursement is discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate Expenses Policy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel, using the most economical option, and provide original hardcopy receipts for reimbursement.
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.Selection process details
Apply now
Discover more by applying on our website
Our recruitment team will process your application once the role has closed and everyone will get a response.
Please note, dependent on the recruitment requirements, we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date.
*We offer an interest free loan of up to £2,500, which is to be repaid in equal instalments over a period of 24 months, to support any costs incurred due to your change of employment.
It is the organisation's policy not to provide feedback at any stage of the recruitment process. This may be contrary to this message.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
Open to UK nationals only.Working for the Civil Service
Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).Apply and further information
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Recruitment
- Email : Opportunities@hiringteam.org.uk
- Telephone : 0800 138 8221 (Our lines are open Monday to Friday from 9am until 4pm)
Recruitment team
- Email : Opportunities@hiringteam.org.uk
Salary range
- £82,893 - £89,114 per year