DE&S SCS1 Head of Helicopters 2

Ministry Of Defence; Yeovil; Hybrid; GBP 91,000; Full time

Job summary

A government defense organization is seeking a Head of Helicopters 2 to lead operational capabilities for its helicopter fleets including Chinook and Apache. The role involves strategic leadership, stakeholder engagement, and ensuring airworthiness across multiple programs. Successful candidates will have a strong background in managing complex projects and hold a Chartered Engineering designation. A competitive salary of £90,900 plus substantial benefits including a Civil Service pension is offered. Flexible working options are available.

Benefits

Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension

Flexible working options

Learning and development opportunities

Inclusive culture

Qualifications

• Strong track record in complex portfolio delivery.
• Experience with airworthiness and safety management.
• Ability to foster innovation and lead change.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Rotary Wing team ensuring operational capability.
• Manage stakeholder engagements and complex integration tasks.
• Support the development of strategic initiatives for rotary operations.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder Management

Strategic Planning

Risk Management

Team Development

Education

Chartered Engineer

Job description

Permanent Duty Station

Your Permanent Duty Station can be DE&S Main office in Abbey Wood or at DE&S Yeovil with a regular presence (i.e. 2 days per week) expected at DE&S Abbey Wood.

Job Overview

Head of Helicopters 2 is an exciting and multi-faceted role with responsibility for delivering safe, airworthy and operationally effective capability through the Chinook, Apache, Dauphin N3 and Jupiter 2 helicopter fleets. This entails leadership of a team overseeing programmes, including Category A and Government Major Projects, with a total value in excess of £5 Bn. In this role you would work closely with mission partners including industry and the front-line commands to ensure that our helicopter fleets are available and capable, primarily through the transformational Rotary Wing Enterprise which will integrate support for Apache and Chinook into a single contract, improve front-line serviceability, address cost growth and increase UK industrial involvement. Collaborative leadership and a flair for driving transformational change will be key to successfully setting the conditions for the next decade of Apache and Chinook operations. You will act as the Principal Engineer for the Rotary Wing (RW), Uncrewed Air Systems (UAS) and Air Enablers 2-Star Directorate, supporting in discharging my RA1013 responsibilities, mentoring the 15 Chief Engineers who deliver the numerous associated air systems and ensuring that the Directorate discharges the additional safety and environmental responsibilities detailed in the relevant DE&S Safety & Engineering Leaflets. With responsibility for a complex sub-portfolio of equipment and support programmes you will lead the RW & UAS engagement with Army Headquarters and Joint Aviation Command as well as building and managing constructive relationships with key industry partners including Boeing US and UK, Airbus Helicopters, Draken, Standard Aero and QinetiQ. At its heart, this role is about people, and if you see yourself as a servant leader ready to support, mentor and learn from the brilliant Helicopters 2 team and to play a full part as a member of the National Armaments Director Group senior leadership team, we look forward to your application.

Areas of Responsibility

Deliver and sustain a complex platform portfolio including influencing early concept work with Options & Commissioning and working with broader NAD Group stakeholders to engage Industry and Partner Nations. Be accountable for technical integration of equipment and systems provided by other Core Heads & Directors to your projects and support the integration of systems with other platforms/systems where required. Delivery of the Head of Helicopters 2 portfolio, and sustaining the following capabilities through life: Chinook, Apache, Jupiter 2, H‑47(ER) and Dauphin N3. Principal Engineer for the Rotary Wing, Uncrewed Air Systems and Air Enablers portfolio. Support high-profile work under significant Ministerial, Parliamentary, Media and Stakeholder scrutiny, requiring personal resilience and senior stakeholder management. Contribute to the Defence Industrial Strategy as required, understand Industry capability to deliver and influence the longer-term Industrial Plan. Re‑balance the approved work programme if required, whilst delivering change management and operational sustainment.

Interview Process

If you are found successful at shortlist you will be invited to attend a staff engagement exercise (SEE). This involves a 10 min presentation to a small group of DE&S employees followed by a Q&A session. Following the SEE the Employee Panel will provide feedback and scores to support the interviewing panel. Alongside the SEE, you will also be required to undertake an Individual Leadership Assessment (ILA). The ILA is completed by an occupational psychologist who will ask you questions around your leadership style and abilities. The ILA is not scored but is used as additional information for the panel. Interview Shortlisted candidates will be asked to attend a panel interview for an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the essential criteria. Full details of the interview process will be made available to shortlisted candidates. The Panel will consist of Mark Langrill (Director Air Rotary, UAS & AE), Stephen Wilcock (Director Engineering & Safety), and a DE&S HR Business Partner.

Offer

We will notify all candidates of their outcome, as soon as possible after the final interview. DE&S reserves the right to make any offer of appointment conditional upon references and satisfactory conclusion of security enquiries. In the event that you meet the requirements for the role, but you are not offered the position, we will be pleased to retain your application for a 12-month period in case another suitable role arises.

Security Requirements

Security Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting. See our vetting charter. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

Accountabilities & Leadership

• Being Accountable – Evidence of accepting and responding to challenges from stakeholders and colleagues in a constructive manner.
• Fostering Autonomy and Choice – Demonstrable evidence of encouraging measured risk‑taking and innovation and encouraging staff autonomy to allow them to work in a way most suitable and productive for their work to deliver better approaches of services.
• Leading Through Change – Demonstrable experience of proactively championing and leading change by seeking innovative new approaches, policies and systems that add value to the organisation.

Technical

• A strong track record of successfully delivering a diverse and complex portfolio of acquisition projects and programmes.
• Demonstrable experience of supporting operations through the development, optimisation and provision of in‑service support, logistics and supply chain management solutions.
• Substantial airworthiness, safety and environmental management experience across all aspects of the life‑cycle.

Essential Qualifications

• Chartered Engineer Including Membership of a relevant professional institution.
• Sufficient qualifications and experience to satisfy the Military Aviation Authority's Airworthiness Competency Assessment and receive a Letter of Endorsement to carry out the roles set out in MAA Regulatory Article 1003.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £90,900, Ministry of Defence contributes £26,333 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Please see candidate pack for more information.