Deputy Head of Engineering — Aviation Ops & Strategy

DEA Specialised Airborne Operations; Retford; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

DEA Specialised Airborne Operations seeks a Deputy Head of Engineering to drive day-to-day engineering support, pricing, cost-base management and fleet strategy. You will report to the Head of Engineering and act as a key operational bridge across the department to improve efficiency and profitability.

In this newly created role you will mentor managers, manage KPI dashboards, ensure AS9100 compliance and contribute to strategic planning, fleet maintenance forecasting and training pipelines

Responsibilities

• Commercial leadership: drive pricing strategies and manage the department's cost base.
• Oversee financial risk, identify vulnerabilities and expand profitability.
• Support bids with technical scoping and costing for growth.
• Lead internal reporting, KPIs, and IT systems for the department.
• Establish daily/weekly operational cadence and data flow.
• Prepare concise updates for HoE and group executives.
• Represent Engineering at IPC for aligned strategy and output.
• Lead Fleet Planning with the Fleet Manager and oversee budgeting.
• Provide tactical management and supplier/customer engagement.
• Oversee long-term budgeting for BAU; manage training pipeline.
• Head Training and Compliance Manager; foster learning culture.
• Ensure AS9100 compliance, policy management, and records in Centrik.
• Lead project management when needed and integrate PMs into workflow.
• Monitor delivery of aircraft inputs and system upgrades.
• Mentor engineering leadership and deconflict priorities.

Job description

DEA Specialised Airborne Operations seeks a Deputy Head of Engineering to drive day-to-day engineering support, pricing, cost-base management and fleet strategy. You will report to the Head of Engineering and act as a key operational bridge across the department to improve efficiency and profitability.

In this newly created role you will mentor managers, manage KPI dashboards, ensure AS9100 compliance and contribute to strategic planning, fleet maintenance forecasting and training pipelines