Director – Global Autonomous Operations

SYOS Aerospace; Fareham; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

SYOS Aerospace, a leader in autonomous systems, seeks a senior operations leader to own global readiness and deployments across air, land and sea.

You will coordinate cross‑functional teams across product testing, certification, customer demonstrations, training and trials, turning ambitious plans into executable actions. The role requires clear decision-making under pressure, stakeholder engagement at senior levels, and extensive international travel.

Qualifications

• Senior operational leader with experience across aerospace/defense or safety-critical environments.
• Ability to connect programmes, people, assets and priorities across multiple locations.
• Proven track record in leading high-performance global operations organisations.

Responsibilities

• Own the integrated global operations schedule coordinating trials, demonstrations and deployments.
• Work with Product, Engineering and Commercial teams to translate opportunities into executable plans.
• Ensure readiness for critical trials, customer demos and deployments at scale.

Skills

Global operations leadership

Operational planning

Stakeholder engagement

Risk management

Job description

Ready to lead autonomous operations on a global scale?

At SYOS Aerospace, we’re building the next generation of uncrewed systems across air, land and sea - and we’re looking for a senior operational leader to make sure those systems are ready to perform when it matters.

What You’ll Be Responsible For

• People and specialist skills
• Platforms and equipment
• Training and competencies
• Permissions and operational clearances
• Resources and logistics
• Plans, rehearsals and readiness

You’ll own the integrated global operations schedule, balancing competing demands across product testing and evaluation, certification, customer demonstrations, training, trials and operational deployments. You’ll also work closely with Product, Engineering and Commercial teams to turn future opportunities into clear, executable operational plans. Most importantly, you’ll make sure that when a critical trial, customer demonstration or deployment arrives, SYOS is ready.

This Is a Role For Someone Who Can…

• See the whole picture. You can connect complex programmes, people, assets and priorities across multiple locations and domains.
• Lead through others. You’ll develop senior operational leaders and build a high-performance global Operations organisation.
• Make good calls under pressure. You understand how to balance pace, opportunity, safety, risk and operational readiness.
• Turn ambition into execution. You can take a demanding pipeline of trials, demonstrations and deployments and turn it into a practical plan that teams can deliver.
• Operate credibly at senior level. You’ll engage with customers, government and military stakeholders, regulators, partners and internal executives.

We’re looking for a proven senior operational leader with experience across areas such as aerospace, defense, aviation, maritime, engineering, test & evaluation or other safety‑critical environments.

You’ll Ideally Have Experience With

• Leading complex operational teams
• Test & Evaluation, trials or operational deployments
• Certification, regulatory approval, clearance or safety assurance
• Global or geographically distributed operations
• Workforce readiness, competencies and resource planning
• High-profile demonstrations and customer events
• Working across technical, commercial and operational teams
• Operating effectively in fast‑moving environments

Experience with unmanned or autonomous aerial and/or maritime systems is highly desirable, as is experience working in operational theatres or scaling operations within a rapidly growing technology organisation.

You must be eligible for UK Security Clearance and willing to travel extensively internationally, including to austere or operational environments.

Step inside the world of SYOS