Chief Life Cycle Engineer - UK&I Defence Transport

Rolls-Royce; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the defence sector seeks a Chief Life Cycle Engineer to ensure long-term reliability and performance of key Defence products. This role involves leading engineering strategies, managing lifecycle support, and engaging with customers to address service issues. The ideal candidate will possess a degree in Engineering, demonstrate leadership in engineering programmes, and have a strong understanding of product safety and reliability.

Benefits

Bonus

Employee support assistance

Employee discounts

Qualifications

• Proven ability to make sound technical decisions.
• Experience leading in-service engineering programmes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the in-service engineering strategy for TP400 and MRTT engines.
• Act as the primary technical interface for customers.
• Prepare the aftermarket support plan for future MRTT+ operations.

Skills

Communication

Technical Decision Making

Root Cause Analysis

Education

Degree in Engineering, Science or Technology

Job description

Job Description

Job Title:Chief Life Cycle Engineer

Working Pattern:Full-time, Hybrid

Working Location:Bristol

This is a high-impact role at the heart of the Defence Mature Engines team, where you’ll ensure our products deliver long-term reliability, safety and service performance for key Defence customers, including TP400 and MRTT operators. As the accountable technical authority for in-service engines, you’ll shape support strategy, guide engineering deliverables and directly engage with operators to solve real-world issues. You’ll also be preparing for future MRTT+ operations, helping us meet evolving customer and service needs.

Why Rolls-Royce?

Rolls-Royce is one of the most enduring and iconic brands in the world and has been at the forefront of innovation for over a century. We design, build and service systems that provide critical power to customers where safety and reliability are paramount.

We are proud to be a force for progress, powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere.

We want to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that has shaped our history continues into our future and we need people like you to come and join us on this journey.

This role sits within the Defence business, working as part of the Whole Enterprise Design (WED) team, reporting directly to the Chief Engineer and focusing on supporting mature engine platforms in service.

We’ll provide an environment of caring and belonging where you can be yourself. An inclusive, innovative culture that invests in you, gives you access to an incredible breadth and depth of opportunities where you can grow your career and make a difference.

This is a technically accountable role with a wide range of influence – from shaping root cause investigations and safety assurance to defining product maturity strategies and leading responses to service issues. You’ll join a team of Life Cycle Engineers focused on delivering outstanding availability and maintainability, and your work will have a direct impact on customer satisfaction, operational readiness, and the long-term support strategy for strategic defence programmes.

What we offer

We offer excellent development opportunities, a competitive salary, and exceptional benefits. These include bonus, employee support assistance and employee discounts.

Your needs are as unique as you are. Hybrid working is a way in which our people can balance their time between the office, home, or another remote location. It’s a locally managed and flexed informal discretionary arrangement. As a minimum we’re all expected to attend the workplace for collaboration and other specific reasons, on average three days per week.

What you will be doing

With this attractive opportunity you will get a chance to:

• Lead the in-service engineering strategy for TP400 and MRTT engines, ensuring safe and cost-effective operations

• Define, instruct and oversee actions to manage reliability, availability and maintainability across the lifecycle

• Act as the primary technical interface for customers, handling safety queries, service concerns, and operational improvements

• Prepare the aftermarket support plan for future MRTT+ operations and related capability growth

Who we’re looking for

At Rolls-Royce we put safety first, do the right thing, keep it simple and make a difference. These principles form the behaviours that guide us and are an essential component of our assessment process. They are the fundamental qualities that we seek for all roles.

To be successful in this role you will need to:

• Hold a degree in Engineering, Science or Technology, with a proven ability to make sound technical decisions

• Demonstrate experience leading in-service engineering programmes or lifecycle support activities

• Show a strong understanding of product safety, reliability, maintenance burden and cost

• Be confident communicating with internal stakeholders and external customers, including Airframers and Authorities

• Apply evidence-based root cause analysis and drive technical policy to meet service objectives

We are an equal opportunities employer. We’re committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive working environment. We believe that people from different backgrounds and cultures give us different perspectives which are crucial to innovation and problem solving. We believe the more diverse perspectives we have, the more successful we’ll be. By building a culture of caring and belonging, we give everyone who works here the opportunity to realise their full potential.

We welcome applications from people with a refugee background.

You can learn more about our global Inclusion strategy at Our people | Rolls-Royce

Security Clearance
To work in this role, you will be required to hold Security Check (SC) clearance. Rolls-Royce will support you in applying for this if it is not already in place. Due to the nature of the work and the need to protect sensitive assets, we can only consider applications from individuals who are UK nationals, or in certain MoD-approved cases, dual nationals.

Job Category Engineering for Services Posting Date 15 May 2025; 00:05 Posting End Date 24 May 2025