Head of Engineering Projects

Leonardo; Luton; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous leave and flexi‑days

Pension scheme with employer contrib.

Mental health support

Access to Coursera/LinkedIn Learning

Referral programme

Flexible benefits up to £500

Hybrid working

Job summary

Leonardo invites a senior engineering leader to join its UK team in Luton as Head of Engineering Projects. You will shape engineering strategy, drive capability development and lead delivery of a portfolio of complex, mission‑critical programmes from concept through production support.

You will collaborate with customers, partners and senior leaders to drive innovation, ensure quality, and sustain competitive advantage while upholding safety and security standards.

Qualifications

• Lead strategic direction for a portfolio of complex engineering programmes.
• Mentor and develop high‑performing engineering teams; drive capability development.
• Champion adoption of cutting‑edge technologies and modern methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction and governance across all programmes; maintain schedule and cost adherence.
• Direct planning, resourcing and prioritisation to deliver engineering projects from concept to production support.
• Ensure safety, security, and quality standards are met across engineering teams; manage budgets and risks.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Project delivery

Talent development

Innovation

Cross-functional collaboration

Budget management

Risk management

Job description

Your Impact

Are you motivated by leading exceptional people, solving complex challenges and leaving a lasting impact on both business performance and national capability?

Job Description

With continued growth across our Electronic Warfare Line of Business, we have an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and experienced leader to join us as Head of Engineering Projects. In this pivotal role, you will shape engineering strategy, develop future capability and lead the successful delivery of a portfolio of complex, mission‑critical programmes, from concept through to production support.

Working closely with customers, partners and senior leaders across Leonardo, you will drive innovation, engineering excellence and operational performance, ensuring we continue to deliver best‑in‑class solutions that meet our customers’ evolving needs while strengthening our position as a trusted defence partner.

What You’ll Do

• Strategic leadership: Provide strategic direction and oversight across all programmes, motivating, leading and inspiring engineering teams to achieve excellence
• Deliver Engineering Success: Shape and direct the planning, resourcing, prioritisation, execution, and delivery of engineering projects, with accountability for the technical outcomes, alongside schedule and cost adherence
• Develop Talent: Build a high‑performing engineering organisation which includes proactive mentoring across the team, shaping capability development, and driving a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and technical excellence.
• Drive Innovation: Champion the evolution of engineering capability, by driving the adoption of cutting‑edge technologies, modern methodologies, and process enhancements that improve efficiency, quality, and competitiveness.
• Collaborate: Work alongside the internal engineering disciplines, to ensure the forward load is representative of future requirements, forecasting the skills and capability needs of the programmes, and develop robust succession plans to ensure continued future success
• Build effective partnerships: Forge strong working relationships with internal teams, external stakeholders, customers and partners to ensure alignment and seamless delivery across EW
• Due diligence and governance: Apply effective Life Cycle Management processes across bids and projects, taking overall responsibility for all Engineering governance assurance activities.
• Maintain Quality & Compliance: Guarantee adherence to safety, security, and quality standards, across the Engineering teams
• Manage Budgets: Lead the optimisation of engineering budgets, making informed trade‑off decisions that deliver value without compromising quality, safety, or programme integrity
• Risk Management: Drive a proactive and transparent risk management approach across all Engineering practices, anticipating risks, guiding effective controls, and ensuring alignment with organisational priorities
• Support the Sector VP in monthly Project Reviews, Demand Reviews, Supply Reviews and LoB Reviews

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre‑employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV).

For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company‑funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work‑life balance. Whether you’re looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi‑days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award‑winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee‑led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo UK operates a grade‑based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Primary Location

GB - Luton - Cap. Green 300

Contract Type

Permanent

Hybrid Working

Hybrid