Head of Special Aviation Mission Group Europe

Metrea Management LLC; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace and defense firm based in the UK is seeking a Head of Special Air Missions (Europe) to shape its European organization. This key leadership role involves designing scalable systems, ensuring operational excellence, and leading a high-performing team across various locations. The ideal candidate will possess senior leadership experience in aerospace and defense and a deep understanding of aviation regulations. The position offers a hybrid working model with competitive benefits, including private medical insurance, gym membership, and more.

Benefits

Private Medical Insurance

Subsided gym membership

Electric Car scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Salary‑sacrificed pension scheme

Free lunch on office days

Enhanced parental leave

Eligible for SC/DV clearance

Qualifications

• Track record of identifying, developing, and retaining top talent.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and complexity.
• Extensive special mission aircrew experience; ISR background preferred.
• Strong understanding of EASA/CAA regulations.
• Willingness to travel frequently.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement the European SAM organization.
• Lead execution of the Group's strategy.
• Oversee performance management across capability areas.
• Manage risk and opportunity across the portfolio.
• Support enterprise planning and contribution to marketing plans.

Skills

Senior leadership experience

Aerospace and defense expertise

Strong judgment and problem-solving skills

Ability to drive results

Effective stakeholder engagement

Adaptability and intellectual curiosity

Team leadership

Job description

Special Aviation Missions (Europe) Group (SAM) is one of two Groups responsible for developing and delivering Metrea's Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Aerial Firefighting (AFF) and Special Mobility capabilities. Alongside SAM (US), SAM (Europe) oversees the integration of new mission systems, ensuring operational readiness across specialized aviation operations in and from Europe. It manages regulatory compliance and strategic partnerships to enhance mission effectiveness whilst supporting SAM US with fleet maintenance. By consolidating expertise and infrastructure, SAM Groups ensure Metrea's airborne capabilities remain adaptable and mission-ready across dynamic operational environments. The Head of Special Air Missions (Europe) is a newly created senior leadership role responsible for shaping and leading Metrea's European SAM organization. This leader will define the structure, capabilities, and culture (we call it FIRMWARE) of the organization while ensuring operational excellence across high-value aerospace programs throughout Europe. This is a builder-and-operator role: someone who can design scalable systems, frameworks, and teams on the Group, while being deeply engaged in delivering results day-to-day in the Group. The Head of SAM (Europe) will scale teams across multiple countries, influence the wider business, and operate effectively in ambiguity, all while cultivating a culture aligned with Metrea's FIRMWARE. This role leads through collaboration rather than hierarchy, building trust and influence across geographies and functions. It requires identifying and developing top talent while driving alignment across the enterprise, and is central to achieving Metrea's vision of safe, assured, and scalable global aviation operations.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement the European SAM organization, creating a scalable and efficient structure that supports long-term growth.
• Build frameworks, financial models, and digital systems–working with Operations–to streamline workflows and meet government contracting requirements.
• Identify capability, skills, and cultural gaps; lead professional development and targeted hiring to build a high‑performing, resilient team.
• Foster a unified One Team culture grounded in humility and aligned with Metrea's core attributes: entrepreneurial, systematic, discerning, and over‑delivering.
• Provide decision support and guidance to enable effective leadership across the organization.

Delivery

• Lead execution of the Group's strategy through the annual Enterprise Value Case cycle, delivering strategic milestones and measurable objectives across SAM Capability Areas.
• Contribute to enterprise planning, including campaign, capability, and marketing plans relevant to Special Air Missions.
• Oversee performance management across European SAM capability areas, ensuring progress against OKRs and KPIs and taking corrective action when necessary.
• Support reporting with strategic insight, risk analysis, and mitigation planning.
• Manage risk and opportunity across the portfolio, influencing internal programs and supporting acquisition considerations.
• Apply market and customer expertise to de‑risk current programs and validate new opportunities.

Location and Travel

Hybrid – Preferably this role will be based out of the London office 3 days a week. Alternatively this role could be Europe based with significant time in Hammersmith, London Office.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in aerospace and defense, with proven experience building and scaling teams across geographies.
• Track record of identifying, developing, and retaining top talent.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and complexity, with the ability to drive results without relying on hierarchy.
• Extensive special mission aircrew experience; ISR background preferred.
• Strong understanding of aviation regulations: EASA/CAA essential, FAA desirable; hands‑on Part CAT/SPO operational experience; prior accountable executive responsibility.
• Knowledge of EASA airworthiness and maintenance requirements.
• Proven ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders across functions, geographies, and external partners.
• Experience leading teams, managing budgets, and delivering measurable results.
• Familiarity with European government budget cycles and procurement processes.
• Strong judgment, critical thinking, and problem‑solving skills; adaptable and intellectually curious.
• Highly organized, execution‑focused, and collaborative across boundaries, inspiring teams and aligning stakeholders to shared goals.
• Emotionally intelligent, humble, and able to challenge assumptions constructively.
• Willingness to travel frequently, often on short notice.

Benefits and Competencies

• Metrea delivers effects‑as‑a‑service to national security partners across five domains and more than a dozen mission areas, including ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refuelling, special mission aviation, firefighting, and advanced simulation.
• Metrea builds vertically integrated "full stacks" of capability‑designing, producing, and operating turnkey solutions that let customers scale capacity and benefit from continuous innovation. By bringing operators and engineers together, Metrea rapidly connects design with effect, turning insight into action. Focused on elegant, efficient, and evolving solutions, Metrea helps partners do more with less, providing asymmetric advantage against fast‑changing threats.
• Headquartered in Washington, DC, Metrea operates facilities across the U.S., U.K., Europe, and worldwide.

Perks & Allowances

• Private Medical Insurance
• Subsided gym membership / plans through Wellhub
• Electric Car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salary‑sacrificed pension scheme
• Free lunch on office days
• Enhanced parental leave
• Eligible to hold SC/DV clearance
• Eligible to hold UK SC/DV or other relevant national/NATO clearances

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

This is a full‑time position with typical working hours of Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Hours and work shifts may change in accordance with Group and business needs.