Programme Engineering Lead

Safran; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Profit share bonus

Pension scheme

Health cash plan

Training and development

Job summary

Safran Landing Systems is seeking a Programme Engineering Lead to provide technical leadership across the full lifecycle of an assigned aerospace programme, ensuring safety, regulatory compliance and airworthiness.

You will unite customer needs, engineering capability and wider business functions, manage budgets and schedules, and lead teams and suppliers to deliver robust landing gear systems. The role requires strong engineering judgement and superb communication across diverse audiences.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree or equivalent
• Experience leading technically complex work and making significant engineering decisions
• Ability to understand complex systems and balance safety and commercial needs
• Experience coordinating across functions, organisations or disciplines
• Knowledge of certification, airworthiness and regulatory requirements

Responsibilities

• Act as the programme's technical authority and provide direction throughout the lifecycle.
• Coordinate engineering capability to meet customer and programme commitments.
• Lead technical relationships with customers and airworthiness authorities.
• Manage engineering budgets, schedules, resources and priorities with Programme Management and functional leaders.
• Coordinate engineering activity across functions and suppliers to achieve programme objectives.
• Lead the design, development, industrialisation and qualification of landing gear structures and systems.
• Identify and manage technical risks, balancing safety, quality, cost, performance and schedule.
• Ensure engineering decisions maintain airworthiness and regulatory compliance.
• Lead responses to production, in-service and repair issues and drive cost improvements.
• Lead programme engineering teams with clear direction and development support

Skills

Technical leadership

Airworthiness knowledge

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

The Programme Engineering Lead provides technical leadership throughout the development and in-service life of an assigned programme. Acting as the programme's principal technical authority, you will bring together customer needs, engineering expertise and wider business capability to deliver safe, compliant and effective products and services.

• Act as the programme's technical authority, providing direction throughout the programme lifecycle.
• Coordinate engineering capability to meet customer and programme commitments.
• Lead technical relationships with customers and airworthiness authorities.
• Manage engineering budgets, schedules, resources and priorities with Programme Management and functional leaders.
• Coordinate engineering activity across functions and suppliers to achieve programme objectives.
• Lead the design, development, industrialisation and qualification of landing gear structures and systems.
• Identify and manage technical risks, balancing safety, quality, cost, performance and schedule.
• Ensure engineering decisions, product changes and technical actions maintain airworthiness, compliance and configuration control.
• Lead responses to production, in-service and repair issues while driving product and cost improvements.
• Lead programme engineering teams, providing clear direction and supporting performance, development and collaboration.

But what else? (benefits, specificities, etc.)

• Evidence of leading technically complex work and taking accountability for significant engineering decisions.
• The ability to understand complex systems, assess available evidence and identify practical, safe and commercially balanced solutions.
• Experience bringing together people and expertise across different functions, organisations or professional disciplines.
• A strong understanding of engineering design, development, industrialisation, qualification or in-service product support.
• Knowledge of mechanical, hydraulic or closely related systems, gained within aerospace or another highly regulated, safety-critical environment.
• An understanding of how technical requirements are managed at product, system or customer level.
• The ability to identify, communicate and manage technical risks, dependencies and opportunities.
• Experience balancing technical performance with cost, schedule, quality and customer expectations.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to make complex technical information understandable to different audiences.
• Confidence working collaboratively with customers, suppliers, regulators and senior stakeholders.
• The ability to influence, negotiate and build agreement where priorities or perspectives differ.
• An inclusive leadership approach that provides direction, encourages collaboration and supports the development and wellbeing of others.
• Sound judgement, personal accountability and the confidence to challenge constructively when safety, compliance or programme performance could be affected.
• Familiarity with product configuration, non-conformity management, technical change or repair processes.
• Knowledge of certification, airworthiness and regulatory requirements relevant to the role. This is important because the position holds programme-level technical authority and is accountable for decisions affecting continued airworthiness.
• An engineering degree, equivalent professional learning or demonstrable technical capability developed through another route. The emphasis is on the depth of your engineering judgement and the impact you have delivered, rather than one particular route into engineering.
• The ability and willingness to complete any formal airworthiness, regulatory or delegated-authority training required to perform the role safely and effectively.

Safran is an international high-technology group operating in the fields of aerospace (propulsion, equipment and interiors), space and defense. Its mission is to contribute sustainably to a safer world, where air transport becomes ever more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Present on every continent, the Group employs 110,000 people and generated €31.3 billion in revenue in 2025. Safran holds, either independently or through partnerships, leading global or European positions in its markets.

Safran was ranked second in the Aerospace & Defense sector in TIME magazine's "World's Best Companies 2025" ranking.

Safran Landing Systems is the world leader in landing gear, wheels & brakes, and associated systems for civil and military aircraft and helicopters. We master the entire lifecycle of our products, from design and manufacturing through to maintenance. Did you know that every second, somewhere in the world, an aircraft lands using one of our systems?

Safran Landing Systems are a global leader in aircraft landing and braking systems, from commercial and business travel to military and defence fleets.

Why Safran?

• A global presence: Be part of a global aerospace, defence & space business with over 100,000 Colleagues, across 300 sites in 30 countries.
• Inclusive & empowering environment: We celebrate our differences and believe they make us stronger. We know that a fulfilling work environment is a key driver for innovative ideas and team success.
• Innovation at the core: Join our mission to decarbonise aerospace and make the world a safer place. Your ambitions can take us further.
• Mobility & training opportunities: We can support your ambitions with training, development, a personalised career plan and mobility opportunities. If you have big dreams, we’ll support you to make them a reality.
• A culture of excellence: Join a team that values collaboration, integrity, and continuous improvement. Whatever your background, together we aim for excellence.

Our expertise cover the entire life cycle of our products from end-to-end; Design, Engineering & Manufacturing, through to Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO).

Looking after the people who make Safran great is our priority. We offer a range of flexible benefits designed to support you-both in and out of work, including:

• Early finish on Fridays
• Competitive salary, annual profit share bonus and pay review
• 25 days' holiday + bank holidays (option to buy/sell)
• Up to 8% employer matched pension scheme and life assurance
• Health cash plan, cycle and tech purchase schemes
• Professional development, ongoing training, mentoring
• Onsite amenities: parking, restaurant, bicycle storage, showers
• Family-friendly and accessible workplace policies

Safran - Here, we craft excellence together. At Safran, excellence is a journey - and we’d love you to be a part of it. As a trusted global leader in aerospace, defence, and space, we are proud to be a company where diversity, innovation, and opportunity come together to shape a sustainable future where we can all succeed together through a shared vision.