Technical Director

H-Power; Waverley; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

H-Power is appointing a Technical Director to lead the development and commercial delivery of ammonia-to-hydrogen, fuel-cell and clean-power technologies. The role requires owning technical delivery, guiding engineering, testing, certification, manufacture and deployment across multiple programmes, and leading a multidisciplinary team from Chief Engineers to R&D.

The Technical Director will operate with hands-on strategic involvement, setting priorities, strengthening governance, and ensuring

Qualifications

• Significant senior leadership experience in engineering, technology or product development.
• Proven track record taking complex industrial tech from concept to delivery.
• Knowledge of process-safety methods (HAZID/HAZOP/LOPA/QRA).

Responsibilities

• Take end-to-end ownership of technical delivery across product portfolio.
• Translate technology strategy into executable development programmes.
• Lead products from feasibility to deployment including certification and scale-up.
• Provide decisive leadership across the engineering organisation.
• Establish governance, stage gates and change control across programmes.
• Ensure safety and risk management are embedded throughout the lifecycle.

Skills

Senior leadership

Engineering leadership

Product development

Process safety

Hazardous materials

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical credibility

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

H-Power is appointing a Technical Director to lead the development and commercial delivery of its ammonia-to-hydrogen, fuel-cell and clean-power technologies.

H-Power has developed proprietary technologies with the potential to change how hydrogen is produced, transported and used. The next challenge is turning that technology into safe, certified and commercially successful products.

The Technical Director will lead that transition.

The opportunity

You will take ownership as technologies move into structured product development, leading their progression through engineering, testing, certification, manufacture and customer deployment.

You will lead a multidisciplinary technical organisation that includes the Chief Engineers, R&D and engineering functions.

Working across several interconnected programmes, you will establish clear priorities, strengthen engineering governance and create the accountability needed to deliver complex industrial products successfully.

This is not a position for someone who wants to lead solely from the boardroom. You will operate strategically while remaining close enough to the technology to challenge decisions, inspect equipment and guide teams through difficult engineering problems.

Key responsibilities

• Take end-to-end ownership of technical delivery across H-Power’s product portfolio.


• Convert technology strategy and early-stage concepts into executable product-development programmes.


• Lead products from feasibility and prototype through detailed engineering, certification, scale-up and deployment.


• Provide visible and decisive leadership across the engineering organisation.


• Set clear expectations and hold teams accountable for technical quality, delivery and problem resolution.


• Act as the senior escalation point for technical decisions and product-delivery risk.


• Provide final technical assurance on product readiness for customer deployment.


• Strengthen engineering governance, design reviews, stage gates and change control.


• Ensure safety and risk management are embedded throughout the product-development lifecycle.


• Work closely with manufacturing, procurement, commercial teams, suppliers, regulators and certification bodies.


• Develop the engineering leadership team and build the capabilities required for H-Power’s next stage of growth.

Your background

We are looking for an established technical or engineering leader who has taken complex industrial technology from concept through to commercial delivery.

We're looking for someone to bring:

• Significant senior leadership experience within engineering, technology or product development.


• A strong record of progressing physical products or process equipment from concept and prototype through certification, deployment and repeatable manufacture.


• The technical credibility to challenge experienced engineers and make difficult product-level decisions.


• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.


• Experience with hazardous chemicals, industrial gases, pressure systems, high-temperature equipment or comparable safety-critical technology.


• Strong knowledge of engineering governance, technical risk and design assurance.


• Familiarity with process-safety methods such as HAZID, HAZOP, LOPA or QRA.


• Experience managing several interdependent programmes at different stages of maturity.


• A leadership style that combines high standards and accountability with the ability to engage and develop people.


• A degree in Chemical, Process, Mechanical or another relevant engineering discipline.

Experience in ammonia, hydrogen, syngas, reforming, industrial gases, petrochemicals or high-temperature catalytic processing would transfer particularly well.

Direct ammonia-cracking experience is not essential. H-Power will consider senior leaders from adjacent industrial sectors who can demonstrate the required technical depth, process-safety understanding and record of commercialising complex technology.

Experience gained across both a large engineering organisation and a smaller technology or growth-stage company would be particularly valuable.

Why H-Power?

H-Power is developing practical hydrogen-production and clean-power systems designed to provide a commercially viable alternative to conventional fossil-fuel technologies.

Its portfolio includes proprietary ammonia-cracking systems, hydrogen fuel-cell generators and emerging industrial power-generation technologies. These programmes are moving through important stages of development, certification, customer deployment and commercial scale-up.

As Technical Director, you will have the authority to shape how these technologies reach the market. You will work directly with the CTO and executive team, lead a substantial technical organisation and influence products from early definition through to successful customer operation.

The position is based at H-Power’s Dunsfold site in Surrey and requires an on-site presence.