Chief Engineer - Safety

Chief Engineer Fareham (4 days onsite, 1 from home) 8am – 4:30pm (Monday-Thursday), 8am – 1pm (Friday) 15% Bonus | 10% Pension | Private Medical Insurance | 4x Life Assurance | Share Plan | Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave & more! Are you ready to lead at the forefront of aerospace innovation? We’re seeking an exceptional Chief Engineer to drive technical excellence, safety, and certification across complex, safety-critical systems. This is a strategic leadership role where you’ll influence cutting-edge aerospace programmes, shape engineering direction, and act as a key authority in airworthiness and certification. For the level of projects worked and for security purposes, this role is restricted to UK nationals only Chief Engineer The Opportunity As a Chief Engineer, you will sit at the heart of the Engineering Leadership Team, providing technical oversight across integrated project teams responsible for the development, manufacture, and support of advanced aerospace solutions. You’ll play a pivotal role in ensuring products meet customer, regulatory, and safety requirements, while balancing performance, cost, and schedule. This is an exciting opportunity for an independent engineer with airworthiness signatory responsibility. You will consult with colleagues for data and evidence but ultimately makes the decision as to the airworthiness of the product or component. You will operate highly autonomously, fully aware of commercial implications, and communicates them to all stakeholders. No direct reports. Chief Engineer Key Responsibilities Act as Design Signatory and Certification Authority representative for airworthiness Lead and chair technical design reviews, change boards, and problem review boards Oversee product certification activities with regulatory bodies (CAA, EASA, FAA) Ensure compliance with civil aviation regulations and industry standards (e.g. DO-178, DO-254, ARP4754/4761 equivalents) Provide leadership on technical risk, opportunity, and continuous improvement strategies Drive systems engineering excellence across the full lifecycle Interface with customers, regulators, and production teams as the technical authority Mentor and develop engineers, supporting professional growth and future capability Chief Engineer What We’re Looking For Proven experience working in a highly regulated industry (Aerospace, Defence etc.) Solid understanding of requirements capture, product development and certification Proven experience in systems engineering, with a strong focus on certification Ability to act as Design Signatory and Certification Authority representative for airworthiness Why Join? Influence mission-critical aerospace programmes Work at the cutting edge of safety-critical technology and innovation Be part of a high-impact leadership team shaping engineering strategy Drive meaningful improvements in engineering performance, compliance, and delivery