Chorley, England, United Kingdom
As a Chartered Systems Engineer and Senior Engineering Leader, I am motivated by new technologies that have the capacity to transform society. I specialise in managing complex, multinational aerospace activities, currently overseeing high-value, multi-million-pound portfolios and directing large multidisciplinary teams to deliver mission-critical systems. My core operational expertise lies in establishing technical vision and driving strategic alignment within highly complex, ambiguous environments. I specialize in bringing order to chaos—taking complex customer requirements and early-stage R&D, and shifting them into clear, executable engineering activities. By implementing robust systems engineering frameworks, driving rigorous TRL maturation, and ensuring cross-functional integration, I provide the structure and predictability required to develop sophisticated, flight-ready systems. I excel in work environments that value trust and provide autonomy. I hold various Agile certifications, and I fundamentally believe that a leader's role is to support the team in becoming their best—I take personal responsibility for those under my care. My priority is to create a culture of psychological safety that allows people to embrace their uniqueness. By leveraging a servant-leadership approach, I empower highly capable, autonomous teams to solve the most complex hardware challenges. Engineering Leadership: Executive Leadership & Strategy: Multi-Disciplinary Engineering Leadership, Cross-Domain Integration (Multiple Technical Streams), Technical Roadmapping Systems & Engineering: Complex Aerospace Systems, Requirements Distillation, Systems Engineering Frameworks, Ambiguity Resolution, TRL Progression, Flight Certification & V&V Progressive Delivery: Certified Agile Leadership (CAL I), Certified Scrum@Scale Practitioner, Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) People & Culture: Servant Leadership, Autonomous Team Empowerment, Coaching (GROW model), Psychological Safety.
Executive leader steering flight systems delivery for a complex, multi-national aerospace joint venture. Functioning as both a strategic engineering leader and dedicated site lead, bridging cross-border technical execution with the comprehensive management and governance of a deployed international workforce. Key Achievements: - Co-leading overarching flight systems integration alongside international prime contractor counterparts, navigating highly complex, multi-national stakeholder environments daily. - Serving as General Manager for a rapidly scaling international detachment, executing duty of care, security, and complex relocation/immigration logistics. - Directing large-scale, multi-site engineering operations, retaining full financial responsibility and technical oversight of the UK delivery teams while operating from an overseas base. - Coordinating the team in the estimation and bid development for future contract phases. - Driving coherence and systems integration across a highly complex network of international sites, Tier-1 partners, and distributed supply chains.
Expanded operational scope from technology R&D to full flight systems delivery for a major international programme, forging early operational partnerships with global stakeholders and laying the groundwork for a major cross-border organisational deployment. Key Achievements: - Spearheaded the transition from technology development to full-scale systems integration, assuming total technical responsibility across UK and initial overseas operations. - Assumed overarching General Manager responsibilities to architect the strategic deployment of UK personnel to an international operating base, establishing the initial framework for immigration, security, and corporate governance. - Maintained continuity of delivery for complex hardware and software systems to strict time, cost, and quality standards during a period of intense organisational transition.
Developed the bid and directed the Flight Systems technology strategy and R&D delivery for a next-generation aerospace programme. Focused on transforming engineering delivery by bridging rapid technology maturation with scalable processes, agile frameworks, and rigorous governance. Key Achievements: - Led a 40-person multidisciplinary engineering team in bidding, architecting and executing the overarching technology strategy and driving rigorous TRL maturation for critical flight systems. - Scaled Agile methodologies (Scrum/Kanban) across a highly distributed environment, successfully bridging the gap between agile software practices and traditional hardware engineering. - Fostered a progressive, servant-leadership culture focused on psychological safety and team autonomy, enabling rapid iteration ("fail fast") while actively maintaining robust engineering governance. - Spearheaded the digital transformation of the flight systems engineering team, transitioning large teams to modern toolsets (Jira, Confluence) to drastically enhance velocity and predictability.