Engineering Operations Manager

General Dynamics Mission Systems engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of more than 13,000 top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defence and scientific arenas. In the UK, we are leading the way in avionics and communication systems. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency.

We’re looking for an Engineering Operations Manager to strategically manage engineering resources, optimise workforce planning, and lead operational processes that enable teams to deliver critical work—efficiently and sustainably. If you’re at your best when you’re aligning people, plans and priorities, this is a role where your impact will be felt across an entire engineering organisation.

As Engineering Operations Manager, you’ll sit at the heart of engineering delivery, ensuring the right capability is in the right place at the right time—while also strengthening the longer‑term pipeline of talent and capability.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Strategic engineering capability & resourcing: building and managing engineering capability in line with business strategy and growth plans, including headcount planning and Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP).
• Demand planning & continuous improvement: overseeing demand identification, satisfaction and improvement processes in partnership with the Project Management community.
• Mobilisation, transition & training: creating and managing engineering mobilisation/transition/training plans to meet project needs and support knowledge retention.
• Quarterly promotions: managing the promotion process for engineering staff—ensuring robust packages, sign‑offs and a smooth end‑to‑end workflow.
• Budget & investment governance: overseeing budget management including internal allocations, training prioritisation and engineering change projects.
• Graduate & apprentice programmes: coordinating programmes and rotations, mentoring, and providing line management where required.
• Independent review capability: managing independent reviewer demand and satisfaction for critical milestones and Engineering Status Reviews.
• IP control & data management: maintaining processes for Intellectual Property control and data management in line with company policies.
• Operational rhythm & action tracking: organising monthly Engineering Status Review meetings, tracking actions and aligning with the PMO.
• Metrics & reporting: creating meaningful metrics and reporting that drive efficiency, transparency and technology adoption across engineering.

For the full job description click here.

This is a people‑focused operational leadership role. You’ll thrive if you can bring structure, clarity and momentum—while building strong relationships across engineering and project teams.

Essential experience and skills:

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a matrix environment
• Strong data gathering, management and analysis capability (including Microsoft Project)
• Confidence creating well‑structured documents and managing them through formal review workflows
• Proven ability to create, monitor and adjust plans to meet project needs
• A self‑motivated, high‑integrity approach with flexibility and a bias for practical innovation
• Comfortable working closely with engineering and project teams to shape outcomes

Desirable:

• Significant leadership and people management experience, with a track record of developing others
• Degree (or equivalent experience) in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, IT—or comparable relevant background
• Technical exposure to areas such as IP management, review management, and data management tools (e.g., SharePoint, Microsoft BI)
• Experience working with or familiarity with AI/ML models is preferred.

Salary for this position is £50,560 to £70,000, depending on your experience plus our excellent flexible benefits package.

We offer hybrid working - for this role ideally we are looking for an average of 2 days per week per month on site.

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose, offering impressive benefits: 

• A compressed nine-day fortnight and compressed hours - which means every other Friday off. 
• A personalized career development plan, alongside regular progress reviews - supporting and valuing your progression within the Company. 
• A flexible working environment where your contributions are recognized and rewarded with flexible benefits 

We believe in maintaining a diverse workplace - inclusive of beliefs, cultural background, job experiences, thoughts and ideas. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we welcome you to join our inclusive team!

Our success is fuelled by our colleagues and the wide variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills they bring to the Company.

We are a Disability Confident Employer, as such we offer an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job.

Please email [email protected] if you would like your application to be considered under the DC Scheme.

All successful/appointed applicants must be able to obtain a level of UK Security clearance that is appropriate for the role and undertake suitable Right to work checks