Head of Hardware & Systems Engineering

The Opportunity

We’re looking for a Head of Hardware & Systems Engineering to turn advanced technology into robust, reliable and manufacturable products that protect people and critical assets around the world.

Reporting directly to the CTO, you’ll lead a growing team of over 10 engineers across Mechanical, Electronics and Systems, shaping capability, standards and delivery from early concepts through to manufacture.

This is an opportunity for an experienced engineering leader who enjoys technical complexity, develops talented people and brings clarity to competing priorities. You’ll have the scope to strengthen how we work and make a visible impact as OpenWorks grows.

Who We Are

OpenWorks is a rapidly growing business operating globally with a passion for exceptional engineering and building on a legacy of defence innovation in the North East of England.

Our products provide ultra-high performance, real-time detection, tracking, identification and targeting of dynamic aerial threats. They have been deployed internationally to protect high profile military and civilian assets, and contribute towards the defeat of nuisance, misguided and maliciously deployed drones during operations.

We are very proud to have supported a wide range of law enforcement and military operators, protecting many of the most high profile sites and individuals around the world.

The amazing things we do are only possible because of a dedicated and passionate team.

Security Vetting Information

OpenWorks Engineering operates within the defence sector. As part of our recruitment and onboarding processes, we collect information that may be required to support future security vetting and clearance requirements, should these become necessary during employment.

Why You’ll Love Working With Us

Join a high-energy, collaborative team where great ideas thrive, challenges are embraced, and people genuinely love what they do.

Here’s what our benefits have to offer:

Rewarding Success - Competitive salary, starting from £90,000, plus a discretionary annual bonus of up to 25% of salary alongside a structured pay progression framework.

Enhanced Pension - Up to 8% employer-matched contributions to help you plan for the future.

More Time to Recharge - 25 days’ holiday plus public holidays, long-service rewards, and the option to buy up to 5 extra days.

Breakfast & Lunch on Us - Enjoy team breakfasts and freshly prepared lunches every day courtesy of Chef Mark and his team.

Health & Wellbeing - Private healthcare and life assurance for added peace of mind.

Sustainable Travel - Salary sacrifice schemes, including EV car and Cycle to Work options.

Team Socials - Regular events, from quiz nights and football to board games and more.

Learning & Growth - A culture that empowers you to challenge, grow and make an impact, plus a £250 annual learning budget to invest in the development that matters most to you.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead and develop the team: Build capability, ensuring a high performance across Mechanical, Electronics and Systems through clear expectations, coaching, recruitment and ownership.
• Drive engineering delivery: Turn product and business priorities into achievable plans, managing capacity, resources and commitments across multiple projects.
• Provide technical leadership: Set engineering standards, challenge designs and guide complex decisions, keeping risks, requirements and interfaces under control.
• Take concepts into production: Lead development through prototyping, verification and new product introduction, embedding manufacturability, testability, compliance and supportability.
• Bring disciplines together: Work closely with Software, Intelligence & Autonomy, Product and Operations to deliver reliable, integrated products.
• Align teams and remove barriers: Clarify priorities, ownership and dependencies across functions, resolve blockers and escalate trade-offs that need wider business decisions.

What we’re looking for:

Essential

• Proven engineering leadership: Significant experience leading and developing multidisciplinary teams in complex R&D and product development environments.
• Technical credibility: A strong Systems, Mechanical or Electronics background, supported by a relevant engineering degree or equivalent, with the confidence to challenge experienced engineers.
• Full lifecycle delivery: A track record of taking products combining mechanical, electronics and software from concept through verification, new product introduction and manufacture.
• Systems thinking: Strong judgement around requirements, integration, technical risks and trade-offs, with an understanding of configuration control and engineering change.
• People and delivery focus: Experience managing performance, priorities and resources across multiple projects, building collaboration and maintaining momentum as priorities change.

Desirable

• Relevant technology experience: Experience in electro-optical, autonomous, radar, surveillance or counter-UAS systems.
• Engineering assurance: Experience in regulated, safety-critical or quality-focused environments, or knowledge of defence engineering standards.
• Professional development: A relevant master’s qualification or Chartered Engineer status through IET, IMechE or an equivalent body.

You must have the right to work in the UK; we are unable to offer visa sponsorship. Occasional travel may be required.

More about us:

Vision

Help protect the territory and airspace of NATO countries and their allies.

Mission

Be a world-leading provider of autonomous technology for Surveillance applications and Defence

Values

Be a Good Egg: Earn respect, have mutual trust and be honest

Do cool stuff: We develop cool tech with an awesome team, and we get stuff done

Be empowered: We are autonomous, reliable and take personal responsibility

We are one team: Look out for each other and the team

Things go wrong: Fail fast, learn and move on

Have fun: We’re doing amazing things with passionate people

We Get It Done: Focus on what matters and work with energy to bring ideas to life