Head of Programmes

Head of Programmes – Defence

£75,000 – £85,000 + BUPA + 31 Days Holiday + Flexible Hours

Central Scotland

This is a senior leadership opportunity within a growing, highly technical manufacturing business supplying complex products into demanding global markets.

We're looking for a Head of Programmes to take responsibility for a substantial portfolio of major UK and international customers, lead an established programmes team and play a key role in delivering the company's ambitious growth plans.

Alongside ensuring complex customer programmes are delivered successfully, you'll hold significant commercial responsibility , developing strategic relationships, identifying opportunities within existing accounts, negotiating pricing and commercial terms and helping the business understand where future opportunities are developing across its market.

Much of the company's anticipated growth will come through expanding its involvement with existing major customers, making this a role that combines the disciplines of programme leadership, strategic account management and commercial development .

The Role

Reporting directly to the Site Director, you'll:

• Lead, coach and develop a team of Programme Managers and Contract Administrators
• Take overall responsibility for a significant portfolio of major UK and international customers
• Develop senior-level relationships and identify opportunities to increase the organisation's involvement across existing and future customer programmes
• Own order intake and sales performance across the portfolio
• Lead commercial discussions including pricing, negotiation and contractual matters
• Oversee multiple complex programmes, balancing customer requirements with engineering, production capacity, schedules, risk and delivery
• Work closely with Engineering, Operations and senior leadership to ensure customer commitments can be delivered
• Maintain a strong understanding of market developments, emerging programmes and future opportunities
• Help raise standards across the function, creating a professional, accountable and customer-focused culture

The Person

This role needs someone with genuine technical credibility combined with strong commercial and programme leadership skills .

You'll ideally be degree-qualified in an engineering, scientific or related technical discipline and have built your career within a technically complex product environment.

Defence or aerospace experience would be particularly attractive, but isn't essential. We're equally interested in people from sectors such as Advanced Manufacturing, Electronics, Oil & Gas, Medical Devices, Chemicals or other complex technical environments.

You'll need experience managing significant customer relationships and complex programmes, with the commercial awareness to understand how relationships translate into sustainable revenue growth. Just as importantly, you'll be a strong people leader who can develop individuals with different levels of experience and capability.

The Opportunity

This senior position will particularly suit someone who enjoys pace, variety and accountability .

You'll be operating across multiple customers, programmes and commercial priorities simultaneously. You'll therefore need to be comfortable bringing structure to complexity, making decisions and getting things moving without relying on layers of corporate infrastructure .

For someone accustomed to being one small part of a very large organisation, that may represent a change. For the right person, it's precisely the attraction.

The business is evolving, investing in its people and looking to build on the strengths of a traditional engineering and manufacturing organisation while developing a more progressive, collaborative and commercially focused culture.

You'll have the opportunity to play a visible part in that journey. Your decisions will directly influence customers, your team, programme delivery and the future growth of the business.

Engineering Recruit Scotland – Connecting great engineers with great companies.

We recruit across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality and Operations, from Engineer and Senior Engineer through to Engineering Manager, Quality Manager, Operations Manager, Head of Function and Director-level appointments. Every candidate is interviewed as part of a thorough pre-screening process to ensure their experience, technical capability and career aspirations are fully understood.

This vacancy is being advertised by Engineering Recruit Scotland. The services offered by Engineering Recruit Scotland are those of an employment agency.