Mechanical Engineer Manager - Senior Workshop and Airfield Support Equipment in Bristol

At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we supply and maintain vital equipment and services for the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force. Together, we deliver a vast range of essential defence programmes and strive for what’s next. We offer 25+ days’ holiday, flexible and hybrid working, enhanced parental leave schemes, shopping discounts, and an exceptional employer pension contribution of 28.97%, to help make work work for you.

This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role for which you’ve been recruited.

As the Mechanical Engineering Manager, you will lead on the safe, compliant, and effective management of complex engineering systems across Airfield workshops, Airfield Support Equipment (ASE), Working at Height equipment, Gases/Cryogenics systems, and deployed support environments. This role provides technical authority, leadership, and assurance within Defence engineering, ensuring that all equipment, facilities, and processes meet statutory, military and air safety requirements.

You’ll lead multi‑disciplinary teams of Subject Matter Experts, technicians, and contractors, delivering engineering governance and through‑life equipment support. Your focal points include producing and maintaining Safety Assessment Reports (SARs), chairing Hazard Review Boards and Local Technical Committees, and providing authoritative engineering decisions. You’ll have oversight of engineering defects trend analysis and root cause investigations using formal quality systems and directing corrective or preventive actions.

The Engineering Lead produces and approves Special Technical Instructions in collaboration with Original Equipment Manufacturers and fleet managers, ensuring the Defence user community receives clear and actionable guidance. You’ll also provide specialist support to tri‑service airfield operations, offering SME advice on ASE configuration, modification control, asset management and deployed operational support.

As a leader and trainer, you will manage workshop and training facility staff, oversee instruction in advanced workshop, sheet metal, and welding skills, and ensure training delivery meets regulatory and quality assurance standards. This extends to personnel development, welfare oversight, data protection compliance, and performance management across military and civilian teams.

We champion flexible working, with regular on‑site attendance (around 60%) to foster collaboration, alongside flexibility to support work‑life balance. Initially, you may be expected to attend more frequently to familiarise yourselves with the site, the team, and your role. Occasional travel to operational bases or manufacturer sites may be required.

What you’ll be doing:

• Owning the generation of technical requirements, defining technical deliverables/artifacts, and updating other documentation for systems, including the considerations to in‑service support and associated costs.
• Authorising technical data input and changes to support the management and maturity of engineering documentation, focusing on successful technical outcomes.
• Working in a highly regulated area, educating others with relevant legislation, regulation, policy, processes, and standards to deliver technical documentation for a system.
• Stakeholder Management, collaborating and managing trade‑offs with other sub‑system teams and specialists, over technical requirements, and design compromises, to maximise successful system implementation and delivery.
• Assisting in the management of internal staff, through tasking and assisting in mentoring Entry Talent and lower grades.

Person specification:

To be successful with your application, you’ll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Demonstrable, wide ranging depth and breadth experience of providing technical advice and delivery of successful Mechanical or Airfield Support outcomes.
• Professionally registered as an Incorporated Engineer (IEng) as a minimum or demonstrate equivalent experience with an expectation that IEng (or alternative) will be achieved within 12 months of joining permanently.

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

• Making Effective Decisions- CSBC 3
• Leadership - CSBC 3
• ECF_02 Safety Management – Awareness Level
• ECF_03 Supportable Technical Solutions - Practitioner Level

Offered benefits:

• 25 days’ annual leave +1 day a year up to 30 days, 8 bank holidays and a day off for the King’s birthday
• Flexible and hybrid working options
• Market-leading average employer pension contribution of 28.97%
• Annual performance-based bonus and recognition awards
• Access to specialist training and funded qualifications
• Support for progression
• Huge range of discounts
• Volunteering days
• Enhanced parental leave schemes

Improving innovation and enriching our culture, diversity of thought is vital to our success. Here you’ll find a supportive, family-friendly organisation to be a part of.