At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and inspire engineering teams to innovate and deliver life-saving products.
- Company: Join a mission-driven company dedicated to making a difference in people's lives.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, flexible working options, and opportunities for personal growth.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team that values creativity and collaboration.
- Why this job: Make a real impact while leading cutting-edge engineering projects in a supportive environment.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership in engineering with a focus on product development and team management.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Furthermore, here at FFE we value our employees giving them the freedom to be creative and innovative. Having a great team spirit and people that are proud to work for a company that saves lives, our teams see the direct impact of their efforts in the daily operations.
Duties And Responsibilities
- Engineering Leadership & Strategy
- Translate the company's technical and product strategy into clear engineering objectives and execution plans.
- Create and implement best practice engineering vision, strategy, policies, processes and procedures to aid and improve business performance.
- Ensure engineering outputs comply with relevant standards, regulations, and internal processes.
- Champion the consistent use of formal problem‐solving tools, structured testing methodologies, documentation standards, and design governance.
- Continuously assess and improve the development strategy for both new and existing products.
- People Management
- Line management of the electronics, mechanical, software and development engineering teams.
- Coach, mentor and develop direct reports (circa. 20 employees).
- Set department objectives and monitor ongoing progress and performance.
- Ensure strong communication between the teams to facilitate efficient exchange of information and in order to implement change and improvements.
- Establish strategy and best practices for staff to ensure achievement of overall business objectives.
- Build a high‐performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, and technical excellence.
- Identify capability gaps and drive upskilling, succession planning, and recruitment priorities.
- Foster strong engagement and clear communication across engineering teams and the broader business.
- New Product Development (NPD) and Sustaining Engineering
- Oversee engineering contributions to NPD projects, ensuring technical robustness, regulatory compliance, and on‐time delivery.
- Ensure engineering teams deliver products that meet customer value propositions, performance, quality and cost targets.
- Maintain high standards of testing, validation, verification, and design quality throughout the product lifecycle.
- Contribute to sustaining engineering activity, ensuring product integrity, reliability, and customer satisfaction.
- Ensure timely and effective resolution of issues impacting quality, regulatory compliance, or customer experience.
- Act as a senior engineering representative in cross‐functional reviews, portfolio discussions, and strategic planning.
Skills And Experience
- Proven leadership experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams, including electronics, embedded software and mechanical engineering, within a product development environment.
- Direct experience delivering electronics-based products into medium or high volume manufacture, not just prototype or low-volume development.
- Proven ownership of engineering industrialisation, including Design for Manufacture (DFM), Design for Test (DFT), Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Cost (DFC).
- Strong background in safety critical or regulated products, with hands-on experience supporting certification, compliance and post certification change (e.g. fire, aerospace, industrial, medical or similar regulated environments).
- Demonstrated experience leading complex hardware / software product development programmes from concept through certification and into sustained production.
- Clear accountability for engineering handover to manufacturing, ensuring designs are production-ready, fully documented and supported through ramp-up and ongoing manufacture.
- Experience working closely with manufacturing, test engineering and supply chain teams, including engagement with contract manufacturers / EMS partners.
- Strong working knowledge of structured validation, verification, test and design governance, including formal design reviews, risk assessments and traceable test evidence.
- Proven ability to lead sustaining engineering, including issue resolution, obsolescence management, cost down activity, yield improvement and customer-led corrective actions.
- Track record of applying structured problem-solving methodologies (e.g. 8D, RCA, fault tree analysis) in both development and production environments.
- Educated to degree level in a relevant engineering discipline (electronics, electrical, embedded systems, mechanical or similar), or equivalent senior experience.
Leadership & Commercial Capability
- Strong, hands-on engineering leadership style, with the credibility to challenge and support senior engineers and technical specialists.
- Clear experience setting direction, managing priorities and driving delivery across multiple concurrent projects.
- Commercial awareness of how engineering decisions impact product cost, margin, quality and lifecycle performance.
- Experience managing engineering budgets, resource planning and capability development.
- Ability to communicate complex technical issues clearly to non-technical stakeholders, including senior leadership.
- A pragmatic, delivery focused mindset, balancing technical excellence with business outcomes.
Desirable (Differentiating) Experience
- Experience with long product lifecycles and configuration-controlled product portfolios.
- Exposure to multiple international certification regimes (e.g. EN / UL / FM / regional approvals).
- Experience working across multi-site engineering teams.
- Prior involvement in cost reduction and value engineering programmes post launch.
Head of Engineering in Cambridge employer: FFE Ltd
At FFE, we pride ourselves on fostering a dynamic and innovative work environment where creativity thrives. Our commitment to employee development is evident through robust mentorship programmes and a culture that champions collaboration and accountability, all while making a meaningful impact in saving lives. Located in a vibrant area, our team enjoys not only the satisfaction of their contributions but also the unique opportunity to grow within a company that values excellence and integrity.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Engineering in Cambridge
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the engineering field and let them know you're on the hunt for a Head of Engineering role. You never know who might have the inside scoop on an opening or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by brushing up on your leadership stories. Think about times you've led teams, tackled challenges, and driven projects to success. We want to hear how you’ve made an impact in your previous roles!
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your passion for innovation! During interviews, share examples of how you've fostered creativity within your teams. Companies like FFE love candidates who can inspire others and drive new ideas forward.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of our mission to save lives.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Engineering in Cambridge
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion:When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for engineering shine through! We want to see how excited you are about the role and how your values align with ours at FFE.
Tailor Your CV:Make sure to customise your CV to highlight your relevant experience in leading engineering teams and delivering products. We love seeing how your background fits with our mission of saving lives!
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language to describe your achievements and how they relate to the responsibilities outlined in the job description.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the Head of Engineering position.
How to prepare for a job interview at FFE Ltd
✨Know Your Engineering Strategy
Before the interview, make sure you understand the company's technical and product strategy. Be ready to discuss how you would translate that into clear engineering objectives and execution plans. This shows that you're not just a leader but someone who can align with their vision.
✨Showcase Your People Management Skills
Prepare examples of how you've successfully managed multi-disciplinary teams in the past. Highlight your experience in coaching, mentoring, and developing talent. FFE values strong team spirit, so demonstrating your ability to foster collaboration will resonate well.
✨Demonstrate Problem-Solving Expertise
Be ready to discuss specific instances where you've applied structured problem-solving methodologies. Whether it's 8D or fault tree analysis, showing that you can tackle complex issues effectively will be crucial, especially in a safety-critical environment.
✨Communicate Clearly with Non-Technical Stakeholders
Practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. FFE looks for leaders who can bridge the gap between engineering and senior leadership. Being able to communicate effectively with non-technical stakeholders will set you apart from other candidates.
