14 Head of Compliance in London

Help Build Europe’s Hypersonic Capability. At Hypersonica, we’re redefining what’s possible in European defence technology. We exist to deliver speed, resilience, and technological independence at a pace that sets a new standard. We are a small, elite team working on problems that matter, and solving them fast.

As our Head of Compliance, you’re not stepping into a predefined role. You’re joining a talent‑dense environment where every individual shapes the direction of the company. Our philosophy is to hire a small number of exceptional people with broad, deep technical capability, strong judgement, and the ability to operate autonomously. We hire for talent, not rigid boxes. This role represents a business need, but the way it evolves will be shaped by the individual. If you’ve achieved what others said was impossible, or you bring a unique combination of skills that doesn’t fit a traditional mould, we want to hear from you. The work you do here directly contributes to Europe’s technological independence.

What You’ll Do

• Own compliance as a strategic capability, not an administrative function. Designing frameworks that protect sovereign hypersonic technology without slowing execution.
• Build and lead Hypersonica’s UK compliance architecture from first principles, covering export controls, data protection, sanctions, anti‑bribery, personnel security, and classified programmes all fit for a fast scaling, test‑heavy deep‑tech company.
• Act as the single point of authority for UK defence compliance, advising founders, senior leadership, and programme leads on risk, trade‑offs, and paths to “yes” in high‑stakes decisions.
• Design export control systems that scale with speed, owning SPIRE licensing, technical data controls, record keeping, and audit readiness across multi‑country programmes and partners.
• Embed compliance directly into engineering and operations, working hands on with technical teams to classify hardware, software, and data flows accurately and pragmatically.
• Proactively identify and mitigate compliance risk, running threat‑model‑style assessments across export, data, sanctions, bribery, and insider risk, before problems surface.
• Be the internal adult in the room during ambiguity, translating evolving regulation, sanctions, and policy shifts into clear operational guidance.
• Lead all regulator and authority engagement, acting as Hypersonica’s trusted interface with ECJU, HMRC, MOD, and other UK authorities; credible, disciplined, and respected.
• Own personnel and site security governance, including BPSS and SC processes, visitor controls, and insider risk mitigation, aligned with classified and export‑controlled work.
• Design training that engineers actually respect, delivering concise, high‑signal education on export control, GDPR, anti‑bribery, and sanctions that sticks, not death by PowerPoint.
• Investigate issues decisively and objectively, leading internal reviews, root‑cause analysis, and corrective action when things go wrong.
• Build audit‑ready systems by default, so inspections are non‑events and compliance evidence exists because it’s operationally useful.
• Continuously evolve Hypersonica’s governance as the company scales, anticipating future regulatory, partnership, and international expansion requirements.
• Champion a culture of integrity and accountability, where speed and compliance reinforce each other, and everyone understands why protecting sensitive capability matters.

Who You Are

• A senior operations leader with 10+ years’ experience building and running manufacturing or test operations in aerospace, defence, or similarly regulated environments.
• Proven at taking operations from zero to first production, not just optimising mature factories.
• Deeply comfortable owning industrialisation, facilities, quality, compliance, and supply chain as a single integrated problem.
• Experienced operating in MoD‑aligned, security‑constrained environments, with practical exposure to List X, export control, and audit reality.
• Someone who thinks in critical paths, readiness gates, and irreversible decisions, not abstract strategy.
• Calm and decisive under pressure, with the judgement to lock decisions early and execute hard.
• Credible leading multi‑disciplinary teams, setting a culture of ownership, discipline, and pace.
• Motivated by building a sovereign UK industrial capability where failure is visible and success matters at a national level.

What We Offer

• A mission‑driven environment with the opportunity to work on one of Europe’s most consequential defence challenges, with direct impact on sovereign capability and security.
• Daily collaboration with top experts across engineering, operations, and defence, with real opportunity to learn from the best, contribute, and grow.
• High ownership and autonomy; no time tracking, no micromanagement, just clear objectives and accountability for outcomes.
• A fast‑paced environment where good ideas are implemented quickly, and feedback from test and flight drives real decisions.
• A culture that values clarity, integrity, and excellence, and supports people who take initiative and push boundaries responsibly.
• Competitive compensation and real share options aligned to responsibility and impact, not tenure or hierarchy.

Hypersonica is an equal‑opportunity employer and assesses candidates solely on merit, capability, and potential.