Deputy Chief Engineer in Huntingdon

The Deputy Chief Engineer – IT and Cyber supports the Chief Engineer in providing technical leadership, engineering governance and delivery assurance across a complex IT, cyber security and secure systems programme. The role acts as a delegated technical authority, ensuring that solutions are safe, secure, supportable and delivered within agreed quality, cost and schedule constraints. A proportion of the role will include hands-on technical contribution where required, delivering specific technical outputs within agile SAFe delivery teams to support programme outcomes.

Key responsibilities

• Deputise for the Chief Engineer on assigned workstreams, programmes or service areas, providing clear technical direction and decision-making authority where delegated.
• Lead engineering teams and technical leads across IT infrastructure, cyber security, networks, cloud, applications, service operations and secure system integration.
• Own technical delivery assurance, ensuring solutions meet customer requirements, contractual obligations, security standards and operational needs.
• Chair or support technical governance forums, including design reviews, architecture reviews, security reviews and engineering change boards.
• Review and approve technical documentation, designs, risk assessments, test strategies and acceptance evidence.
• Ensure cyber security is embedded throughout the engineering lifecycle, including secure design, vulnerability management, protective monitoring, incident response and risk treatment.
• Identify and manage technical risks, dependencies, assumptions and issues, escalating where necessary with recommended mitigation options.
• Support bids, change proposals and on-contract growth by providing technical input, engineering estimates, solution options and delivery assurance.
• Mentor engineers and technical leads, promoting professional standards, technical excellence, continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.
• Work collaboratively with programme, service, commercial, security, architecture and customer stakeholders to balance technical integrity with delivery outcomes.
• Contribute directly to hands-on technical deliverables where needed, working as part of agile SAFe delivery teams to support design, implementation, integration, testing, assurance or issue resolution activities.

Essential skills and capabilities

• Strong technical leadership across complex IT and cyber security environments.
• Practical understanding of systems engineering, solution architecture, secure operations and service transition.
• Knowledge of cyber security principles, including defence-in-depth, secure configuration, identity and access management, network security, vulnerability management and incident response.
• Ability to interpret and apply customer, regulatory, contractual and internal governance requirements.
• Confident communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to senior stakeholders, customers and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Strong judgement, problem-solving and decision-making skills in technically complex or ambiguous situations.
• Experience managing technical teams, work packages, subcontractors or suppliers.
• Ability to balance engineering rigour with delivery pace, commercial constraints and operational priorities.
• Practical experience contributing to agile delivery teams, including SAFe-aligned planning, backlog refinement, sprint or iteration delivery, reviews and technical problem solving.

Experience and qualifications

• Significant experience in a senior engineering, technical leadership, solution architecture, cyber security or IT delivery role.
• Demonstrable experience delivering complex IT, cyber, infrastructure, cloud, network or secure systems programmes.
• Experience of technical governance, design assurance, engineering lifecycle management and customer acceptance.
• Relevant degree, equivalent professional experience or recognised technical accreditation.
• Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CEng, CITP, TOGAF, SABSA, ITIL, ISO 27001, NCSC-aligned training or vendor security certifications would be advantageous.
• Experience working in regulated, government, defence, critical national infrastructure or other high-assurance environments would be desirable.

Leadership behaviours

• Acts as a trusted deputy to the Chief Engineer, providing calm, evidence-based leadership.
• Creates clarity for teams by translating strategy, risk and customer needs into practical engineering direction.
• Builds collaborative relationships across engineering, cyber, service, programme and customer communities.
• Challenges constructively to protect technical integrity, security posture and delivery quality.
• Develops others through coaching, mentoring and setting high professional standards.

Measures of success

• Engineering workstreams are delivered to agreed scope, quality, cost and schedule commitments.
• Solutions achieve customer acceptance with clear evidence of technical and security compliance.
• Technical risks are visible, actively managed and escalated with credible mitigation plans.
• Engineering teams are well-led, appropriately resourced and clear on priorities.
• Cyber security requirements are embedded in design, delivery, transition and operational support.
• Hands-on technical contributions are delivered when required and align with agile SAFe team commitments, priorities and acceptance criteria.
• Technical governance is effective, proportionate and consistently applied.

Security Clearance/Travel

• Ability to gain and hold DV Clearance and pass other checks is essential. Only sole UK nationals need apply.
• Work will predominantly be conducted on the customer’s primary site. 4-5 days per week.
• Infrequent travel to other customer locations around the UK.
• Infrequent travel to the Leidos site at Farnborough.

Are you ready to make an impact? Begin your journey of a flourishing and meaningful career, share your CV with us today!

What we do for you:

• At Leidos we are PASSIONATE about customer success, UNITED as a team and INSPIRED to make a difference. We offer meaningful and engaging careers, a collaborative culture, and support for your career goals, all while nurturing a healthy work-life balance.
• We provide an employment package that attracts, develops and retains only the best in talent. Our reward scheme includes: Contributory Pension Scheme, Private Medical Insurance, 33 days Annual Leave (including public and privilege holidays), Access to Flexible benefits (including life assurance, health schemes, gym memberships, annual buy and sell holidays and a cycle to work scheme), Flexi-Time.

Commitment to Diversity:

We welcome applications from every part of the community and are committed to a truly diverse and inclusive culture. We foster a sense of belonging, welcoming all perspectives and contributions, and providing equal access to opportunities and resources for everyone. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages please let us know, and we will respond in a way that best fits your needs.

Who We Are:

Leidos UK & EUROPE – we work to make the world safer, healthier, and more efficient through technology, engineering and science. Leidos is a growing company delivering innovative technology and solutions focused on safeguarding critical capabilities and transformation in frontline services, our work in the United Kingdom includes addressing some of the most complex problems in defence, healthcare, government, safety and security, and transportation.

What Makes Us Different:

• Purpose: you can use your passion and abilities at Leidos to keep the people you care about safe. We are at the forefront of machine learning, AI, cyber security and solutions. Using your skills in the technology frontline by helping to build a safer world. You can inspire change.
• Collaboration: having flexibility to do your job is one of our core benefits, enabling you to become part of our extraordinary team. We have been empowering our people to work flexibly for years. Whether you work from home, the office or on customer sites, we will give you the digital tools and the flexibility to work smarter and align your needs and ours.
• People: Leidos empowers people from every background to be themselves and gives you the tools to learn new skills by enabling growth whilst developing. We believe that extraordinary people need opportunities to grow, to be inspired and to inspire others. At Leidos, we invest in technical academies, career rotations and a career development plans that enhance your future.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail.