Strategic Chief Engineer - Aerospace EMEA Engines in Coventry

At Parker Aerospace, we develop technologies and innovative solutions that enable reliable, efficient and increasingly sustainable flight for the lifecycle of the aircraft, including aftermarket support. Our passionate people with deep engineering expertise, together with our breadth of differentiated technologies, ensure that we make the extraordinary happen and continue to shape the future of aviation in partnership with our customers. As a member of our team, you are instrumental in fulfilling our mission: 'Enabling Engineering Breakthroughs that Lead to a Better Tomorrow.' Pursuing a career at Parker presents unlimited opportunities for both professional and personal development. Working with some of the most brilliant minds in the industry, your contributions will be pivotal in developing innovative technologies and products, significantly contributing to Parker’s goal of addressing the world’s most pressing engineering challenges. At Parker, our team members belong, matter and make a difference.

Role Summary

The Strategic Chief Engineer is a technical leader responsible for setting and driving the technical strategy across major product lines, programs, or platforms. This role integrates long‑range technology vision with business objectives, ensuring that engineering decisions support profitability, competitiveness, quality, and sustainability. This role is envisioned to be strongly embedded within strategic customers and closely aligned with aerospace group divisions. In addition, working closely with Key Account Leaders.

Technical Strategy & Architecture

• Define and maintain the multi‑year technical roadmap for assigned product families or systems.
• Establish reference architectures, design principles, and standards that guide multiple programs.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and propose strategic adoption plans, including risk, cost, and benefit analysis.
• Ensure architectural coherence and reuse across projects and platforms.

System Engineering & Integration

• Designs, or directs the design, of complex components or functional systems to advance new technologies and develop breakthrough improvements.
• Provide system‑level technical leadership on complex, multi‑disciplinary programs.
• Lead trade studies, system decomposition, and allocation of requirements to subsystems.
• Oversee major design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, PRR, etc.) and provide technical sign‑off.
• Resolve high‑impact integration issues spanning hardware, software, and operations.

Governance & Technical Authority

• Serve as the technical authority for designated domains, with final approval on critical technical decisions.
• Define technical policies, engineering standards, and best practices in collaboration with other leaders.
• Lead independent technical assessments, design audits, and risk reviews.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, certifications, and industry standards.

Business Alignment & Stakeholder Management

• Strong fundamental business skills and broad experience in financial risk, operations, quality, business development, and customer management.
• Translate business strategy (market, customer, financial) into technical strategies and roadmaps.
• Partner with product management, operations, and finance to develop business cases for major technical investments.
• Deep understanding of key customers and external partners to shape product direction and build technical credibility.
• Support bids and proposals with strategy, architecture, and solution concepts.

Mentoring & Capability Building

• Mentor principal engineers, architects, and lead engineers in systems thinking and strategic design.
• Drive technical communities of practice; foster knowledge sharing and standardization.
• Identify capability gaps (skills, tools, processes) and propose plans to close them.
• Support hiring and development of senior technical talent.

Typical Deliverables

• Long‑term technology and architecture roadmaps.
• System architectures and reference designs.
• Technology assessments and recommendations.
• Technical risk assessments and mitigation strategies.
• Policies, guidelines, and standards for engineering practices.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of Bachelor of Science in Engineering and advanced degree (MBA, MS/PhD) is preferred.
• Minimum of 15+ years of engineering experience, with substantial system or platform ownership.
• Proven track record of successful delivery of large, complex technical programs.
• OEM experience preferred.
• Highly desirable: Large network within customer and/or Parker with ability and habit of extending and leveraging it across a wide range of levels (working level through C‑level).

Technical Competencies

• Deep expertise in at least one key domain; strong breadth across adjacent domains.
• Mastery of system engineering, architecture, and lifecycle management.
• Strong understanding of reliability, safety, quality, and compliance requirements.
• Ability to evaluate and integrate emerging technologies into existing ecosystems.

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

• Strategic thinker: can connect technology to long‑term business outcomes.
• Influential communicator: can build consensus across functions and levels.
• Strong decision‑making skills under ambiguity and high risk.
• High level of professionalism, integrity, and ownership.
• Willing to travel (i.e. frequent visitation for face‑to‑face discussions, mediation, and to both gain and create understanding).

Success Measures

• Adoption and execution of technical roadmaps across product lines.
• Reduction in NRE costs, architectural complexity and maximize reuse.
• Improved performance, quality, or cost metrics driven by strategic technical decisions.
• Positive feedback from senior leadership, key customers, and technical staff.
• Strong internal and external customer relationships with senior technical leaders to improve win‑rate and revenue growth.