About
Head of Technical Cammell Laird Birkenhead
A rare opportunity is available for this senior leadership role as our Senior Technical Authority.
This key position involves delivering complex engineering programmes supporting national defence and critical commercial marine infrastructure. The successful candidate will shape the technical direction and long-term capability of Cammell Laird.
Reporting to the Managing Director, with influence over delivery performance, engineering governance, and capability development, we seek someone with a proven track record in business and technical leadership within a shipyard, defence contractor, or marine engineering business.
Who are we?
Part of APCL Group, Cammell Laird is renowned globally. Our facility on the River Mersey operates across five core markets: defence refit and repair, commercial refit and repair, defence newbuild projects, commercial newbuild projects, and energy.
Spanning 90 acres, we operate four dry docks, a large modular construction hall, and extensive covered workshops. We have played a strategic role in UK shipbuilding for over 200 years.
What will you do?
As Head of Technical, owning the technical strategy and vision for your team of 40-50, you'll oversee engineering design, technical assurance, compliance, and innovation across shipbuilding, maintenance, and conversion activities.
Reporting to the Managing Director, you'll collaborate closely with Production, Project Management, Commercial, and SHEQ, with accountability for budget adherence and resource management to meet strategic and financial goals.
You will ensure compliance, engineering governance, and programme delivery standards as the senior technical authority.
Your responsibilities include overseeing all engineering and technical functions, such as design reviews, new construction, maintenance, conversion, and refit, providing guidance to translate technical requirements into business outcomes.
Ensuring technical compliance with MOD standards (e.g., DEF STANs, JSPs), Lloyds Register, MCA, and other regulations will be key.
You will support business development through technical input to bids, feasibility studies, and costing, staying informed on emerging innovations to address complex technical challenges.
Driving continuous improvement in engineering processes, documentation, and governance, you will engage with external technical authorities, suppliers, and customer engineering teams.
As a leader, you'll manage and mentor technical team members, building, scaling, and organizing teams effectively.
What are we looking for?
A strong track record in business leadership, ideally supported by an MBA (not essential).
Degree in Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, or related field; Chartered Engineer (CEng) status is a plus.
Significant experience in a senior technical leadership role within a shipyard, defence contractor, or marine engineering organization.
Strong knowledge of MOD requirements, maritime defence systems, and UK regulatory frameworks.
Experience working in tidal/coastal marine environments.
Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering teams and operate at an executive level.
Why join us?
Opportunity to work on high-profile, impactful projects.
Supportive, dynamic environment at the heart of a marine technology hub on Merseyside, within a world-class maritime cluster.
Note: Due to the security-sensitive nature of some roles, factors such as nationality, previous nationalities, and place of birth may restrict employment options. All candidates must undergo a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) check, including a basic DBS check.
* Location: Birkenhead, England
* Languages: English
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