Head of Engineering | Defence Start-Up | London
Head of Engineering required for a rapidly-growing London-based defence start-up building next-generation autonomous and AI-driven systems to support critical national security missions.
Founded by experienced operators and technologists, and backed by top-tier investors, the company is entering a pivotal growth phase. This is a hands-on leadership opportunity to define the technical vision, scale the engineering organisation, and build the systems, processes, and culture that will underpin the company’s next stage of growth.
About you:
* 10+ years of software engineering experience, with several years in engineering leadership roles as a Head of Engineering, VP Engineering, or Engineering Director
* Proven track record of building and scaling high-performing engineering teams within start-up environments
* Strong technical background with experience designing and delivering complex, scalable systems
* Comfortable across modern technologies and languages (e.g. Python, Rust, C++, Java, Go) with a pragmatic, language-agnostic mindset
* Experience setting technical strategy while remaining close to architecture and key technical decisions
* Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
* Interest in defence, security, or mission-critical systems
* Passion for building products that deliver real-world impact
Bonus points:
* Background in defence, aerospace, robotics, autonomy, or security domains
* Previous founder experience, with a strong understanding of scaling teams, products, and technology from early-stage growth through to maturity
* Experience building engineering functions from an early-stage foundation
* Experience working on mission-critical or safety-critical systems
Why join:
* Mission-driven work supporting defence and national security outcomes
* High-growth start-up environment with experienced founders and strong investor backing
* Opportunity to shape the company’s technical vision and engineering culture from the ground up
* Work on advanced autonomy, AI, and distributed systems at the cutting edge
* Build and lead a world-class engineering organisation
* Join a small, high-calibre, highly trusted team solving complex and meaningful challenges
If you're a hands-on engineering leader who enjoys balancing strategic leadership with technical depth, and are motivated by building both exceptional teams and systems that truly matter, apply now or reach out directly to learn more.
Head of Engineering | Defence Start-Up | London