As Director of Engineering, you will report to the CTO, supported by the Technical Leads of our engineering units (Hardware, Software (Embedded and Firmware), Cloud and Cybersecurity.
You will work closely with both the Programme Director and Product Team to lead the development and delivery of secure, integrated hardware (HW) and software (SW) systems designed to protect and optimise airspace and airport operations. Working alongside the CTO, you’ll translate the company’s technical vision into a robust engineering roadmap, manage multidisciplinary teams, and ensure on‑time, high‑quality, and compliant delivery of complex cybersecurity‑enabled systems.
This is a pivotal role in a fast‑scaling start‑up where you’ll balance strategy, execution, and team growth, ensuring that the company’s technology stack and engineering culture are world‑class, secure, and scalable.
Key Responsibilities / Tasks
Implement and execute the company’s technical and product strategy for integrated airspace and airport cybersecurity solutions.
Build, mentor, and scale a high‑performance engineering organisation across hardware, software, cloud and cybersecurity domains.
Champion agile delivery, DevSecOps principles, and continuous improvement.
Technical Delivery
Oversee the full engineering lifecycle — concept, design, prototyping, testing, integration, and deployment — across Hardware, Software and Cloud systems.
Ensure Security by Design and Resilience by Default are embedded throughout the various stages of the engineering lifecycle. Manage and coordinate multidisciplinary teams (Hardware, Software, Cloud, Systems, Data, AI and Cybersecurity engineers).
Drive compliance with relevant aviation, safety, and cyber standards, such as DO‑326A, DO‑178C, ISO/IEC 62443, ISO/IEC 21434, and NIST SP 800‑x.
Operational Excellence
Establish scalable engineering processes, documentation, and QA frameworks.
Develop and manage engineering budgets, schedules, and resourcing plans.
Collaborate cross‑functionally with Product, Operations, and Business Development to align technology delivery with customer and market needs.
Oversee supplier and partner technical relationships, particularly for critical HW and security components.
Support technology roadmap development and R&D prioritisation.
Foster innovation in secure communications, sensor integration, and AI‑driven monitoring.
Represent engineering in customer discussions, regulatory engagements, and industry forums when required.
Promote and nourish continuous learning and growth mindset culture across the engineering organisation.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Deliver engineering milestones on schedule - define and manage detailed engineering roadmaps, sprint plans, and resource allocations across engineering teams.
Maintain product quality and reliability - implement and enforce QA/testing frameworks across hardware, firmware, software, and cloud builds.
Working with the CTO to achieve products and processes compliance (e.g., DO‑326A, ISO/IEC 62443, and Cyber Resilience Act).
Embed security‑by‑design in engineering processes and ensure alignment with compliance frameworks and audits.
Develop and deploy cyber resilient products and systems - oversee secure system architecture, security testing, and rapid response to vulnerability disclosure; engineering cost control within ±10% of budget – develop and manage engineering budgets, supplier contracts, and resource forecasting.
Optimise system integration time - streamline both continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, DevSecOps practices, and cross‑team integration processes.
Build and retain a high‑performing engineering team - recruit, mentor, and develop multidisciplinary engineering staff with clear progression frameworks.
Support the CTO in the IP protection of technical proof‑of‑concept and R&D initiatives aligned with the strategic roadmap, including the creation of patents when appropriate.
Positive Stakeholder Feedback - maintain transparent communication with the CTO, Executive Committee, partners and customers on progress, risks, and outcomes.
Person Specifications
10+ years in engineering leadership roles, ideally in aerospace, defence, cybersecurity, or critical infrastructure sectors.
Demonstrable track record of delivering successful New Product Introduction (NPI) cycles, ensuring products meet quality, cost, and manufacturability targets.
Proven track record in designing and developing complex systems integrating HW, embedded SW, cloud and cybersecurity layers.
Strong understanding of secure systems design, and safety‑critical architectures.
Experience in concurrent engineering process and horizon scanning.
Strong knowledge and hands‑on experience in deploying and managing agile development environments, value stream mapping and secure development life cycle.
Demonstrated success in building and scaling multidisciplinary engineering teams in fast‑paced or startup environments.
Experience delivering products or platforms meeting aviation or defence‑grade standards.
Good knowledge and technical understanding of tools and processes used in designing, developing and delivering products, like Atlassian Suite, Altium, GitHub, CycloneDX, SPDX, GitLab, Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, and others.
Educated to degree level in a relevant field, ideally supplemented with a higher degree level and associated professional certifications (e.g. Chartered Engineer).
Experience in airport operations, future air mobility systems, or air traffic management technologies.
Good understanding of cybersecurity essential principles.
Practical knowledge in deploying zero‑trust security principles and secure communication for mission‑critical systems across mesh networks.
Familiarity with AI/ML applications in threat detection, surveillance, or autonomous systems.
Experience interfacing with regulators, customers, and certification authorities.
Leadership & Interpersonal Attributes
Strategic thinker with hands‑on engineering credibility and delivery‑focused mindset.
Collaborative, transparent, and pragmatic leader.
Strong communicator with the ability to bridge technical and business goals.
High resilience under pressure with ability to manage ambiguity.
A leader who understands that health and safety always comes first.
Strong integrity, ethical judgement, and commitment to transparency.
Collaborative leader who builds trust and motivates diverse teams.
The Company
At ANGOKA, our mission is to secure the digital foundations of the modern world - embedding trust, resilience, and safety into the communication and data networks that underpin smart cities, autonomous systems, and future aviation. Airports and airspace are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks, as highlighted by recent events in Europe.
ANGOKA is building the technology platform for a safer, more connected future aviation system. Our aim is to focus and operate first in air, and the resultant product and systems would map rapidly across to other sectors, including directly to land and marine transportation.
ANGOKA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds and experiences. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment.
At ANGOKA, all our hiring decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, and we are committed to creating an inclusive culture that supports and represents our diverse society.
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