Test Systems Lead (Aerospace and Defence)

Location: Greenford, Greater London, England

Company

hirify.global is recruiting for a permanent role within a leading Defence organisation working in aerospace and complex engineering.

What you will do

• Lead and line-manage a team of 4+ Test Systems Engineers, setting priorities, managing performance, coaching team members, and building accountability.
• Own Test Systems activities, equipment deliveries, resource plans, project schedules, cost estimates, risks, and competing production and programme priorities.
• Oversee the design, development, upgrade, deployment, and support of manufacturing test systems, test rigs, and equipment used in production and by external suppliers.
• Provide technical oversight for electrical, electronic, and test engineering challenges while supporting technical decisions and evaluating proposed solutions.
• Develop a long-term Test Systems strategy and technology roadmap, modernise legacy equipment, introduce new test capabilities, and drive improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and test data utilisation.
• Coordinate with Production, Supply Chain, Programme Management, Engineering, IPTs, Project Managers, and external suppliers to align test capability with programme requirements.

Requirements

• Experience leading and managing technical or engineering teams.
• Strong people-management skills, including performance management and handling challenging individuals.
• Experience managing engineering workloads, resources, priorities, and delivery schedules.
• Good technical understanding of electrical engineering, electronics, test engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Ability to understand technical challenges, evaluate solutions, and support engineering decision-making.
• Strong stakeholder-management and communication skills.
• Experience implementing process improvements and driving change in an engineering environment.
• The role prioritises strong leadership and sufficient technical understanding over being the most technically qualified engineer on the team.

Nice to have

• Experience in Test Systems Engineering, Manufacturing Test, Production Test, or Automated Test Equipment.
• Experience developing or supporting test rigs and manufacturing test equipment.
• Knowledge of LabVIEW or similar test development technologies.
• Experience developing engineering strategies, roadmaps, or improvement programmes.
• Supplier-management experience and exposure to externally deployed test equipment.
• Experience in Defence, Aerospace, or other complex engineering environments.
• Experience working with IPTs and cross-functional engineering teams.

Culture & Benefits

• Permanent employment focused on people leadership, engineering delivery, resource management, and long-term function development.
• The production-testing function is expected to transition into Value Stream Management, allowing the role to focus specifically on Test Systems Engineering.
• Planned investment includes major equipment upgrades, new development programmes, and future Test Systems capabilities.