Head of Electronics & software

Here at The Exploration Company, we are building spacecrafts for humanity. Head of Electronics & Software Purpose We are looking for a Head of Electronics & Software to lead and develop the engineering capability behind some of the most critical systems in our spacecraft. This is a senior leadership role combining people leadership, engineering excellence, organisational development and technical breadth . You will lead a multidisciplinary organisation spanning: Avionics, communications and electrical power systems Flight software (FSW) Guidance, navigation and control (GNC) Electrical wiring and interconnection systems (EWIS), including harness engineering Future projects and advanced electronics and software development You will be responsible for ensuring our teams have the people, skills, processes, tools and engineering standards needed to deliver ambitious space programmes today, while building the capabilities we will need for the future. This is not a role for someone looking to step away from engineering. We are looking for a leader who can engage credibly with highly technical teams, challenge constructively, develop strong technical leaders and help create an environment where exceptional engineering can happen. Matrix Organisation Our engineering teams work in a matrix organisation, combining strong functional leadership with project-based delivery. As Head of Electronics & Software, you will lead the functional organisation, developing its people and capabilities while working closely with Project Managers, Project Chief Engineers, technical authorities and engineering Leads responsible for programme delivery. You will: Lead and develop Project Leads, discipline Leads, Principal Engineers and transversal engineering resources Partner with project leadership to align capability, resources and priorities with programme needs Help teams navigate competing priorities across projects Ensure clear ownership and accountability between functional leadership and project execution Build an organisation capable of supporting multiple programmes as the company grows Success in this environment requires collaboration, influence and sound engineering judgement rather than centralising every technical decision. Role Boundaries This role owns the strength and effectiveness of the Electronics & Software organisation : its people, capability, engineering practices, tools, standards and functional budget. You will create the environment in which our technical teams can perform at their best, providing mentoring, challenge and access to expertise while supporting technical and project leadership in making strong engineering decisions. Project technical decisions and product technical authority remain within the relevant project and technical organisations. Your role is to ensure they are supported by a highly capable engineering organisation with the right expertise, methods and resources. Key Responsibilities People, Hiring & Organisation You will build and shape a high-performing Electronics & Software organisation. Your responsibilities will include: Owning workforce and headcount planning across the function Recruiting and retaining exceptional engineering talent Developing clear job families, role levels and assessment standards Partnering with Talent Acquisition, engineering Leads and hiring managers to maintain a high technical hiring bar Leading promotion, compensation and organisational planning within the function Building succession plans and reducing key-person dependencies in specialist areas Creating an organisation that remains lean, scalable and aligned with current and future programme needs Line Management & Development Developing strong engineers and technical leaders will be a major part of the role. You will: Lead and develop the managers, Leads and senior engineers within your organisation Establish meaningful objectives aligned with project and company priorities Build clear development and technical career paths Strengthen mentoring, coaching and leadership capability across the organisation Create opportunities for engineers to gain experience across design, integration, test and operations Address performance challenges fairly and constructively Build a culture where progression is based on demonstrated capability, impact and organisational need Engineering Processes, Standards & Compliance You will help define how excellent electronics and software engineering is done across the company . This includes: Owning and continuously improving engineering practices across electronics, software, GNC and electrical/harness engineering Establishing practical standards for electronics design, software development, testing, modelling, reviews and verification Ensuring teams understand and can effectively apply the relevant processes Supporting certification readiness, audits and continuous improvement, including applicable EN9100 requirements Working closely with Quality, Safety, Systems Engineering and the Chief Engineer organisation Using lessons from development, testing and operations to continuously improve engineering practices Our aim is not process for process's sake. We want processes that are lean, pragmatic and proportionate to engineering risk . Engineering Tools & Ways of Working You will ensure our engineers have the tools and engineering environment needed to work effectively and at scale. This includes capability across: Electronics and PCB design Harness CAD Software development, build and configuration toolchains Automated testing GNC analysis and modelling Software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop environments Simulation and shared test infrastructure You will drive standardisation, adoption and good engineering practice while partnering with Digital, IT, Procurement, Quality and other engineering teams. The goal is simple: engineering work should be efficient, traceable, reproducible and ready to scale. Project Support & Resource Planning You will work clo