Engineering Manager – Avionics & Test
CompanyCallen-Lenz
Location
Chilmark, England, United Kingdom
Employment TypeFull-time
Posted At6/17/2026
UK Visa Sponsorship Analytics
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Occupation TypeAerospace engineers
Occupation Code Skill LevelHigher Skilled
Sponsorship Salary Threshold
£52,400
(£26.87 per hour)
Occupation rate applies
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Description
Engineering Manager - Avionics & Test
Vacancy Reference: CLA- 424
Position: Full-time
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK
Salary: £80,000+ DOE
At Callen-Lenz, we are expanding the limits of what is possible. We specialise in crewed and uncrewed aircraft operations and technology and having recently received investment into the business we are going through a period of rapid growth and development and are looking for key roles to assist with these changes. Callen-Lenz offers innovative and customer-focused UAS solutions through our 4 key business strands: technical services, products, platforms and operational services. We are looking for individuals to help drive forward our expansion, placing you at forefront of UAS development in the UK.
Our Values
Based in the heart of rural Wiltshire, close to the Historic city of Salisbury you will join our rapidly growing, friendly and multi-disciplined team, working on a range of diverse and interesting projects, leading the way in this exciting field and witnessing the full lifecycle of our products. The Callen-Lenz team are passionate about what we do, and we are searching for individuals to grow with us as we expand into the aerospace industry.
Our Benefits Include
Vacancy Reference: CLA- 424
Position: Full-time
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK
Salary: £80,000+ DOE
At Callen-Lenz, we are expanding the limits of what is possible. We specialise in crewed and uncrewed aircraft operations and technology and having recently received investment into the business we are going through a period of rapid growth and development and are looking for key roles to assist with these changes. Callen-Lenz offers innovative and customer-focused UAS solutions through our 4 key business strands: technical services, products, platforms and operational services. We are looking for individuals to help drive forward our expansion, placing you at forefront of UAS development in the UK.
Our Values
- Innovation
- Integrity
- Collaboration
- Excellence
Based in the heart of rural Wiltshire, close to the Historic city of Salisbury you will join our rapidly growing, friendly and multi-disciplined team, working on a range of diverse and interesting projects, leading the way in this exciting field and witnessing the full lifecycle of our products. The Callen-Lenz team are passionate about what we do, and we are searching for individuals to grow with us as we expand into the aerospace industry.
Our Benefits Include
- 25 days annual leave per year (plus bank holidays)
- Buy/Sell holiday policy up to 5 days either way
- Pension Scheme via Royal London
- Company contributed Share Incentive Plan.
- Green Car Scheme
- Life assurance scheme (6x basic salary)
- Income protection policy (75% of basic salary)
- Private Health Insurance via Bupa
- Private Dental insurance via Bupa
- Enhanced Maternity and paternity
- 1 Professional membership reimbursed per year
- 1 paid volunteering day per year
Reporting to the Head of Engineering, you will manage deployment of the Avionics & Test team according to resource demand from across the delivery streams. You will be responsible for the continuous improvement of our processes and tools in the Avionics & Test department, and will be responsible for the pastoral care and career development for the department.
Responsibilities
Lead the Avionics & Test department, including:
Functional & Capability Leadership
- Guide, or lead where appropriate, the team in their technical duties.
- Define and communicate “what good looks like” for avionics, integration, and test engineering across the organisation.
- Establish and maintain processes, standards, best practices, and technical governance aligned to industry (e.g. DO-178C, DO-254, ARP4754) where applicable.
- Establish and maintain fit-for-purpose tools for the Avionics & Test department, integrated with the rest of Engineering and the wider business.
- Promote cross-discipline collaboration (systems, air vehicle, software, manufacturing) to improve integration outcomes.
- Lead major technical reviews and assurance activities to ensure performance, safety, and airworthiness of delivered systems.
- Identify and remove inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and duplication across engineering workflows.
- Allocate and prioritise avionics & test engineers across delivery streams based on programme priorities and project demand signals.
- Balance short-term delivery needs with long-term capability development and sustainability of the function.
- Work with Project Managers to forecast resource demand, identify constraints, and resolve conflicts across competing programmes.
- Identify capability gaps and drive recruitment, training, and upskilling plans to build a high-performing, future-ready team.
- Coach, mentor and develop staff, including goal setting, performance management, and regular 1:1 engagement.
- Support career development including structured development plans, and alignment to professional standards (e.g. UK-SPEC).
- Foster an inclusive, high-performing team culture with strong engagement, accountability, and collaboration.
- Monitor team wellbeing and workload, ensuring sustainable pace and effective pastoral care.
- Champion recognition, retention strategies, and succession planning within the function.
- Champion health, safety, and environmental practices across the department.
- Ensure compliance with regulatory, airworthiness, and company standards in all engineering and test activities.
- Promote a strong safety culture, including hazard identification, risk management, and incident learning.
- Support safe planning and execution of ground and flight test campaigns, including risk assessments and approvals.
- When required or directed, participate in any health and safety training.
- Degree in Aerospace, Electronics, Systems Engineering, or related field.
- Demonstrable experience of leading and managing an engineering team.
Skills and Experience
- Demonstrable experience of technical leadership and engineering line management within aerospace, defence, or a similarly regulated industry.
- Background in defence or commercial UAS programmes.
- Experience operating in a matrix organisation.
- Experience supporting certification, airworthiness, or regulatory approval activities.
- Experience in trials scoping, planning and execution.
- Experience in flight test engineering activities.
- Chartered Engineer (CEng) status or actively working towards professional accreditation.
- Experience scaling teams or building capability in a growing organisation.
- Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capability.
- Experience working with defence customers or within UK MOD frameworks.
- Must be a British Citizen or have an existing right to work in the UK.
- Capable leader.
- Excellent communicator.
- Excellent problem-solving ability.
- Ability to work well in a team.
- Ability to commit to occasional national and international travel.
- A full valid UK driving license.
- Ability to hold Security Clearance – 5 years residence in the UK.
Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.