Head of Uncrewed Air Systems

The Head of Uncrewed Air Systems (UAS) is an exciting role with responsibility for procuring and sustaining the UK’s core suite of UAS to cost, time and performance, meeting safety and environmental protection standards and maintaining availability through life. In this role you would provide strategic leadership of this full range of project delivery within National Armaments - Materiel works in concert with the wider Air – Rotary Wing & UAS senior leadership team and is a key member of the senior uncrewed and autonomous community across the wider Defence Industrial Enterprise. ​

The Head of Uncrewed Air Systems carries out high profile work under significant Ministerial, Parliamentary, media and wider stakeholder scrutiny, requiring personal resilience and good senior stakeholder management. Uncrewed and autonomous systems is a rapidly growing Defence field that is driving the evolution of procurement practices and regulatory requirement, and as an SCS1 Head you will play a pivotal role in promoting that culture by championing efficiency and pace whilst safeguarding essential rigour.​

At it’s heart this role is about people and as a member of the Air-RWUAS Senior Leadership Team you would have the responsibility to inspire people to achieve the NAD objectives to deliver for Defence. If this sounds exciting to you, we look forward to receiving your application.​

The Head of Uncrewed Air Systems has the following areas of responsibility:​

• Deliver and sustain the complex suite of Uncrewed Air Systems (UAS) projects, informing early concept work with UK Defence Innovation and NAD Plans & Portfolios to ensure deliverability, coherence and through-life planning.​

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• Provide leadership to enable UAS Senior Safety Responsible and Senior Environment Responsible delegation holders so that the products, systems and services they deliver are acceptable, safe to operate, environmentally sound and compliant with the relevant Health and Safety, Environmental and Defence Regulations.​

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• Be accountable for the technical integration of equipment and systems provided by other areas into UAS and support integration with other platforms/systems within Defence to ensure optimum military capability.​

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• Contribute to Strategic Defence Review (SDR) outcomes, Defence Investment Plan (DIP), Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) as required, providing insight into industry capability to influence Industrial planning.​

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• Balance available resources against the suite of projects, prioritising as requires across Front Line Commands and Centre, whilst optimising delivery, implementing change to deliver ongoing operational sustainment capabilities and support to operations.​

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• Develop Commercial and Procurement Strategies to deliver Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) including Category Management strategies for the suite of projects.​

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• Monitor and develop Supply Chain resilience to assure equipment supply.​

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• Act as the principal interlocutor with relevant Senior Responsible Owners and Programme Directors to align procurement activity, capacity and the delivery ofcapability that meets the needs of the warfighter. ​

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

HOW TO APPLY​

This is an external competition, and we welcome applications from candidates in both the public or private sector. To apply for this post, you will need to submit the following documents, via the link by 23:55 on Sunday 4th October 2026.​​

• A copy of your CV preferably in MS Word format setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps.​​​
• A Supporting Statement of no more than 1500 words (font Arial, size 11), outlining how you consider your personal skills, leadership attributes, qualities and experience match the essential criteria on page 7 of the attached candidate pack.​ Applications that exceed the word limit will not be considered.

AFTER YOU’VE APPLIED​

Shortlist​​

All submissions will receive an email acknowledgement upon application. If you do not receive confirmation of receipt of your application 3 working days post-closing date, please contact us at DESHR-SCSRecruitment@mod.gov.uk. The panel will consider the evidence you have provided against the essential criteria set out at page 7 of the attached candidate pack to determine their shortlist. ​​

Interview​​

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to attend a panel interview for an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the essential criteria. Full details of the interview process will be made available to shortlisted candidates. The Panel will consist of Mark Langrill (Director Air Rotary, Uncrewed Air Systems & Air Enablers), a second SCS2 panel member, and a HR Business Partner.​​

Offer​​

We will notify all candidates of their outcome, as soon as possible after the final interview. We reserve the right to make any offer of appointment conditional upon references and satisfactory conclusion of security enquiries. In the event that you meet the requirements for the role, but you are not offered the position, we will be pleased to retain your application for a 12-month period in case another suitable role arises. ​​​

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.