Director of Engineering

ANGOKA Limited; Belfast; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cybersecurity firm in the UK is seeking a Director of Engineering to spearhead the development of secure systems for airspace management. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in engineering leadership and will be responsible for building and mentoring engineering teams. This role demands a strategic thinker with a solid understanding of cybersecurity principles and a proven ability to deliver products compliant with aviation standards. The position offers a chance to drive innovation in the fast-evolving field of airport technology.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in engineering leadership roles in critical sectors.
• Track record of delivering successful New Product Introduction cycles.
• Experience in building multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of cybersecurity solutions for airspace.
• Mentor and scale engineering organization across various domains.
• Oversee full engineering lifecycle from design to deployment.

Skills

Leadership

Agile development

Cybersecurity

System design

Team building

Education

Degree in relevant field

Chartered Engineer certification

Tools

Atlassian Suite

Docker

GitHub

Kubernetes

Job description

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 focussed 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.