Head of Operations & Delivery

Roke Manor Research Limited; Woking; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology firm is seeking a Head of Operations & Delivery for their National Security Business in Woking. This role involves leading the Business Operations Team and ensuring high levels of delivery and operational performance. The ideal candidate will have strong problem-solving skills, experience in business strategy development, and a passion for the security of the UK. Join a company that values innovative thinking and offers a supportive environment filled with opportunity.

Benefits

On-site gym

Ample parking

Flexible working hours

Qualifications

• Strong problem solver with a desire for UK security and prosperity.
• Experience in developing business strategies, implementing operational plans.
• Experience in project, product, and service delivery execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead Business Operations Team towards high-level delivery.
• Support NS business functions to maintain high delivery levels.
• Drive efficiency and effectiveness across the BU.

Skills

Strong problem solving

Experience in developing business strategies

Experience in project delivery

Technically curious

Experience in leading virtual teams

Knowledge of UK National Security market

Job description

Roke, Roke Manor, Romsey, Hampshire, United Kingdom •

Roke, First Floor Windmill Green, Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom •

Roke, 5th Floor, Space, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom

Job Description

Posted Thursday 8 January 2026 at 01:00

Great ideas come from different minds. That’s why we bring together engineers, scientists, analysts, and creatives from every background — and give them the trust, tools, and freedom to make a difference. What connects us is the mission: solving meaningful problems and building capability that protects what matters most.

And as the challenges evolve, so do we — working on the technologies that will shape tomorrow, not just today.

Head of Operations & Delivery – National Security

National Security Business
Be part of a growing and highly trusted supplier into the NS domain working to deliver mission critical solutions helping to keep the nation safe, secure and prosperous.

Roke is a company with deep expertise in Cyber, Digital Transformation, hardware & software capability for Operational Technology and High Assurance solutions, working closely with UK Government, protecting its interests' home and abroad

Role:
As NS Operations and Delivery you will directly contribute to the success of both the Roke and BU strategy by provide providing horizontal services that enable the NS BU and dock into the wider business.

The role is responsible for leading the Business Operations Team, Project Management Office & Change function to achieve sustained, high-levels of delivery and operational performance within the BU. You will also work closely with the Central Operations Team, Finance, Resourcing & Recruitment and Supply Chain Management.

Job Purpose

• Working with the Business Unit Director and other Assistant Directors, own the annual build and refresh of the Business Strategy
• Own the BU’s implementation of Integration Business Planning (IBP), a series of activities which identify, define and communicate strategy, financial planning, performance and enterprise resources e.g. people, facilities, security, IT & networks etc
• To drive efficiency and effectiveness across the BU and into the wider business; instilling a supportive continuous improvement culture aligned to Operational Excellence Initiatives
• To enable the BU to confidently make informed and timely decisions based on accurate and insightful information and optimise its performance
• To enable the BU leadership to understand it’s risks and opportunities and be able to make informed, risk-based decisions
• To support growth acceleration initiatives such as recruitment and acquisition integration

Key Responsibilities

• Supporting the underlying NS business functions to maintain a consistently high-level of delivery across all projects – visible to customers and within Roke, quickly identifying and mitigating all significant delivery risks and issues and minimising impact
• Owning the BU strategy processes (yearly, quarterly, monthly) to facilitate strategy definition and execute implementation of all operational aspects of the strategy
• Maturing the forecasting, resourcing and recruitment processes to achieve/exceed forecast by mitigating risks or exploiting opportunities to maximise productivity
• Owning the development of the BU Ecosystem, including any process, policy and tooling working with Supply Chain Management
• Ensuring the needs of the BU (for people, facilities, IT and Infrastructure, Security, Management Information and Tooling) have accurate representation within the Integrated Business Planning Process
• Work with Finance to continually identify and exploit opportunities to increase profitability/margin
• Continually improving the BU’s delivery performance focussing on efficiency and effectiveness, actively managing an up-to-date, prioritised backlog of improvements

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Strong problem solver, with an innate desire to further the security and prosperity of the UK
• Experience of developing business strategies, and implementing cross cutting operational plans
• Experience in project, product and service delivery execution and assurance
• Experience in acquisition due diligence and integration.
• Technically curious, with experience of delivering bespoke technical capability, solutions and services, ideally in a consulting, engineering or professional services organisation (or within an equivalent Government/Military/Academic organisation)
• Experience in leading and managing virtual teams, ideally across multiple sites
• Experience in building and developing ecosystems of SMEs, academia and technology vendors
• Knowledge of the UK National Security market
• Experience in international markets, export controls, partnering with or selling through other entities into major programmes and marketing

Built on over a 60 year heritage, Roke offers specialist knowledge in sensors, communications, cyber, and AI and ML. We change the way organisations think and act – through dynamic insights from the analysis of multiple layers of data. We take care of the innovative, technical stuff that keeps everyone safe – that’s our mission, passion, and motivation.

Where you’ll work…
ROMSEY - Located within beautiful Hampshire countryside, close to the picturesque New Forest District and not far from a superb stretch of the south coast. This is no corporate concrete jungle; this is a manor house site, with ample parking an on-site gym and a driveway full of daffodils in the spring.

Woking - You’ll find our Woking site in a modern building on the outskirts of London. Rated excellent for sustainability by BREEAM & Fitwel certified – you’ll feel better for visiting. This site provides key links to our customers in London, is a 5-minute walk from the train station, has secure parking nearby and dedicated cycle storage.

Gloucester - You’ll find our Gloucester site in a business park two minutes from junction 11A of the M5; The site allows easy access to our local customer base. Set on the outskirts of the Cotswolds, you are never far from a picturesque view or lunch time walk.

Manchester - You’ll find our Manchester site located in the heart of the City; Europe’s fastest growing tech hub. You’ll become a key part of Roke’s growing local tech community as we support the Government levelling up agenda. There is easy, local access to our client community with great transport links and nearby local parking.

You will be expected to spend a minimum of 40% of your time at your specified work location but will be expected to attend any UK sites as required to deliver the BU business objectives. International travel is unlikely

Clearances…
Due to the nature of this role, we require you to be eligible to achieve DV clearance.

The Next Step

Click apply, submitting an up-to-date CV. We look forward to hearing from you.

Roke, Roke Manor, Romsey, Hampshire, United Kingdom,

Roke, Unit K, Elmbridge East, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom,

Roke, First Floor Windmill Green, Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom,

Roke, 5th Floor, Space, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom