Project Engineering Lead - Supplier Engagement

Project Engineering Lead (PEL)

Your impact Are you looking for an exciting and challenging opportunity to lead a skilled team in a time of significant growth in an AESA Radar sector, based in either our Edinburgh or Newcastle offices? Leonardo is a global leader in defence electronics and delivers mission-critical systems for situational awareness, electronic warfare and surveillance across land, sea and air. The Radar and Advanced Targeting line of business, based across Edinburgh and Newcastle, is uniquely positioned as one of the world's top manufacturers of radars, lasers and infrared countermeasure systems with a rich heritage in engineering, with 100 years of pioneering development.

The Secretary of State for Defence announced the UK European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 production contract during a visit to Leonardo Edinburgh in January 2026. We have an exciting opportunity to join the ECRS Mk2 programme at an early stage of its lifecycle. Based in either Edinburgh or Newcastle, you will have the opportunity to influence the successful delivery of equipment to the end user.

• Lead the ECRS Mk2 Supply Chain Improvement Team, providing direction, prioritisation and governance across supplier improvement, manufacturing maturity and industrialisation activities.
• Establish and deliver a strategy for improving supplier quality, yield, throughput, lead time and production readiness.
• Act as the primary engineering interface between Leonardo, strategic suppliers and internal stakeholders advising of improvements to design to aid manufacturing quality, schedule & cost.
• Drive root cause investigations and robust corrective and preventive actions.
• Lead regular supplier performance reviews focused on yield, quality, capacity and schedule adherence.
• Conduct supplier assessments, technical reviews and manufacturing readiness evaluations.
• Provide engineering leadership for manufacturing non-conformities and quality issues.
• Work closely with Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing, Quality and Programme teams.
• Drive Design for Manufacture (DfM), Design for Assembly (DfA) and industrialisation best practice.
• Provide regular updates to the Project Engineering Manager, Chief Engineer, Programme Leadership Team and Head of Programmes.

• Degree qualified in Engineering, Manufacturing, Electronics, Physics or equivalent technical discipline.
• Experience of leading engineering teams or complex manufacturing, industrialisation, NPI or supply chain work packages.
• Experience working with suppliers to improve quality, delivery and manufacturing capability.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, quality systems and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Ability to identify root causes and implement effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Experience leading supplier reviews, audits or performance improvement activities.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Self-motivated with the ability to provide structure, focus and momentum within a challenging delivery environment.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit:

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work‑life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge:
  Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future:
  Benefit from our award‑winning pension scheme with…