Head of Strategic Weapon Capability

Job Description

Job Title: Head of Strategic Weapon Capability

Location: Barrow-in-Furness – Onsite

Salary: Competitive

What you’ll be doing:

• You will be developing and sustaining the Strategic Weapon Capability within the Barrow shipyard to enable and deliver the strategic weapon aspects of the Dreadnought programme
• Providing the capability and enabling services necessary to ensure that personnel engaged in the build, integration, test, and commissioning of the Trident weapon system have the required qualifications and experience (SQEP) to deliver the US mandated Shipyard Installation Test Program (SITP)
• Responsible for the identification and coordinating the qualifications and processes required to meet BAES and MOD mandated requirements for SQEP across multiple functions
• Represent BAES Submarines’ at key stakeholder meetings and be the BAES primary coordinator for the Strategic Weapon Enterprise Group led by Chief Strategic Systems Executive’s (CSSE)
• Represent BAES on the Strategic Weapons System Shore Training Committee alongside Babcock Marine, Lockheed Martin, Ministry of Defence and Royal Navy senior personnel

Your skills and experiences:

Essential:

• BSc Eng or equivalent along with(or ability to obtain) Chartered status within an appropriate institution (IET; IMarEST)
• Experience operating at a senior leader level in a highly detailed, multi-faceted environment – Ideally in a Defence, MoD, Subs background
• Ability to work in a collaborative environment at a senior level with experience of working in a versatile coordinated arena
• Significant submarine enterprise experience and relevant knowledge and experience of issues relating to one or more areas of specialism and/or domain knowledge
• In depth knowledge of the Polaris Sales Agreement and how it applies

Desirable:

• A good understanding of the UK Deterrent Programme and how it is governed including US interaction
• A good understanding of MOD Training governance and requirements
• An in-depth knowledge of the Strategic Weapon System and the skills and experience needed to operate in this specialist environment

Benefits:

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts – you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Strategic Weapon Capability Team:

The Strategic Weapon Capability Team ensures the organisation has the right capability, resources and supplier support in place at the right time across key programmes. Working closely with internal and external partners, the team supports activity through the full lifecycle, aligned to the wider enterprise and long-term strategic requirements.

They operate in a highly collaborative environment, helping maintain continuity, quality and timely delivery across all programme phases. The team offers career development pathways across the business, alongside support for professional qualifications and personal growth. There is also potential for both UK and US travel, depending on programme needs. We offer relocation support packages across all Submarines roles, subject to meeting eligibility criteria.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

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.

Closing Date: 8th December 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

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