Candidate Opportunity Briefing Document

Role: Head of Engineering

Ford & Stanley Executive Search (Part of the Ford & Stanley Group) is a leading executive search firm serving the UK, North American, and European Rail, Defence, Technology, & Heavy Manufacturing industries.

Our team of search directors, consultants, and researchers specializes in all horizontal functions within our clients' organizations, including engineering, commercial, procurement, HR, IT, finance, HSQE, sales, projects, operations, and C-suite roles.

We are trusted by over 100 leading organizations for leadership appointments, whether permanent or interim.

We have been engaged in a retained search for a Head of Engineering.

This document provides candidates with insights into the role, its challenges, and the detailed job specification, based on notes from the initial scoping meeting between our research team and the client’s engineering director.

Challenges expected within the first 12 months include:

• Managing highly complex projects with diverse safety considerations.
• Dealing with a range of personalities and dynamics internally and externally.
• Engaging with demanding clients requiring strong stakeholder management and commercial acumen.

Key deliverables within the first 12 months include:

• Acting as the eyes and ears of the Engineering Director, escalating issues appropriately while maintaining a solutions-focused approach.
• Building a strong partnership with the Programme Manager to ensure project delivery within scope, cost, quality, and safety standards.

Essential Hard Skills:

• Experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams.
• Chartered Engineer capable of reading safety cases.
• Ability to challenge internally and externally, including independent assurance processes.
• Background in crane, material handling, or safety-critical industries such as defence, nuclear, or rail.

Essential Soft Skills:

• Proactive, pragmatic, and results-oriented leadership style.
• Positive, solution-focused attitude.
• High degree of autonomy in working.
• Commercial acumen with the ability to see the big picture.
• Credibility and executive maturity to engage with senior stakeholders.

Working Arrangements & Location:

Hybrid working, at least three days per week, based at the Sheffield HQ.

Ford & Stanley Interview Process:

1. Candidate Discovery: An open, conversational assessment of suitability, motivations, and fit.
2. The Shortlist: Reflection on the initial discussion, research on the client, and final role and logistics confirmation.

Additional Information:

• The role reports to the Engineering Director.
• Newly created position due to organizational restructuring into a matrix setup.
• Seeking ambitious engineering leaders with future aspirations for engineering directorships.
• Partnership with the Programme Manager is crucial, with reporting lines to system engineers and understanding of contractual and safety documentation.
• The company has approximately 130 employees and 60 contractors, with a turnover of around £31m, aiming to grow to £45m.
• The client is a specialist design, build, and manufacturing consultancy in material handling and architectural solutions, serving nuclear, defence, and stadium sectors.

Executive Search Delivery Team:

• Billy Jackson – Principal Consultant
• Ollie Nunn – Research Manager
• Ralitsa Kuzeva – Executive Assistant

About Ford & Stanley:

We are committed to creating better workdays through recruitment, leadership development, and mental fitness. Our divisions include blue-collar trade and technical services, white-collar functions, executive search, and performance coaching. We are an equal opportunity employer and a Disability Confident organization.

Services advertised are those of an employment consultancy.