Project Engineering Lead (PEL)

ESCO Maritime has a key opportunity for an experienced engineering leader to join our Engineering team as a Project Engineering Lead, enabling the delivery of defence maritime projects at our Rugeley site.

Role Purpose

A Project Engineering Lead is the technical and coordination lead responsible for making sure the engineering aspects of the project are delivered successfully — on time, within scope, within budget (hours & cost) and to the required technical standards. The role sits between pure engineering work and project management.

A Project Engineering Lead usually combines; technical leadership, cross-functional coordination, planning and execution oversight and stakeholder communication.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Reviewing technical designs and specifications.
• Ensuring engineering standards and regulations are met.
• Resolving technical issues and risks.
• Making key engineering decisions.
• Guiding engineers and specialists.
• They are often the “technical authority” for the project.
• They are accountable for ensuring “technical authority” for the project is managed.

Project Coordination

• Aligning mechanical, electrical, software, or systems disciplines.
• Ensuring engineering deliverables are completed on schedule.
• Tracking dependencies and milestones.
• They help prevent communication breakdowns between teams.
• Assess change impact, outcome and control.

Planning and Delivery

• Support project schedules.
• Estimate engineering effort and resources.
• Monitor progress.
• Identify risks early, and continual risk management throughout the project.
• Help manage change requests.
• Contribute to budgeting and forecasting.
• They work closely with project managers but focus more on technical execution.

Stakeholder Communication

• Primary point of technical contact for; clients, suppliers, contractors, senior management and regulatory bodies.
• This may include presenting technical updates, explaining risks and trade-offs, negotiating solutions, coordinating approvals.

Quality and Compliance

• Engineering outputs meet quality standards.
• Safety requirements are followed.
• Documentation is accurate.
• Regulatory and contractual obligations are satisfied.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Mentors’ junior engineers.
• Delegates technical tasks.
• Reviews work.
• Drives accountability.
• Supports hiring.
• Accountable for project resource planning.

Essential

Qualifications / skills required

• Demonstrable capability in a relevant engineering field; either through qualification or experience.
• Understanding of engineering principles across multiple disciplines, systems thinking, design review experience, risk analysis and an understanding of industry standards.
• Experience in project management, scheduling, resource planning, budgeting awareness, changement management, and documentation control.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work both in office settings and on-site, with flexibility for occasional travel.

Desirable

• Experience with the defence industry, and specifically marine.
• Exposure to safety-critical or mission-critical systems.
• Knowledge of UK MOD regulatory environment.

Leadership Expectations

• Operates as a technical leader.
• Influences across functional and programme boundaries.
• Balances governance with agility.

Note: All candidates must meet the security vetting requirements relevant to the role. For reasons of national security, applicants must be British nationals. Dual nationals may be permitted in exceptional circumstances.

Values

Integrity: Our values are the cornerstone of building and maintaining trust with our customers. When we align our actions with our values, we earn loyalty and respect, ensuring ESCO Maritime Solutions’ reputation remains strong.

Safety: We prioritise uncompromising safety standards to protect our people, partners, and mission-critical operations at every level.

Quality: We deliver superior quality through rigorous engineering, disciplined processes, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Customer Service: We build enduring partnerships by anticipating customer needs, exceeding expectations, and delivering with integrity.

Innovation: We drive mission success by applying forward-thinking solutions and advancing technology beyond conventional limits.

Teamwork: We achieve exceptional results through collaboration, mutual respect, and a shared dedication to our collective mission.