Location: Hybrid (commutable to London or Bristol preferred)
Contract: Full time, permanent
Salary: £130k base + bonus + opportunity for equity
About the opportunity
Our client is an employee-owned, defence-focused digital services consultancy and a vendor-agnostic, UK Crown Commercial Service–accredited supplier. They have delivered over 120 cloud-hosted digital services across the public sector, partnering with organisations to design and deliver outcomes across artificial intelligence, data science, software engineering, cyber security, cloud engineering, and user-centred design.
Their technology values drive everything they do. They are committed to open, secure and modern technology solutions that prioritise users, interoperability and resilience. Their work enables public sector organisations to build scalable, future-ready digital services that deliver meaningful impact.
About the role
The Director of Innovation & Engineering is responsible for translating emerging technology opportunities into client-ready solutions. The role leads early lifecycle and pre-sales engagements, shaping high-level technical strategies that underpin winning bids and successful delivery outcomes.
You will operate across both proactive and reactive engagements — proactively interpreting government strategy, market signals and delivery priorities to shape innovative solutions, and reactively responding to client requirements through structured solution design and RFP support.
A strong understanding of how cutting-edge technology is applied in real-world, complex environments is essential, along with the ability to move quickly with emerging technologies.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Pre-Sales & Bid Architecture
- Lead solution architecture for major bids and tenders, ensuring innovative yet deliverable designs
- Define technical win strategies in partnership with sales leads
- Oversee development of prototypes, proofs of concept and technical demonstrations
- Package technical capabilities into repeatable service offerings and accelerators
Strategic Client Engagement & Thought Leadership
- Act as a trusted technical advisor to senior government stakeholders
- Engage early in shaping digital roadmaps and client requirements
- Represent the organisation through industry events and thought leadership
- Ensure smooth handover from bid to delivery teams
About You
You are a commercially minded, technology-focused leader who combines innovation with strong delivery awareness.
You are confident operating at senior stakeholder level and comfortable shaping complex digital transformation opportunities from concept through to delivery.
You are pragmatic, outcome-driven, and able to balance innovation with commercial and operational reality.
Experience & Qualifications
- Proven experience winning multi-million-pound contracts within UK Government or Defence sectors
- Strong understanding of the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) framework
- Background in modern engineering practices and emerging technology adoption
- Experience working within public sector frameworks and procurement models
- Ability to identify and shape innovative opportunities into commercially viable solutions
- Strong technical estimation and solution design capability
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Personal Attributes
- Strong persuasive writing ability for tender responses
- Outcome-focused and motivated by client success
- Naturally curious with strong interest in emerging technologies
- Able to translate technical concepts into business value
- Entrepreneurial mindset in agile environments
- Strong ethical approach to innovation and responsible AI
Compensation & Benefits
- £130,000 base salary + performance bonus + equity opportunity
- Hybrid working model (London or Bristol preferred)
If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, please submit your CV using the below link. We look forward to hearing from you!