Introduction

Saab UK is part of Scandinavia's largest defence company, bringing together the best of Swedish and British innovation. Saab offers world-leading solutions and services in defence, aviation, space, and civil security to keep people and society safe. Our UK presence has been growing at pace, meaning we can offer a wide range of opportunities for personal fulfilment and career growth. We currently employ over 600 people across eight sites in the UK, and our specialisations include software engineering, underwater robotics, radars, AI, and armed forces training.

What you will be part of

Saab is a leading defence and security company with an enduring purpose, to help nations keep their people and society safe. Empowered by its 28,000 talented people, Saab constantly pushes the boundaries of technology to create a safer and more sustainable world.

Saab designs, manufactures and maintains advanced systems in aeronautics, weapons, command and control, sensors and underwater systems.

Saab is headquartered in Sweden. It has major operations all over the world and is part of the domestic defence capability of several nations.

Role Purpose

The Head of Operational Excellence is a senior leadership role responsible for establishing and maintaining a robust organisational framework across governance, risk, compliance, audit, information security, quality, and operational performance.

The role ensures that organisational processes, project delivery, and technology practices operate effectively, consistently, and in alignment with regulatory, contractual, and internal standards. It combines strategic oversight with operational leadership to drive continuous improvement, ensure audit readiness, strengthen risk management, and enhance overall organisational maturity.

Key Responsibilities

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure projects and operations adhere to the company's governance framework, operational excellence methodologies, best practices and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and implement compliance policies and procedures to ensure adherence to legal and regulatory standards.
• Act as the central authority for governance, compliance, and operational standards, providing guidance across all PSS teams.

Audit & Assurance

• Coordinate internal and external audits, ensuring readiness and effective management of audit outcomes.
• Track remediation actions and ensure timely resolution of findings.
• Provide regular assurance reporting to senior leadership on governance effectiveness and control maturity.

Information Security

• Provide leadership oversight of the Information Security Management System (ISMS), ensuring alignment with recognised standards (e.g. ISO/IEC 27001).
• Ensure effective security governance, including policies, risk management, training, and incident response.
• Promote a strong organisational culture of security awareness and accountability.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Drive a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence across the organisation.
• Analyse and optimise business processes to improve efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and integration of lessons learned into future operations and projects.

Project & Delivery Governance

• Ensure projects operate within defined governance frameworks, standards, and risk controls.
• Maintain oversight of project performance, including scope, timelines, risks, and quality outcomes.
• Support the implementation of consistent project governance and lifecycle management practices.

Quality Management & Software Governance

• Provide senior accountability for product quality and oversee quality standards across product and software development lifecycles.
• Support the Quality Manager in the definition and implementation of test strategies and quality frameworks. Ensure alignment with organisational, regulatory, and contractual quality requirements.
• Line Manage Quality Assurance resources

Procurement & Supplier Governance

• Responsible for coordinating procurement, make-or-buy decisions and supplier selection activities in line with Saab Global Management System (GMS).
• Oversee procurement and supplier governance processes, ensuring structured, transparent, and compliant supplier selection and management.
• Support make-or-buy decisions through robust evaluation of value, capability, risk, and security considerations.

Stakeholder Engagement & Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership across governance, compliance, audit, security, and quality functions.
• Act as a trusted advisor on risk, compliance, and operational performance matters.
• Engage with external auditors, regulators, and key stakeholders as required.

Reporting & Metrics

• Develop and maintain KPIs and reporting frameworks across projects and operational performance/compliance producing reports for senior management.
• Ensure that all reporting practices comply with regulatory requirements.
• Deliver clear, data-driven insights to executive leadership to support decision-making and continuous improvement.

Key Skills & Experience

• Proven leadership skills with an ability to drive change throughout an organisation
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to build and maintain strong professional relationships.
• Experience with recognised standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 9001, ISO 22301, ISO 14001 or ISO 45001.
• Demonstrated success in driving operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience working in complex software development environments.