Head of Risk & Compliance

Head of Risk & Compliance

About Us
The mission of Cambridge Aerospace is to eliminate the risk of existential war in Europe. That risk comes from the air – low-cost drones and cruise missiles now manufactured in colossal volumes by our adversaries, ballistic missiles capable of ending the world as we know it, and a new generation of hypersonic weapons that evade every existing defence.
We’re building low-cost interceptors that defeat these threats, and the surveillance systems to detect and target them – at a cost taxpayers can afford, at the pace the threat demands, and with sovereign supply chains that assure delivery.
We have immense backing from the world’s best venture funds. We’re one of the fastest growing defence technology companies in history. And we’re hiring the best engineers to prosecute the mission.
If you are in the top 1%, willing to work harder than you ever have, build technology better than anyone else, and contribute to the defining challenge of our time, now is the time to join us.

Overview 

We are seeking an exceptional Head of Risk & Compliance to join Cambridge Aerospace at a pivotal moment in the company’s growth. This is a critical leadership role responsible for establishing and overseeing a robust, organisation-wide compliance and risk framework.

Reporting into the VP General Counsel, and with direct access to the Senior Leadership Team and Board, you will play a key role in shaping the company’s approach to regulatory compliance, export control, operational risk, and governance. You will act as a strategic partner to the business, ensuring compliance requirements are embedded into day-to-day operations while enabling sustainable and compliant growth.
This is a strategic oversight, assurance and challenge role rather than a hands-on technical one. Deep subject-matter expertise sits with the specialist leads that you will manage. Your job is to set direction, challenge and hold them to account, and give the Board assurance across every domain.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage and build the company's compliance and risk function, providing strategic oversight, direction and challenge to the specialist teams responsible for trade compliance, insurance and risk, anti-bribery, corruption and fraud, third party risk management, explosives, firearms and chemicals licensing, Speak Up, and work with flight safety and UAV/UAS flight compliance .

• Develop and lead a comprehensive company-wide compliance framework, covering adherence to all relevant legislation and regulatory requirements.

• Lead regulatory horizon scanning across all domains, anticipating legislative and regulatory change, assessing its impact on the business and translating it into timely, prioritised action.

• Build, structure and scale the function from an early stage, recruiting and developing specialist leads, defining each team's mandate and maturing capability and controls as the company grows.

• Own the team’s budget and operating plan, and set the technology and systems strategy for compliance and risk, selecting and implementing the tooling that underpins monitoring, reporting and assurance.

• Oversee the trade compliance team responsible for export licensing, classification, audits and reporting, holding the Trade Compliance Director accountable for direct regulatory engagement with bodies such as ECJU and MoD.

• Oversee third party risk management, ensuring the supply chain and counterparties are screened, due-diligenced and monitored for sanctions, export control, bribery and financial crime exposure.

• Oversee explosives, firearms and chemicals licensing and safety, holding the specialist licensing team accountable for compliance with HSE, police, Home Office and MOD requirements.

• Design, implement and continuously improve policies, procedures and internal controls to support best-in-class compliance governance.

• Own the anti-bribery, corruption, fraud and sanctions control framework, maintaining the adequate and reasonable procedures needed to meet the Bribery Act and the failure-to-prevent fraud regime .

• Deliver organisation-wide compliance training programmes and promote a culture of integrity and accountability.

• Lead internal investigations, the Speak Up and whistleblowing framework, audits and incident response, ensuring appropriate corrective actions are implemented.

Act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders across legal, engineering, operations, manufacturing and commercial teams.

Requirements

• 10–15+ years’ experience in compliance, risk or regulatory roles within defence, aerospace or similarly regulated industries
• Eligible to obtain and maintain UK security clearance
• Strong working knowledge of export control regimes (UK, ITAR/EAR) and international regulatory frameworks, sufficient to direct, challenge and hold accountable a specialist trade compliance team .
• Proven experience leading or scaling compliance functions and frameworks within complex organisations.
• Experience managing regulatory engagement and audits with bodies such as ECJU, MoD or equivalent.
• Experience designing and delivering large-scale, group-wide compliance training programmes, including embedding policy and driving behavioural change
• A proven track record in audit, controls and policy development, particularly across areas such as anti-bribery & corruption and sanctions compliance
• A working understanding of explosives, firearms and chemicals licensing regimes, sufficient to direct and hold accountable a specialist licensing team
• A sound understanding of manufacturing and operational regulatory compliance in safety-critical or highly regulated sectors, sufficient to oversee and challenge specialist teams
• Sufficient health & safety understanding to provide strategic oversight and challenge to a specialist HSE function in a manufacturing or engineering-led environment
• Demonstrated ability to lead multi-disciplinary functions (e.g. compliance, HSE, risk)
• Strong understanding of enterprise risk management and governance frameworks
• Ability to operate effectively at Executive / Board level with strong stakeholder engagement skills.
• Commercial mindset with the ability to balance regulatory requirements with business objectives.
• Sufficient familiarity with UK and international aviation and UAS regulatory frameworks to set direction for and hold accountable a flight safety and UAV compliance team

Desirable Experience

• Experience within defence primes or major aerospace organisations
• Broader experience across insurance, operational risk or safety-critical environments
• Legal or compliance certifications (e.g. ICA, IRM, ACAMS) or relevant advanced qualifications
• Experience building compliance/ risk frameworks in high-growth or scaling businesses
• A working understanding of the UK and international regulatory bodies relevant to the business, including the MAA, CAA, Ofcom, EASA, JARUS and foreign National Aviation Authorities (NAAs)
• Knowledge of UAV systems, flight operations and risk-based operating models (e.g. SORA, PDRA)
• Knowledge of aviation safety management systems and incident reporting frameworks
• Knowledge of data protection and information security regulatory requirements

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation and stock options
• Private Medical & Dental
• Cycle to work scheme
• Lunchtime catering on site

Our Commitment to Inclusion
We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.