Range Operations Manager

What you'll do

Plan, coordinate, and deliver the operational activity required to support live trials and test campaigns.
Lead day-to-day range operations during deployments, ensuring teams, equipment, vehicles, ground-support equipment, tooling, documentation, and consumables are ready when required.
Establish and maintain a clear battle rhythm across assembly, integration, transport, range set-up, test execution, recovery, and post-trial activities.
Act as the operational link between Engineering, Production Operations, Test, Safety, logistics providers, and range personnel.
Coordinate the movement, preparation, configuration, and deployment of test hardware in line with approved plans and range procedures.
Support range readiness reviews, test rehearsals, briefings, checklists, and operational go/no-go decision-making.
Maintain accurate records of hardware configuration, equipment status, test assets, tooling, consumables, and deployment activities.
Ensure range and field activities are conducted in a controlled, disciplined, and safe manner, escalating operational risks and issues early.
Coordinate site set-up and pack-down, including work areas, temporary infrastructure, equipment staging, ground-support equipment, and hardware recovery.
Support the investigation and resolution of operational issues during live trials, working closely with engineering and production teams to keep activity moving safely and efficiently.
Capture lessons learned from each campaign and improve processes, checklists, logistics plans, and operational readiness for future trials

Who you are

Experienced in operational delivery at live test ranges, trials sites, flight-test environments, defence test facilities, or similarly demanding field operations.
You may have gained this experience in the military, defence or aerospace industries, a test and evaluation organisation, or another high-consequence operational environment.
Comfortable operating in structured, safety-critical environments where planning, clear communication, configuration control, and disciplined execution are essential.
Experienced in coordinating personnel, equipment, logistics, and technical activity during time-critical deployments.
Familiar with range procedures, test readiness activities, operational briefings, site safety, controlled work areas, and post-trial recovery.
Able to work effectively with engineers and technicians while maintaining a practical focus on operational delivery.
Highly organised, calm under pressure, and able to adapt quickly when test plans, weather, hardware status, or site conditions change.
A practical problem-solver who takes ownership, spots risks early, and drives actions through to completion.
Strong communicator, able to coordinate across internal teams, external range operators, suppliers, and specialist contractors.
Willing and able to travel regularly and work flexibly around deployment and live-trial schedules.

What we offer

A mission driven environment with the opportunity to work on one of Europe’s most consequential defence challenges, with direct impact on sovereign capability and security.

Daily collaboration with top experts across engineering, operations, and defence, with real opportunity to learn from the best, contribute, and grow.

High ownership and autonomy; no time tracking, no micromanagement, just clear objectives and accountability for outcomes.

A fast paced environment where good ideas are implemented quickly, and feedback from test and flight drives real decisions.

A culture that values clarity, integrity, and excellence, and supports people who take initiative and push boundaries responsibly.

Competitive compensation and real share options aligned to responsibility and impact, not tenure or hierarchy.

Security and Eligibility Requirement

Due to the nature of the work with the UK MOD, applicants must be a British Citizen (or Dual UK national with British citizenship) and eligible for UK Security Clearance (SC) and, where required, Developed Vetting (DV)