Rowden

Edge computing for defence and security

Government Relations Lead

PR & CommunicationsUpdated on Nov 13

Full-timeLondon, UKNo salary listedHybrid

About the Job

Requirements

Candidates must be eligible for Security Check clearance.
Understand government decision-making across the Ministry of Defence, Department for Business and Trade, HM Treasury, and the Cabinet Office, especially defence procurement, industrial policy, export controls, and regulation.
Have government relations, public policy, parliamentary, or related experience, with a track record of developing engagement strategies and building relationships with government and political stakeholders.
Be able to advise senior decision-makers and turn complex political, policy, and commercial issues into clear recommendations.
Be able to learn complex engineering and programme details quickly and translate them into recommendations and actions.
Have strong research, analytical, and writing abilities to evaluate evidence, develop well-reasoned positions, and produce briefings and papers for senior audiences.
Be able to manage competing priorities independently, anticipate developments, take ownership, and challenge assumptions when necessary.
Be able to engage credibly with senior officials and industry leaders, listen to others, and work constructively with commercial and delivery teams.

Responsibilities

Lead the company's government-affairs activity to shape the policy and regulatory environment, strengthen government relationships, and support growth in the UK and internationally.
Develop a deep understanding of the company's capabilities and programmes by working with commercial, delivery, engineering, and product teams, and translate this understanding into a targeted, evidence-led engagement plan supporting pipeline and delivery priorities.
Identify and build relationships with officials, relevant MPs, mayors, select committee members, and trade bodies aligned with business priorities.
Anticipate political, policy, and regulatory developments affecting the company and provide senior leadership with timely analysis, commercial implications, and recommendations for business decisions.
Identify opportunities to influence policy discussions by contributing evidence and practical recommendations based on engineering and operational delivery experience.
Represent the company at parliamentary hearings, government events, and industry forums when there is a clear strategic purpose.
Assess priority international markets, including procurement pathways, regulatory barriers, and potential partners, and develop evidence-based recommendations on investment and market entry.
Build relationships with UK trade advisers, British embassies and High Commissions, defence attachés, and overseas government stakeholders to improve market access and support international growth.
Write policy papers, parliamentary submissions, government briefings, and correspondence advancing the company's positions on relevant business and industrial-base issues.
Prepare senior leadership for government engagements with clear objectives, researched briefings, and follow-through, and support presentations and materials for senior government and industry audiences.

Desired Qualifications

Experience in defence, national security, technology, industrial policy, or another highly regulated sector.
Experience with government procurement, export controls, international trade, or market access.
Experience with diplomatic networks, overseas trade teams, or international government engagement.
Experience preparing parliamentary evidence, government consultation responses, or policy submissions.

Rowden is a UK-headquartered industrial technology company building the next generation of operational edge systems. We combine hardware, software, and systems engineering to deliver critical technology for frontline organisations and critical industries operating in demanding and disconnected environments.

We're one of Europe's fastest-growing companies, a strategic supplier to the UK Ministry of Defence, and backed by the National Wealth Fund. Our engineering and manufacturing capability is rooted in the UK, with a growing customer base and partnerships across Europe and North America.

Our growth brings new opportunities and challenges across technology, industrial policy, investment, supply chains, talent, and international trade. We're looking to build on our established relationships with government and industry, strengthen our influence in the UK and overseas, and ensure our government affairs activity directly supports our commercial ambitions.

About the role

You'll lead Rowden's government affairs activity, helping us shape the policy and regulatory environment in which we operate, strengthen our relationships across government, and create the conditions for growth in the UK and internationally.

You'll work directly with senior leadership, providing political intelligence and advice on developments across HMG, Parliament, and the wider policy environment. You'll need a strong understanding of how decisions are made across MOD, DBT, HMT, and the Cabinet Office, particularly where defence procurement, industrial policy, export controls, and regulation affect our business. We expect you to anticipate developments, understand their commercial implications, and recommend where Rowden should engage or act.

Your effectiveness will depend on how well you understand what Rowden builds and how we are different. While this role is externally focused, you'll spend significant time embedded with our commercial, delivery, engineering and product teams learning our technology capabilities and relevant programmes, so that every position, briefing, and conversation with government is targeted and grounded in what we actually deliver.

You'll build purposeful relationships with relevant ministers, officials, parliamentarians, select committees, trade advisers, and diplomatic networks. As we expand internationally, you'll help assess new markets, understand procurement and market access barriers, identify relevant government and industry stakeholders, and recommend practical routes to establishing our presence.

You'll have the autonomy to build Rowden's government affairs capability and advise directly on decisions that matter to our future. We value sound judgement, intellectual rigour, and the ability to get things done, regardless of where you studied or whether you followed a conventional route into government affairs.

Candidates must be eligible for SC clearance.

More information about security clearance is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Build a deep understanding of Rowden’s capabilities and programmes, working closely with commercial, delivery, engineering and product teams, and translate this into a targeted, evidence-led engagement plan that supports our pipeline and delivery priorities.
Identify and build strong relationships with officials, relevant MPs, mayors, select committee members, and trade bodies whose responsibilities align with our business priorities.
Anticipate political, policy, and regulatory developments that could affect Rowden, and provide senior leadership with timely analysis, commercial implications, and recommendations that inform business decisions.
Identify opportunities to influence relevant policy discussions, contributing evidence and practical recommendations from Rowden's engineering and operational delivery experience. Represent Rowden at parliamentary hearings, government events, and industry forums where there is a clear strategic purpose.
Assess priority international markets, including procurement pathways, regulatory barriers, and potential partners. Develop evidence-based recommendations that help Rowden decide where to invest and how to enter new markets.
Build relationships with UK trade advisers, British embassies and High Commissions, defence attachés, and relevant overseas government stakeholders, using these networks to improve market access and support international growth.
Write impactful policy papers, parliamentary submissions, government briefings, and correspondence that advance Rowden's positions on issues affecting our business and the wider industrial base.
Prepare Rowden's senior leadership for important government engagements, ensuring clear objectives, well-researched briefings, and effective follow-through. Support corporate presentations and other materials for senior government and industry audiences.

Political and commercial judgement. You understand how government works, how policy affects business, and where an organisation can credibly influence outcomes. You've advised senior decision-makers and can turn complex issues into clear recommendations.
Intellectual curiosity. You can learn complex engineering and programme detail quickly to translate this into effective recommendations and actions. You enjoy working directly with commercial and delivery teams and getting hands on with technology.
Exceptional writing and analytical skills. You can research an unfamiliar issue, evaluate evidence, develop a well-reasoned position, and produce compelling briefings and papers for senior audiences.
Strong government affairs experience. You've worked in government relations, public policy, Parliament, or a related field, with a track record of developing engagement strategies and building relationships with government and political stakeholders.
Initiative and independence. You stay informed, anticipate developments, and take ownership. You're comfortable managing competing priorities and challenging assumptions when necessary.
Credibility and humility. You can engage confidently with senior officials and industry leaders without being impressed by titles or proximity to power. You listen carefully, recognise the expertise of others, and care more about achieving the right outcome than building your profile.

Useful experience

Defence, national security, technology, industrial policy, or another highly regulated sector.
Government procurement, export controls, international trade, or market access.
Diplomatic networks, overseas trade teams, or international government engagement.
Preparing parliamentary evidence, government consultation responses, or policy submissions.

About the Company

Rowden

Edge computing for defence and security

Rowden Technologies designs and delivers mission-critical edge computing and distributed sensor systems for environments with limited or unreliable connectivity. It handles end-to-end design, integration, sovereign manufacturing, and long-term managed services to support defence, national security, and emergency services. Its products include Trove for frontline generative AI, Magos for cost-effective signal processing and communications production, and Dovetail for modular edge-system integration, enabling rapid, secure decision-making even in denied environments. The company differentiates itself by prioritizing edge solutions with low connectivity, acting as a prime systems integrator for large programmes, offering sovereign manufacturing and lifecycle support, and pursuing projects like automated ML deployment to UAS for AUKUS Pillar II to reduce dependence on traditional defence contractors.

Company size: 51-200
Company stage: Grant
Total funding: $33.7M
Headquarters: Filton, United Kingdom
Founded: 2017

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