Insights · Defence
Finding a technical director in defence: profile, candidate markets and security clearance
Finding a technical director or head of engineering in defence: the profile, candidates from automotive and aerospace, security clearance and reasons to move.
By David Ertler · 9 November 2026 · 4 min read
Many industrial companies in Austria and southern Germany are building or expanding a defence business. Sooner or later the question arises of who will lead engineering. This article looks at what makes a good head of engineering or technical director in defence, where the candidates work today, why security clearance belongs in the timeline and what persuades engineers to move.
Why the role is in demand now
The European Defence Agency puts defence research and development spending by EU member states at €13 billion in 2024, up 20 per cent on the previous year. For 2025 it projected up to €17 billion. At the summit in The Hague in June 2025, NATO allies committed to spending at least 3.5 per cent of GDP a year on core defence requirements by 2035. Austria is not a member, but many Austrian suppliers deliver to NATO countries.
For a mid-sized manufacturer, this means new orders with requirements unfamiliar from its civil business. Long qualification cycles, military standards, documentation that has to last for decades, export control from the design stage onwards. Whether a company benefits is often decided in engineering.
The profile: engineer, programme lead, translator
In a large group, a technical director is often responsible for one programme or product family. In a mid-sized company, the head of engineering usually runs the entire development function, with budget, team and direct contact with the customer. Which of the two roles is meant should be settled before the search begins.
Three capabilities appear in almost every role profile in this field. Technical depth in the company's core technology, whether electronics, sensors, drives or software. Experience of developing under tight requirements: qualification, configuration management and evidence for a customer with engineers of its own. And the ability to translate between the end user, the procurement authority and the company's own team.
The armed forces and industry often talk about the same piece of equipment in different languages. Engineering leaders who speak both are rare.
Where the candidates work today
The pool in traditional defence engineering is small and largely committed. The search therefore almost always extends into neighbouring industries.
The automotive industry is the largest of these markets. According to EY's industry barometer, German automotive manufacturing has lost around 142,400 jobs since 2019, roughly 16 per cent. Experienced engineering leaders from this world bring cost discipline and series-production maturity, often functional safety and electronics as well. What they have to adjust to is volume and pace. A defence programme runs for years, the customer is the state, and every change needs approval.
From aerospace, the route is shortest. Certification, documentation and configuration management are familiar, and many companies already work for civil and military customers alike. That makes them much sought after.
The third source is mechanical engineering, optics, sensors, radio technology and software. Engineers there often work on technology the military has long used, without ever calling it defence.
Plan for security clearance from the start
In Austria, everyone who may receive information classified CONFIDENTIAL or higher in the course of a contract must be vetted beforehand. The federal business service portal explicitly includes management, authorised signatories and the chain of command. For military contracts, the Ministry of Defence is responsible. In Germany, industrial staff are vetted under the Security Clearance Act. In a summer 2026 position paper, the industry association Bitkom describes processing times of "often several months".
For the search, this means the subject belongs in the first in-depth conversation, not in the contract negotiation. Candidates from civil industry usually have no clearance yet, and the timeline has to reflect that. Bitkom proposes tying clearances to the person rather than the employment, so that former soldiers, for example, can take theirs into industry. Our article Finding a head of export control in the defence industry covers a related function.
What persuades engineering leaders to move
For engineers from the automotive and supplier industries, three motives for a move are typical. They want to develop products rather than cut costs. They are looking for programmes that run for years. And they are drawn by the prospect of building an engineering department rather than shrinking one.
There are reservations too, and they should be discussed openly. Some wonder how family and friends will react to a move into defence. Others are wary of the look into their private lives that vetting involves, or doubt that demand will last. People who settle these questions before signing are better placed to stay. Further motives are covered in our article Attracting leaders from the defence industry.
How we work on defence mandates
Two of our partners are former career officers of the Austrian Armed Forces, and we have attended trade fairs such as Eurosatory and DSEI for ten years. We work only on retained mandates, with a written mandate briefing, a fixed timeline and a named partner who leads the search personally. Security clearance is planned from day one. More on our page Defence and security executive search.
My observation: the right head of engineering for a defence programme today rarely comes from defence. The question is whether a company is prepared to trust them to make up for the missing industry experience.
Frequently asked questions
Does a head of engineering in defence need a defence industry background?
No. What matters is technical depth in the core technology and experience of developing under strict requirements. Candidates from aerospace, automotive or dual-use sectors often bring both. Military understanding can be added within the team, for instance through former officers.
What is the difference between a technical director and a head of engineering?
The terms are often used interchangeably. In international groups, a technical director is frequently responsible for one programme or product line. In mid-sized companies, the head of engineering usually runs the entire development function, with budget and team. For the search, what matters is what the role is actually accountable for, not the title.
How long does security clearance take for a new head of engineering?
That depends on the country, the classification level and the person's background. For Germany, Bitkom reports processing times of often several months. We raise the subject in the first in-depth conversation and build it into the timeline. If a programme is already running, an interim manager who already holds clearance can bridge the gap.
Related pages
Sources
- European Defence Agency (EDA): EU defence spending hits €343 bln in 2024, EDA data shows, 2 September 2025 (R&D 2024: €13bn, +20%; 2025 projection: up to €17bn)
- NATO: The Hague Summit Declaration, 25 June 2025 (at least 3.5% of GDP on core defence requirements by 2035)
- EY industry barometer, reported by dpa/Autohaus: "Autoindustrie: Jobs verschwinden rasend schnell", 14 August 2026 (142,400 jobs or 16% since 2019)
- Austrian federal business service portal (USP): Industrial security (persons with access from CONFIDENTIAL including management, authorised signatories and chain of command; responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Defence)
- Bitkom: Verteidigungsfähigkeit braucht praxistauglichen Geheimschutz, position paper, July 2026 (processing times "often several months", own translation; proposal to tie clearances to the person)
- Ertler Executive Search: Defence and security executive search
- Ertler Executive Search: Finding a head of export control in the defence industry
- Ertler Executive Search: Attracting leaders from the defence industry
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