Chief Technical Officer

We are looking for an experienced Chief Technology Officer to join Netherlands-based defence technology company. 

This is a strategic executive role with full ownership of the technology vision, engineering execution, and product development from advanced R&D through prototype, low-rate initial production (LRIP), and full-scale manufacturing.

The CTO will work closely with the executive team, investors, government stakeholders, and strategic industry partners to build a world-class engineering organization and deliver cutting-edge defence technology.

Key Responsibilities:

• Set and execute the end-to-end technology roadmap for WARDEN MK1, MK2, and NATO MK3 variants.
• Lead systems engineering across propulsion (SRM), GNC, seeker (RF/EO/IR), embedded avionics, C2 integration, and launcher.
• Own synthetic data factory strategy: autonomous seeker training on synthetic datasets as core IP and recurring-revenue stream.
• Build and lead the internal engineering organisation: Chief Engineer, avionics leads, software engineers - targeting prototype Q1 2027 and LRIP mid-Q3 2027.
• Represent GD's technology credibly to MoD NL, NATO, investors, and strategic industrial partners; lead technical sections of tender responses and due diligence.
• Maintain ITAR-free and China-free supply chain integrity as a hard design and procurement constraint.
• Establish IP, code, and avionics sovereignty governance - all architecture remains exclusively GD-controlled.

Requirements:

• Proven track record delivering guided munitions, interceptors, UAV systems, or comparable precision-guided products to production - ideally within a NATO-aligned context.
• Deep expertise in at least two of: GNC algorithms, RF/EO/IR seeker development, solid rocket propulsion, embedded avionics/flight software, IAMD/C-UAS system integration.
• Experience managing gate milestones from idea to TRL-9 under a government-funded or defence-industry framework (MoD, NATO, EDA, or equivalent).
• Ability to communicate with investors, government stakeholders, and prime contractors - technically authoritative and commercially aware.
• Comfortable building an engineering organisation from scratch in a capital-constrained, high-velocity environment.
• Previous experience as CTO, VP Engineering, Chief Engineer, or Technical Director within the defence or aerospace sector.
• Eligible for and willing to obtain Dutch/NATO security clearance. 

Nice to Have:

• Experience with autonomous defence systems or software-defined weapons.

• Exposure to AI/ML or synthetic data applications in defence.

   

What We Offer:

• Executive-level role with significant strategic influence.
• Competitive compensation package with equity participation.
• Location - Netherlands (Hybrid, with regular on-site presence).
• High-impact environment with direct exposure to government programmes, strategic partnerships, and investors.

Waiting for your CV.