Lead Specification Engineer

Job Title: Lead Specification Engineer

Salary: The starting salary is £60,893, which includes allowances totalling £2,928.

The salary is broken down as £57,965 basic salary, which will increase annually until you reach the top of the scale £63,230. Plus, a location allowance of £1,928 and a non-pensionable allowance of £1,000.

Location: The role is based at Marlowe house but there will be an occasional requirement to travel to various MPS sites and external partners.

About Fleet Services

The police vehicle fleet is an important physical asset. It enables officers and staff to do their job, carries key equipment required, and provides safe transportation for the public / prisoners.

The role of Fleet Services is to keep the Met mobile, ensuring we can detect, respond to, and prevent crime whilst building public trust and confidence. Fleet Services are committed to leading with innovation, responsibility and environmental consciousness, striving for a fleet that is safer, smarter and cleaner, with a focused approach as follows:

1 - We will manage responsibly to deliver an excellent service and achieve value for money

2 - We will deliver strategies to manage the fleet efficiently and effectively

3 - We will deliver a fit-for-purpose, flexible and available fleet

The complex needs of modern policing requires a wide range of vehicle types. We operate a fleet of over 5,200 assets on the road and river, as well as over 1,000 pedal cycles. London is the most complex and diverse city in the UK, and our fleet is reflective of that. We currently have over 220 different types of vehicles supporting all operational commands including armed response vehicles, HGVs, patrol cars, motorbikes and pedal cycles.

Customers can be broadly grouped into three strategic pillars – Frontline Policing, Met Ops & Performance, and Counter Terrorism / Specialist Operations. Collectively this covers pan London requirements as well as national CT responsibilities.

The overall fleet requirements and volumes are owned and governed by operational leaders at the Strategic Fleet Board. Operational teams are accountable for the volume of fleet required to undertake their roles, and Fleet Services support and enable effective decision making through provision of information and technical / industry knowledge.

Key responsibilities

Team Management – lead the Specification Engineering team. Manage the work of the Evaluation engineers, ensuring that the team are managing workloads in line with overall demands. Take accountability for the performance of the team and report to leadership on the work of the team.
Technical standards and processes - lead the standards and processes that are being applied across the team. Developing, monitoring, and evaluating the MPS Technical Standards identifying improvements specifically relating to conversion. Act as an MPS Fleet Services technical ‘Subject Matter Expert’. Take a future proofing approach.
Innovation - Lead innovation of conversion methods and technologies.
Specialist / Complex Projects – lead conversion specification and delivery work for complex projects.
Vehicle Conversion Specifications - Develop vehicle conversion specification by liaising with the customer relationship management (CRM) team to understand vehicle role requirements. Acting as design authority to develop and maintain requirements for base vehicles and vehicle conversion that details build specification, build standards, equipment layout, and contractual technical requirements.
Vehicle Conversion Delivery - Negotiate with contractors to ensure vehicle equipped meets the duty requirements and provide value for money. Identify, manage, and provide technical assistance to contractors to ensure equipment fitted to the vehicles meets the MPS requirement and are documented correctly.
Inspections / Reviews - Accountable for final inspection and sign-off of prototype vehicle builds to ensure they comply with build specifications, meet end-user requirements, are fully functional, have completed all necessary validation and are documented correctly.
Vehicle evaluation support - Collaborate regularly with Evaluation team to identify potential vehicles requiring testing, identify base vehicle technical requirements and deliver vehicle conversions from the role specification, through conversion and in service support. Evaluate vehicle replacement programme requirements to ensure vehicles are available for base vehicle testing, correctly specified, converted and purchased within agreed timescale and budget.
Risk Assessments - Perform risk assessments to ensure equipment specified and installed on vehicles is in full compliance with Legislation, MPS policies, Construction and Use Regulations, H&S at work Act, and other relevant standards or legislation.
Vehicle selections / tenders - Involved in the selection process for new vehicles, providing vehicle ordering technical data, appraising vehicle ergonomics or suitability for installation and carriage of police equipment.
Customer Changes - Analyse, approve and support relevant engineering changes requested by customers including corporate change projects to modify or fit additional equipment to in-service vehicles.
Vehicle safety issues - Develop action plans for vehicles affected or grounded due to safety reasons. Maintaining relevant information to ensure appropriate decisions are taken to reinstate affected vehicle to the service.
Market research - Perform market research activities as an SME for vehicles and vehicle conversion. Ensuring any technology development and implementation applicable to the equipping of police vehicles meets or improves operational capability and improves safety.
Maintenance support - Provide technical support to maintainers with respect to vehicle conversion elements.
CRM team support - Liaise and maintain relationships with the CRM teams and stakeholders at all levels, ensuring vehicle design or build queries are resolved.
Improvements / transitions - Take initiative for monitoring and implementing continuous improvement activities across the business through employing process improvements, implementing new technologies or incorporating new requirements. Identifies changes in technology or legislation which will effect MPS vehicles. Promote the transition from an ICE fleet to EV by developing vehicle, equipment and conversions solutions suitable for EVs.
Team Environment - Provide an inclusive and innovative learning team environment, setting the strategic direction to allow staff to flourish, take responsibility for own actions and have the confidence to make effective decision. Maintain highly motivated, focused and adequately skilled teams that are fully abreast of modern tools, techniques and developments within their own area of specialism
Performance management - Line management responsibility for Specification Engineers. Evaluate staff performance, lead and develop comprehensive training plans, ensuring all staff are aware of and able to work to the required standards
Effective Relationships - Build and maintain effective relationships with colleagues, suppliers and end users while ensuring the highest level of operational service delivery to ensure efficiency, value for money and a positive user experience
The Lead Specification Engineer will lead and develop the Specification Engineering team and processes, working with the team to establish build or conversion specifications for vehicles to meet the complex requirements of their intended role within the MPS fleet. Developing the team and supplier's capabilities by implementing engineering principles and process. The role will be instrumental in driving innovations that support the transition to new technology, a key area will be the electrification of the fleet.

How to apply

To begin your career at the Met, please click the "apply now" button below. The application process requires a comprehensive CV, a Personal Statement, and an online application form. In your Personal Statement, you should explain your interest in the position and illustrate how your skills and experiences make you a suitable candidate. Please note that you should not submit two copies of your CV, and ensure that your documents are saved in either PDF or Word format, clearly labelled as CV and/or Personal Statement.

Completed applications must be submitted by 23:55 on 4th July 2025.

Assessment Process

Once received, your application will be reviewed against eligibility criteria and following this will be sent to the hiring manager. There will be 3 steps to the hiring manager assessment.

Paper sift of applications
Remote online assessment
F2F interview

The paper sift of applications will commence approximately 1 to 2 weeks after the closing date. Following this, successful candidates will be invited to the online assessment. The remote online assessment will commence 1 to 2 weeks after the sift and candidates will be issued with a scenario document to respond to. Following this, successful candidates will be invited to interview. Interview dates will commence 1 to 2 weeks after the online assessment.

www.metpolicecareers.co.uk