Independent Director - Defence

Company: Confidential listed defence-electronics and mission-systems company

Board base: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Sector: Radar, electronic warfare, communications and mission electronics

Appointment: Independent Director, Non-Executive

Intended committees: Risk, Technology & Programme Assurance Committee Chair; member, Audit Committee

Time commitment: 30–36 days annually, including secure programme and manufacturing reviews

Application deadline: 27 September 2026

Expected appointment: December 2026

Company context

The company designs, integrates and supports high-reliability electronic systems for defence, aerospace and homeland-security customers. Revenue is generated through development contracts, production programmes, upgrades, lifecycle support and selected exports. Its order book includes fixed-price, milestone and cost-reimbursable elements involving government customers, technology partners and specialised suppliers.

Board mandate

The director will govern the conversion of strategic technology and headline order book into deliverable, cash-generative programmes without compromising national security, ethics or product reliability.

Strategic priorities

1. Establish programme baselines for technical maturity, scope, schedule, cost, cash, testing, acceptance, liquidated damages and customer dependencies.
2. Separate firm order book, options, development potential, nominated work and management pipeline in all Board and public disclosures.
3. Require independent estimate-at-completion and schedule confidence for material fixed-price and development programmes.
4. Govern configuration, software, component obsolescence, counterfeit parts, traceability, secure coding, test evidence and field changes.
5. Protect classified information and controlled technology through clearance, need-to-know, facilities, suppliers, remote access, travel and incident response.
6. Review offset, localisation and indigenous-content claims against contractual definitions, evidence, supplier reality and penalty exposure.
7. Govern exports through end-use, end-user, country, sanctions, licensing, re-export, technical support and anti-bribery assessment.
8. Challenge single-source and small-supplier risk, long-lead electronics, foreign-content dependence and lifecycle spares.
9. Review government receivables, milestone certification, advances, guarantees, claims, warranty and inventory ageing with Audit.
10. Build succession for chief architects, programme directors, security leaders, test engineers and cleared specialists.

Decisions expected at Board level

• Whether to bid a strategic fixed-price programme before requirements and interfaces stabilise.
• Whether revenue recognition is supportable when acceptance evidence or customer dependencies remain incomplete.
• Whether an export opportunity creates unacceptable end-use, sanctions or reputation risk.
• Whether a field reliability issue requires fleet action before customer causality is agreed.
• Whether technology partnership terms provide genuine sovereignty or long-term dependence.

Candidate profile

Essential: Former defence, aerospace, high-reliability electronics, government programme or regulated technology CEO/COO/CTO/CFO, programme leader, regulator or Board director; programme and systems-engineering judgement; classified security; contracting, cost and export risk.

Preferred: radar/electronic warfare, defence procurement, software assurance, export controls, Audit/Risk Committee chairing, international defence partnerships.

Eligibility and conflicts

Active IICA Databank registration and verified test/exemption status are mandatory. Security and fit checks may apply. Candidates must disclose government, armed-forces, PSU, supplier, foreign-principal, intermediary, adviser, auditor, competitor and controlled-technology relationships.

First-year outcomes

• Independent programme and order-book assurance.
• Board-owned classified-technology and supplier-security controls.
• Export decisions supported by end-use and sanctions evidence.
• Reliable cost, cash, acceptance and warranty visibility.
• Succession for critical technical and cleared roles.