Why Aquila?
Our culture is underpinned by trust, reflection, and collaboration:
We have an inclusive culture. Powered by our Beliefs is one of our four guiding principles and we are proud to welcome everyone.
We are an equal opportunities employer and want to attract the best talent regardless of age, race, gender, political view, religious or sexual orientation.
Find out what some of the women in Aquila think about equality, diversity and inclusion within the organisation.
Be where you need to work
We have an agile approach to how we work. This ensures you can work smarter and benefit from a good work-life balance. You manage your own time and work from a location that suits your tasks for the day.
Our teams work on either a 37-hour or 40-hour working week, dependant on role. Many roles have flexible start and finish times to suit your personal preferences and your other responsibilities. Some of our people who deliver critical services work shift patterns which may prevent some flexibility around start and finish times.
Total reward
We offer a competitive salary based on your skills and expertise. We provide a competitive pension, and an annual bonus scheme.
Choose your benefits
You can pick from a range of additional benefits, such as Cycle to Work scheme and a range of discounts at high street retailers as part of our flexible benefits scheme.
Be recognised and rewarded
You will share in our success through our annual performance-related bonus scheme. Additionally, we recognise team members for a job well done through our peer and manager recognition scheme – the Altair Awards.
We look after you
You will have access to healthcare provision and income protection, providing you with additional support when you need it.
We offer several health and wellbeing initiatives – you will have access to our Employee Assistance Programme, Unmind – a health and wellbeing app, Mental Health First Aiders, and our Occupational Health Service for support when you need it.
Take time out for yourself
You will have 27 days annual leave plus an additional company day off.
Learn while you earn
We are passionate about developing our people. You will be able to gain new skills and refresh your learning so we can work safely, support our personal development goals, and have the right professional abilities to help our customers.
With our apprenticeship scheme at Aquila, we offer employees with an established career the opportunity to develop their existing skills and gain new qualifications while working.
One of our core values is “Shaping the Future”, which expands to ‘seeking the right tools, training, and experiences to enable success’. In recognition of this, Aquila have successfully established the Early Careers and Development (EC&D) Initiative, a cross-departmental community dedicated to empowering young professionals and promoting knowledge sharing like never before.
The format of this voluntary group is to jointly determine and invite representatives from across the business to present to them based on what gaps in knowledge there may be or what emerging topics or projects they are interested in. Distinct workshops to date have included skill sharing from the Executive Assistant and Asset Management community, Procurement process and Commercial regulation talks as well extended Q&A sessions with the Aquila Executive team.
Increasingly the world thrives on collaboration and fresh perspectives, and this initiative is Aquila’s commitment to creating a thriving ecosystem for their young talent which is fully advocated by the Leadership team. The small but increasingly growing group have been meeting regularly since 2022 and are seeing real benefits and opportunities come to fruition as a result of their sessions, some being;
Cross-Departmental Synergy
We’re breaking down silos! Young professionals from many departments are coming together to exchange ideas, develop their learning, and foster more unified business relationships resulting in greater efficiency and productivity in their day to day work.
Dissemination
The future belongs to those who embrace continuous learning. Aquila employs individuals with decades of experience and talent from across the industry. The EC&D Initiative is a hub for sharing insights, experiences, and valuable expertise, propelling the group forward.
Global Perspective
In an increasingly interconnected world, diverse viewpoints are invaluable. This group celebrates diversity, bringing differing and varied perspectives to the forefront.
Inter Department Opportunities & Promotions
The only way is up for our ambition seekers as some of the members have already experienced.
The support and engagement within the business has been exceptional, there is a deep hunger for wanting to share rather than hoard knowledge and it shows through the involvement they have received.
We celebrate our successes annually with a festive party. In the past our parties have taken place on the infamous HMS Warrior amongst other locations. As many of our team members are located throughout the UK, Cyprus, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, festive celebrations are also arranged locally.
In Summer of 2023, we successfully held two employee events at Southsea Castle and onboard the Sabrina Boat in Shrewsbury by way of a thank you to our employees and to celebrate our successes together. The events were so marvellous, we are keen to make these an annual occurrence.
Aquila supports the Royal Air Force Cosford Air Show. The largest event in the West Midlands and the only remaining air show run by the Royal Air Force, the show includes a packed flying schedule along with many other static exhibits, stalls, trade stands, military demonstrations, and children’s entertainment. As part of our sponsorship, Aquila have exhibited in the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) hangar, along with other sponsors helping to inspire the next generation of aeronautical engineers.
The DES&S family day takes place annually at Abbey Wood. Over 2000 people, comprising MOD employees and their families, attend the event which includes exhibits from most of the programmes managed by the DE&S, featuring everything from armoured fighting vehicles and shoulder launched missile systems to protective clothing and cyber security. Aquila attends every year with an exhibition on Programme Marshall.
Aquila supports charities connected to the Armed Forces. Each year our employees have the opportunity to get involved with fundraising events. Our fundraising events have included quiz nights on the HMS Victory, running marathons, virtual cycling events, bake offs, competing in Tough Mudder, sky diving and ziplining through a Welsh Valley. We have worked with charities such as Blesma, Combat Stress and Hounds for Heroes who we are proud to sponsor currently.
I joined Aquila in 2017 as a legacy maintainer at RAF Brize Norton. I had served 16 years with the RAF with a majority of time working on Ground Radio Equipment. I am employed as a Regional Maintainer for the Central Region as well as the Ground Radio Manager for Brize Norton Legacy team. I have enjoyed every step in my career with Aquila and find it fulfilling work working with an amazing team.
I find that the Regional role keeps me busy and each day is different. I enjoy the challenge of finding ways to ensure that the company and my colleagues are supported the best ways possible. The Ground Radio Manager role is a new step for me towards developing skills as a manager and a better understanding of looking after and managing personnel to get the best from the team. I am always looking for ways to help within the company to push towards a more productive and cost-effective working system as well as ensuring that the welfare of my team is preserved.
