Dave Bradley, who joined the FTSE 250 company from Royal Bank of Scotland in May, is responsible for 13,000 employees worldwide as QinetiQ continues a cultural change programme to grow the business.
Bradley argued HRDs need to "engage" employees fearing the worst as the economy continues to creak under the strain of recession and concerns over the future of the Eurozone.
He said: "During recession, it is not just about where you work, it is about family, what is going on outside the workplace and what's happening in the world. All these factors influence how engaged people are."
He admits recession has affected lots of different roles in business - not least the HR function in many organisations.
He told HR magazine: "[The economic uncertainty] has put the company and HR function on a more short-term agenda, but it is important you still have a vision or direction, as you can't live hand-to-mouth all the time and keep your market position."
But he added: "I haven't come here to sit in an ivory tower. What I have learned elsewhere [previous firms include Exxon, Asda and Ernst & Young] is that you might work at a head office, but you have to be mindful of what's going on around the business. Head office has a dual responsibility of setting strategy, as well as supporting the various operating businesses.
"Yes, my role is about setting the direction for the organisation, but also how do you support the business in different locations?
"You have got to get out there to understand people, what it is like for them, and ask, 'what are issues people are facing?' You have got to roll your sleeves up.
"People are generally very open to giving feedback. This is critical to developing and implementing the people agenda. You get a bloody nose sometimes - but that goes with the territory.
"People processes - how HR can make a difference with the business - are about how we can make situations more effective and more efficient, so key internal processes, such as appraisals, are done well, so we have more time particularly for customer-facing people to be out there.
"One of the things that attracted me here, despite all the changes in the economy, is that there is an opportunity to generate new customers. That is down to having our people in the right frame of mind out there and going for it."
On facing the unique challenges in the business whose boffins James Bond fans believe inspired the initial 'Q' in the film series, Bradley said: "There are so many changes in the Ministry of Defence and US Department of Defense and in the commercial landscape. It is about how we can leverage that - and it will be through our people.
"We have teams of people at QinetiQ who do know how - and know how to crack some of the trickiest problems that the likes of governments and companies face.
"A lot of people come into organisations and throw the baby out with the bathwater. I am not like that.
"There are always excellent things going on and it is just about joining the dots and finding out exactly how things can be improved while introducing new ideas. Organisations are rarely broken - there are always pockets of excellence going on. You ignore that at your peril. It is about getting people's thoughts and ideas to come out."
