Autobit,
If, in this particular case, the measure of SQEP lies in how much time one has spent onboard a big-deck carrier then there are very few and probably none at the highest levels of Defence with that experience. However, most appreciate there are many at the coal face serving today on USN CVNs getting the experience the UK needs for the future. This all takes time. So it'll be a while until a 3 or 4-star has such.
In the meantime we have some very Joint and excellent VSOs who are very adept at running capital programmes for the UK.
I believe the choice in AM Hillier reflects that rationale. He has previously sat on the CEPP Executive Steering Board as a senior member in his role as DCDS(Eqpt and Cap) He understands the programme extremely well and has the relationships at hand to forge success. If he didn't he would not have been selected; it's simple as that.
Unfortunately, retired, parochial 1SLs see this as an affront. Yet more zest in the eye of Royal Naval capability. Ludicrous comments such as, "...barking mad" in tabloid farcical media stories only shows the rest of the country and world that they don't understand what Joint means. When the RN last put to sea on a large deck carrier, they owned their embarked aircraft. That isn't the case any more and nor will it be. The aircraft are Joint assets. The Carrier Strike Programme is Joint and the latest VSO at the helm is Joint.