Lead Systems Engineer

Overview

In this Lead Systems Engineer role, you drive the technical delivery of an in-service HF/communications system from Basildon. You act as Design Authority, shaping system architecture and coordinating across software, RF, and hardware teams to meet evolving operational needs. You’ll lead requirements eliciation, architecture definition, and verification activities while engaging with customers and stakeholders. This is a hands-on, technically deep opportunity to influence lifecycle success and system coherence in a defence context.

Pay / Benefits

• flexible hybrid working
• up to 12 additional flexi-days per year
• pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution
• mental health support
• 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning
• bonus scheme

Responsibilities

• Act as IPT’s Design Authority for the HF communications system and own key technical decisions
• Lead and contribute to frequent technical meetings with the customer
• Elicit, define, refine and decompose customer requirements
• Define, refine and maintain system architectures and interface definitions
• Provide technical input into bids, proposals and change activities
• Collaborate with software, RF, hardware and test teams for end-to-end system coherence
• Undertake hands-on technical activity including configuring reference systems for test and demonstration
• Support verification, validation and acceptance activities across the lifecycle
• Ensure safety, security, supportability and obsolescence considerations are addressed in line with processes

Key requirements

• Strong experience applying Systems Engineering across the full lifecycle
• Experience acting as a technical authority or owning system architectures
• Experience eliciting, refining and decomposing customer requirements
• Experience defining and evaluating technical solutions and proposals
• Understanding of software development and its integration within complex systems
• Experience working with internal and external stakeholders, including customers
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Confidence to make technical decisions in a complex, dynamic environment
• Motivation, tenacity and strong technical ownership

• Excellent communication
• Interpersonal skills
• Stakeholder engagement
• HF communications systems
• RF understanding
• Systems integration, Test and Demonstration

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