Lead Systems Engineer

Job Description

Are you an experienced Systems Engineer who loves contributing to the international Defence Industry and making impactful change? We are recruiting for a Lead Systems Engineer to drive LEUK technical delivery of a complex, in‑service Communications Systems, working on real engineering problems and shaping solutions that sit at the heart of our operational capability. This vacancy will be based at our Basildon site.

As the Lead Systems Engineer, you will act as the project team's Design Authority for the system, providing leadership across Systems Engineering activities and acting as the primary technical interface with stakeholders. You will support the definition, refinement and delivery of technical solutions, ensuring the system continues to meet operational needs throughout its lifecycle.

What we build is exciting, interesting, challenging and complex. The system is already in service and evolving, requiring a balance of systems thinking, technical depth and hands‑on engineering. Given this complexity, it requires a strong application of the “Art of Systems Engineering” to ensure we are doing the right activities at the right time.

The focus of this role is to provide direction, guidance and technical authority to ensure:

• Customer requirements are fully understood, refined, decomposed and traced into system solutions
• The system architecture is clearly defined, controlled and maintained
• Technical proposals and design decisions are robust, justified and aligned with customer expectations
• System integration across software, RF and hardware elements is coherent and well managed
• Verification and validation activities demonstrate compliance with operational needs

To be successful, you will demonstrate passion for your trade through strong technical leadership and ownership of complex systems. You will be comfortable operating as a technical lead, making sound engineering decisions and setting a clear technical direction while working closely with customers and internal teams.

Given the customer-facing and collaborative nature of the role, we continue to offer flexible working with a combination of home and on‑site working where appropriate. Day‑to‑day duties include:

• Act as IPT's Design Authority for the HF communications system, owning key technical decisions
• Serve as the technical point of contact for the customer, leading and contributing to frequent technical meetings and reviews
• Lead LEUK's effort in the elicitation, definition, refinement and decomposition of customer requirements
• Define, refine and maintain system architectures and interface definitions
• Provide technical input into bids, proposals and change activities
• Work across a demanding and complex area of the business, supporting in‑service capability and future development
• Collaborate with software, RF, hardware and test teams to ensure end‑to‑end system coherence
• Undertake hands‑on technical activity where required, including configuring reference systems for test and demonstration
• Support and deliver verification, validation and acceptance activities across the lifecycle
• Ensure through‑life considerations such as safety, security, supportability and obsolescence are addressed in line with company processes

You will have proven experience as a Lead Systems Engineer (or a role with similar responsibilities), with the following attributes:

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

• The following experience/skills are very desirable:
• Knowledge or…