Chief Systems Engineer

Job Description:

Leonardo has an exciting and immediate vacancy for a Chief Systems Engineer, someone with a passion for contributing to the UK’s Defence Industry and making an impactful change.

We are recruiting for a Chief Systems Engineer with experience of guiding large teams. The role requires a passion for Systems Engineering and the ability to impart knowledge and experience to others.

What we build is exciting, interesting, challenging and complex. A diverse product portfolio of technologies, with each programme at a different stage in its development lifecycle. Given this complexity, it requires each programme to connect with the “Art of Systems Engineering” to ensure we are doing the right activities at the right time.

The position is based on a hybrid basis at our purpose‑built site in the beautiful city of Southampton.

The Chief Systems Engineer acts as the focal point for Systems Engineering Governance and ensures our Systems Engineering capability trends in a positive direction. The role will provide a clear point of contact on Systems Engineering capability for the Business Area Head of Engineering Projects, Chief Engineer and will report to the Line of Business Head of Systems Engineering.

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

• Our systems engineering team assess the problem completely
• Our teams reuse techniques and artefacts across the portfolio of projects
• Our teams manage complexity through architecting our systems well
• Our teams predict and mitigate emergent behaviours when operating at a system or integrated systems level
• Our projects create and enact the correct verification and validation strategy

To be successful you will demonstrate passion for your trade by instilling a systems‑thinking approach based on experience forming and leading high‑performing teams. Using your skills as an influencer, you will thrive in dynamic environments, with the ability to make decisions quickly under pressure and set a clear technical vision for the team on Systems Engineering methodologies.

Given the extensive people‑engagement nature of the work an on‑site presence will be essential, but we are able to offer custom working that allows for a combination of home and on‑site working, i.e. flexible working delivering effective results.

• Influence the development of engineering artefacts, their technical direction and ultimately stakeholder satisfaction
• You will work across a highly demanding and complex area of the business, immersed in full‑scale development programmes spanning the breadth of the engineering lifecycle across the Airborne Comms and Naval Information, Communication System (ICS) teams
• Act as the focal point for systems engineering governance, supporting Lifecycle Management (LCM) activities
• Provide expertise and guidance to ensure our engineers understand the problem completely and stakeholder needs through effective coaching on Systems Engineering practices (early and later lifecycle stages)
• Ensure the appropriate level of concepting, modelling and simulation techniques are used across the lifecycle to inform architectures and solution options
• Influence whole‑life design considerations relating to Safety, Security, Manufacture, Test, Supportability, Through‑Life Support in line with company processes
• Support quarterly threat and mitigation reviews across the Business Area’s on project status and enabling initiatives (e.g. capability, capacity, competency)
• Represent Leonardo within Systems Engineering bodies and groups of interest, such as INCOSE
• Identify trends across the Business Area’s, capturing and sharing lessons learned to improve the quality and efficiency of future work
• Promote an agile mind‑set to systems engineering, building a culture of experimentation and failing fast
• Collaborate with your peers in similar roles across the UK to promote a culture of continual learning and improvement, acting as a change agent for systems engineering

You will ideally already be in a Chief Systems Engineer role or a Lead Engineer looking for the next opportunity. We are looking for a systems thinker, someone…