Chief Systems Engineer

Leonardo UK Ltd; Luton; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time to Recharge

Pension scheme

Mental health support

Bonus scheme

Learning platforms

Referral programme

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Leonardo UK Ltd in the United Kingdom seeks a Chief Systems Engineer to lead large teams, provide governance, and shape the systems engineering capability across the sector. You will coach engineers, guide problem definition, and ensure lifecycle activities meet stakeholder needs.

The role requires hybrid working with some on-site presence in Luton. You will influence technical direction, collaborate with sector leaders, and drive continuous improvement through a structured improvement plan.

Qualifications

• Experience governing Systems Engineering LCM processes.
• Ability to elicit stakeholder expectations clearly.
• Experience creating and defining architectures.
• Proven track record managing external stakeholders.
• Strong leadership and communication at senior levels.

Responsibilities

• Act as focal point for Systems Engineering governance across the sector.
• Coach engineers in the art of systems engineering.
• Define problem scope and ensure cross-program consistency.
• Guide concepting, modelling and simulation for risk mitigation.
• Lead and drive System of Systems and integration activities.
• Represent Leonardo in Systems Engineering bodies (e.g., INCOSE).

Skills

Systems Engineering

Leadership

Governance

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Job description

Job Description: Your Impact Are you an experienced Systems Engineering leader, able to guide large teams? Are you passionate about Systems Engineering? Are you able to coach and develop the Systems Engineers of the future? 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 Sector Head of Engineering Projects, Sector Chief Engineer and the Head of Systems Engineering. What we build is exciting, interesting, challenging and complex. A diverse product portfolio of airborne RF sensing 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 focus of this role is to provide direction, guidance and expertise to ensure: Our systems engineering team define 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 system of systems level Our projects create and enact the correct verification and validation strategy As a Chief Systems Engineer, you will influence each product, its technical direction and our customers’ satisfaction. We are looking for someone passionate about our products, with a systems-thinking approach and proven experience of forming and leading high performing teams. You will thrive in dynamic environments, with the ability to make decisions quickly under pressure and set a clear technical vision for the team. Given the nature of the work at this level we are able to offer custom working, however some on-site working is expected.

What you’ll do

• Act as the point of contact for all things Systems Engineering to the Sector Chief Engineer, Head of Systems Engineering and Head of Engineering Projects
• Be a coach in the art of systems engineering
• Provide expertise and guidance to ensure our engineers define the problem completely
• Ensure programmes capture the views and needs of all our stakeholders, covering the full lifecycle and different stakeholder types, including bridging the gap between Engineering and Capability
• Ensure the right concepting, modelling and simulation techniques are used to identify and mitigate emergent properties
• Champion Design for Excellence (DfX) concepts for Systems Engineering
• Provide expertise and guidance on System Architecting and System Synthesis concepts
• Promote and provide guidance and expertise on “System of Systems Engineering”
• Act as the focal point for systems engineering governance, supporting Lifecycle Management (LCM) activities related to systems engineering such as bids, design reviews and audits
• Champion innovative approaches and modern techniques across the full lifecycle
• Hold quarterly threat and mitigation reviews across the sector
• Represent Leonardo within Systems Engineering bodies and groups of interest, such as INCOSE
• Identify trends across your sector, capturing and sharing lessons learned to improve the quality and efficiency of future work
• Provide the right metrics to capture improvements and opportunities
• Own and drive a sector 6 month improvement plan aligned with the needs of the LoB and Systems Engineering improvement plan
• Work with the Systems People & Capability
• Lead and project stakeholders to optimise the skills and capability profile across the sector
• Enable and optimise collaboration across engineering disciplines
• Deliver an agile approach to systems engineering, building a culture of experimentation and failing fast.
• Understand what lies beyond our black boxes, promoting how digital technologies can be used to improve our systems approach
• Champion Human Factors Integration approaches
• 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
• Identify and develop your own Systems Engineering specialism, becoming a recognised expert across the EW LoB / Electronics division

Progression

This is a new senior leadership role within Systems Engineering, where we would expect you to progress into a Programme Chief Engineer, Head of Discipline, or Chief Technical Specialist role for Systems Engineering. In order to do this, you will explicitly identify and coach a small number of potential successors.

What you'll bring

• Experience in applying governance and guidance on Systems Engineering LCM process
• Experience in eliciting stakeholder expectations
• Experience in creating and defining architectures
• Experience in managing and collaborating with external stakeholders.
• Proven leadership and decision-making skills in a high complexity, dynamic environment at a senior level.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, proven ability to build trust and respect at different levels.
• Experience of integration, with an understanding of the resultant issues, cost and schedule implications, and potential mitigations.
• Tenacity and determination, with a desire to deliver outputs and results.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Salary Range

Chief Engineer £70,000 to £95,000

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Company Benefits

Why join us At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.

Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role. For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website. To find out about all of our Company benefits please visit: https://uk.leonardocompany.com/en/people-careers/life-at-leonardo/company-benefits Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation.

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Primary Location

GB - Luton - Cap. Green 300

Additional Locations

GB - Lincoln

Contract Type

Permanent

Hybrid Working

Hybrid International, multicultural, innovative, technological: this is Leonardo. The company’s passionate and talented team is strongly influenced by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) expertise, with a diverse range of experience that enables colleagues to share knowledge and know-how across the generations. Leonardo always wants to expand its talent pool, here you can find the right opportunity for you!