Engineering Planner

Northrop Grumman; Bristol; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defence contractor in the UK is searching for an experienced Control Systems Engineer. The ideal candidate will possess PLC and SCADA experience, play a key role in designing and maintaining advanced control systems for naval platforms. You'll work in a regulated environment with impactful projects aimed at enhancing national security. Applicants should have the ability to secure necessary UK Government security clearance and be ready to tackle the challenges in a high-stakes field.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in a PLC engineering environment.
• Experience within regulated sectors like Defence or Aerospace.
• Ability to gain and maintain relevant UK Government security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Capture, interpret and develop customer requirements.
• Specify, design and test solutions for PLC control systems.
• Develop PLC software from multiple design formats.

Skills

PLC and SCADA experience

Experience with industrial communication protocols

Technical documentation production

Understanding of testing and commissioning

Fault-tolerant PLC solutions

Education

Degree, HNC, HND or equivalent in electrical/electronic engineering

Job description

Overview

Are you an experienced Control Systems Engineer, with PLC and SCADA experience, eager to work in a highly regulated defence environment? We are seeking skilled engineers to join our team. This position offers the unique opportunity to design, develop, and maintain cutting‑edge PLC and HCI solutions for our naval platform management systems, deployed on the UK submarine fleet. You will play a critical role in both the development of the product and the continued support in regard to in‑service and through‑life operational capability, supporting mission‑critical naval operations. This role is ideal for engineers familiar with Siemens PLCs and large infrastructure SCADA solutions, with a specific focus on functional safety and product security. Our UK Defence business is a sovereign software and systems centre of excellence. As well as developing and supporting UK‑wide and internationally deployed multi‑domain command and control systems, our work is critical to the modern backbone of the Royal Navy. We pioneer – with fierce curiosity, dedication, and innovation – we seek to solve the world’s most challenging problems.

Responsibilities

• Capture, interpret and develop customer requirements
• Produce technical documentation in accordance with company/customer procedures
• Specify, design and test solutions for PLC control systems
• Manage data communications with third party equipment
• Develop PLC software from multiple design formats such as block diagrams, flow charts or pseudo code
• Validate software designs through analysis and testing
• Support the preparation of contract changes and proposals
• Be aware of and comply with company standards of conduct and all relevant statutory requirements
• Provide input to project meetings and team briefings
• Undertake any other reasonable task as requested, End‑to‑End involvement: be part of a team responsible for the development of ICS products, playing a critical role in ensuring the security, performance, and compliance of these cutting‑edge systems.
• Innovative projects: work on the design and delivery of next‑generation infrastructure for naval platforms, contributing to national defence and global security efforts.
• Professional growth: take advantage of opportunities to grow your skills through training, certification, and experience in the defence sector, especially in areas like vulnerability management, asset management, safety and cybersecurity for industrial systems.
• Impactful work: work in a regulated environment with tangible real‑world outcomes, ensuring mission‑critical systems are secure, compliant, and ready for deployment on some of the world’s most advanced naval platforms.

Qualifications

• Experience of fault‑tolerant, high‑availability and safety integrated PLC solutions
• Experience of industrial communication protocols and networking standards such as Profibus, Profinet, EtherNet/IP, ModBus, TCP/IP, UDP and ASCII
• Production of technical documentation
• SCADA/PLC interfacing and driver configuration
• Software development lifecycles, processes and procedures
• 5+ years in a PLC engineering environment
• Understanding of testing and commissioning
• Degree, HNC, HND or equivalent in electrical/electronic engineering or a related discipline (e.g. C&I engineering, systems engineering)
• Experience within Defence, Maritime (ship’s machinery and control systems), Aerospace, or a similarly regulated industrial sector (e.g. oil & gas, pharma or petro‑chem)
• Security clearance: you must be able to gain and maintain the relevant UK Government security clearance in line with the job role (SC). Our requirement team is on hand to answer any questions and we will guide you through the process: [e-mail].

How to Apply

Ready to apply? If you are a seasoned PLC Control Systems Engineer, looking to take on the challenges of working in a regulated defence environment and are excited by the prospect of delivering industrial control system solutions to a unique platform, whilst adhering to best practice regarding cybersecurity, functional safety and product development, we want to hear from you! Submit your application online. Your application will be reviewed by our team and we will be in touch.