GCAP Systems Security Engineer

Leonardo UK Ltd; Easter Howgate; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time to Recharge

Pension scheme

Mental health support

Bonus scheme

Online courses access

Referral programme

Flexible benefits

Hybrid working

Job summary

Leonardo UK Ltd in Edinburgh is seeking a Principal Engineer to provide technical leadership for systems security engineering within the GCAP programme, shaping security requirements, architectures and assurance evidence.

You will mentor engineers, coordinate cross-functional activities, and ensure security controls meet customer and programme needs across the lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Strong systems engineering background with experience in physical product development (embedded systems, electronics, hardware-software integration).
• Experience with requirements and MBSE tools (DOORS, Cameo).
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to learn quickly.
• Effective communication to explain security concepts and decisions to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to decompose and allocate security requirements to sub-systems with cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead defined systems security engineering work packages, establishing scope, activities, dependencies, milestones, and deliverables.
• Work with systems engineering teams to determine technologies and processes to meet customer requirements.
• Provide technical leadership in security architectures, baselines, and risk-mitigation strategies in line with requirements and programme objectives.
• Specify the required behaviour of security controls in radar and EOIR systems and subsystems.
• Develop and maintain documentation covering requirements, design, implementation, integration, verification and qualification.
• Support engineering lifecycle reviews and design assurance processes.
• Provide compliance assessments and evidence against key security functions, controls and designs.
• Plan and coordinate your own work and, where appropriate, the work of others, monitoring progress against schedule, cost and quality.
• Provide technical support to the Product Cyber Reliance management specialist.

Skills

Systems engineering

Security architecture

Stakeholder influence

Technical mentoring

Requirements analysis

Tools

DOORS

Cameo

Job description

Job Description:

Your Impact

In this Principal Engineer role, you will provide technical leadership for systems security engineering activities, helping to secure Leonardo products against an increasingly diverse and complex range of threats. You will take ownership of defined security engineering work packages, planning and coordinating activities across medium-term delivery horizons while considering their impact on the wider programme.

Working within a multidisciplinary team, you will guide the development of security requirements, architectures and assurance evidence, resolve complex technical challenges and provide authoritative advice to engineering teams, customers and other stakeholders. You will also review technical outputs, support engineering decisions and develop the capability of other engineers through mentoring, coaching and knowledge sharing.

We are looking for an experienced Principal Engineer to work within the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) team. GCAP will deliver Tempest, the sixth-generation combat aircraft that will replace the Royal Air Force's Typhoon fleet from 2035.

What You’ll do

• Lead defined systems security engineering work packages, establishing their scope, activities, dependencies, milestones, and deliverables.
• Work with systems engineering teams to determine the technologies and processes required to meet customer requirements.
• Provide technical leadership in the development of security architectures, security baselines, and proportionate risk-mitigation strategies, ensuring alignment with system requirements and programme objectives.
• Specify the required behaviour of security controls to be implemented in radar and electro-optical infrared (EOIR) systems and subsystems.
• Develop and maintain documentation covering functional requirements, design, implementation, integration, verification and qualification documentation.
• Support engineering lifecycle reviews and design assurance processes.
• Provide compliance assessments and evidence against key security functions, controls and designs.
• Plan and coordinate your own work and, where appropriate, the work of others, monitoring progress against agreed schedule, cost and quality objectives.
• Provide technical support to the Product Cyber Reliance management specialist.
• Develop and update product security good practice across a range of disciplines to ensure our products are secure from initial design through to disposal.

What You’ll bring

• Strong systems engineering background with experience in physical product development (e.g. embedded systems, electronics, hardware-software integration).
• Experience with requirements and model-based systems engineering tools (e.g. DOORS, Cameo).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to learn and apply new concepts quickly.
• Effective communication skills, with the ability to explain security concepts risks and decisions clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders, and to influence outcomes across engineering teams, customers and suppliers.
• Ability to decompose and allocate system level security requirements to sub-systems and collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams to identify, select, and implement secure hardware and software solutions.

What else would help

• Understanding of Secure by Design principles and their application in product lifecycle development.
• Familiarity with security and information assurance frameworks (ISO27001/27004/27005 and NIST Risk Management Framework).
• The ability to keep abreast of current trends and events relating to security.

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

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.

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, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Primary Location:

GB - Edinburgh

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hybrid Working:

Hybrid