Head of Systems

Connect Group; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Connect Group in the United Kingdom seeks a strategic Head of Systems to lead the systems and software functions. You will define technical strategy and architecture, establish robust engineering standards, and oversee scalable, reliable solutions across the full product lifecycle.

You will collaborate with product, project, commercial, and operational teams to translate business needs into practical engineering roadmaps and drive continuous improvement in quality and performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related engineering field, such as computer engineering, electrical engineering, or computer science.
• Strong experience in systems engineering, software engineering, embedded systems, or a similar technical leadership role within a product development environment.
• Familiarity with modern operating system coding techniques, IP protocols, and hardware interfaces.
• Excellent technical problem-solving skills with a proven ability to investigate root causes and make sound engineering decisions.
• Demonstrated experience managing, coaching, or mentoring technical teams to promote engineering excellence.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business-focused recommendations for both technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the systems engineering capability across the business.
• Define and govern system architecture, design standards, and overall technical direction.
• Own system requirements, development planning, verification, and validation activities.
• Improve product quality, reliability, root-cause analysis, and performance.
• Identify and manage technical risks while providing regular updates to stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain systems engineering lifecycle processes, including requirements management, integration, testing, and release readiness.
• Collaborate closely with product, project, commercial, and operational teams to translate business needs into practical engineering roadmaps.
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering quality, delivery predictability, and technical performance through metrics and best practices.

Skills

Leadership

Systems engineering

Embedded systems

Software engineering

Problem solving

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Job description

Location:

Must be UK-based. Remote, with monthly visits to the office near Southampton.

Salary

up to £100k, plus excellent benefits package

About our Client

Our client is a prominent product design and innovation company that acts as the driving creative and technical force behind a family of established businesses. By combining broad engineering capabilities with unique technical expertise in measurement technologies, they build advanced products designed to solve the market's most challenging problems.

Position summary

Our client is seeking a strategic and technical Head of Systems to lead their systems and software functions. In this key leadership role, you will ensure that technology solutions seamlessly support innovation, operational, and commercial objectives. You will be responsible for defining technical strategy and architecture, establishing robust engineering standards, and overseeing the delivery of scalable, reliable systems and software solutions across the full product lifecycle.

Main responsibilities

• Lead and develop the systems engineering capability across the business.
• Define and govern system architecture, design standards, and overall technical direction.
• Own system requirements, development planning, verification, and validation activities.
• Improve product quality, reliability, root-cause analysis, and performance.
• Identify and manage technical risks while providing regular updates to stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain systems engineering lifecycle processes, including requirements management, integration, testing, and release readiness.
• Collaborate closely with product, project, commercial, and operational teams to translate business needs into practical engineering roadmaps.
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering quality, delivery predictability, and technical performance through metrics and best practices.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a related engineering field, such as computer engineering, electrical engineering, or computer science.
• Strong experience in systems engineering, software engineering, embedded systems, or a similar technical leadership role within a product development environment.
• Familiarity with modern operating system coding techniques, IP protocols, and hardware interfaces.
• Excellent technical problem-solving skills with a proven ability to investigate root causes and make sound engineering decisions.
• Demonstrated experience managing, coaching, or mentoring technical teams to promote engineering excellence.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business-focused recommendations for both technical and non-technical audiences.