Head of Systems Engineering

Owen Daniels; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Wellbeing day

Private healthcare

Life assurance & critical illness

Family leave

Pension contribution

Flexible working

Parking

Professional development

Christmas leave

Inclusive culture

Job summary

Owen Daniels is seeking a Head of Systems Engineering in Portsmouth to lead a multi-disciplinary group across systems engineering, safety and test & validation for marine applications. The role focuses on delivering compliant, high-integrity system solutions.

The successful candidate will drive MBSE practices, manage regulatory engagement with LR/DNV-GL, and mentor cross-functional teams while controlling the budget and ensuring timely delivery of outcomes in a fast-growing maritime environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in systems engineering or related field required.
• Experience leading Systems Engineering, safety and test teams.
• Experience with safety-critical, maritime systems.
• Familiarity with model-based systems engineering (MBSE).
• Ability to work with regulators and class societies (LR, DNV-GL).

Responsibilities

• Head up a department of multidisciplinary engineers across systems engineering, safety, assurance, and test & validation.
• Capture, analyse, and validate system/user requirements with stakeholders.
• Define and oversee verification/validation strategy across system levels.
• Manage 3rd party assurance and regulatory compliance.
• Collaborate across mechanical, electrical, software, and control systems teams.
• Mentor and develop teams in Systems Engineering, Safety and Test & Validation.
• Oversee budget for three disciplines and local process development.
• Drive risk evaluation and management as part of development.

Skills

Leadership

Systems thinking

Communication

Regulatory knowledge

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Stakeholder management

MBSE concepts

Education

Bachelor’s degree in systems engineering or related field

Job description

Our client is a rapidly growing business designing some of the most innovative and interesting applications for the marine industry. If you are a meticulous individual with a passion for working on cutting edge projects, this could be ideal for you.

Head of Systems Engineering

Marine applications

Portsmouth

Permanent

Role Overview

The Head of Systems Engineering is the function leader for Systems Engineering, test and safety, responsible for ensuring the quality and integrity of the team’s output and delivering the right results on time.

Responsibilities will include:

• Heading up a department of multidisciplinary engineers across systems engineering, safety, assurance along with test and validation.
• Oversee the capture, analysis, and validation of system and user requirements in collaboration with stakeholders and customers, fostering a customer-focused engineering culture.
• Establish and oversee the verification and validation strategy across all system levels, ensuring robust evidence is generated to support requirements closure and compliance.
• Manage 3rd party assurance ensuring designs are compliant with regulatory requirements.
• Drive a collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach across mechanical, electrical, software, and control systems teams to enable the development of integrated, high-performing systems, supported by robust data frameworks.
• Build and mentor a high-performing teams across Systems Engineering, Safety and Test & Validation.
• Head of Systems, Safety & Test will be responsible for budgetary control across the 3 disciplines, along with ensuring local processes are developed and maintained.
• Champion innovative risk evaluation and management practices as a core driving force in technical development.
• Act as an authority on 3rd party assurance, supporting project-level decision making and stakeholder confidence in system integrity.
• Lead the development of internal safety cases and ensure implementation into our design foundations.
• Ensure robust traceability across requirements, architecture, design, and testing, embedding systems thinking throughout the full engineering lifecycle.
• Set the strategic direction for systems engineering across projects, ensuring a consistent and rigorous approach to requirements management and system integration through data-driven interface management.

Qualifications and Experience:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Worked in a Systems Engineering role, ideally within the maritime defence sector, including technical leadership roles.
• Systems engineering experience in the context of safety-critical systems.
• Successful track record of working on complex projects with interdisciplinary teams.
• Conversant in the concepts of model-based systems engineering and confidence in applying these concepts to a range of complex engineering projects.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.
• Experience with relevant regulatory requirements and industry standards for marine systems and equipment. In particular, experience designing for class approval against Lloyds Register or DNV-GL is beneficial.
• Significant experience in delivering systems through the complete lifecycle, including design, development, and testing stages of maritime platforms.
• Annual Leave - Entitlement to 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays
• Wellbeing Day - An additional Wellbeing Day each year to focus on personal health and wellbeing.
• Private Healthcare - Access to comprehensive private healthcare coverage to support your physical and mental wellbeing.
• Life Assurance and Critical Illness Cover - Comprehensive protection including Life Assurance (4x salary) and Critical Illness Cover for added financial security.
• Family Leave - Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Christmas Leave - A Christmas shutdown is typically observed.
• Professional Development - Commitment to ongoing learning and career growth, supported by training programmes and access to LinkedIn Learning.
• Pension Contribution - pension scheme with the option to contribute via salary sacrifice
• Flexible Working - Opportunities for flexible working arrangements to promote work-life balance.
• Inclusive Culture - A professional environment that values diversity, innovation, and collaboration.
• Parking available.

Candidates must be able to obtain BPSS clearance and should have the right to work in the UK.