Head of Systems & Supportability Engineering

ZipRecruiter; Bristol; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in defence is seeking a Head of Systems and Supportability Engineering in Bristol. The position involves leading a team to manage requirements throughout the Systems Engineering lifecycle while ensuring alignment with government programmes and strategic goals. Candidates must have experience in defence-related systems engineering and strong leadership skills, with opportunities for career growth in a dynamic environment.

Benefits

Dynamic work environment

Career development opportunities

Supportive and innovative culture

Qualifications

• Significant defence-related systems engineering experience.
• SC clearance or willingness to obtain it.
• Chartered Engineer or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Setting vision and strategy for the department.
• Motivating, coaching, and managing team performance.
• Supporting business development through technical bid approaches.

Skills

Requirement Management

Stakeholder Management

Employee Development

Mentoring Skills

Consultancy

Education

Degree or relevant experience

Tools

DOORS/Dimensions RM

Job description

Job Description

Sagentia Defence has a track record of success as a trusted partner to customers within highly regulated Government programmes. We are looking for a new Head of Systems and Supportability Engineering (S&SE) to lead our team of engineers. The Head of S&SE will grow a team and collaborate with other departments to set strategy and support complex Government programmes. The team manages requirements throughout the Systems Engineering lifecycle, including elicitation, management, testing, and acceptance.

We seek a candidate with a consultancy or Defence background, capable of working autonomously or within cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities include:

• Setting vision and strategy for the department, aligned with the company and Defence goals.
• Motivating, coaching, and managing team performance.
• Resource management, including allocating consultants to projects.
• Developing and maintaining S&SE service offerings.
• Developing requirements engineering and management, system architecture, MBSE, and logistics/support engineering.
• Training and development of team members, including coaching on tools and techniques.
• Supporting business development through technical bid approaches and presentations.
• Identifying new capability needs across customers.
• Providing technical guidance to ensure high-quality project deliverables.
• Recruiting new team members.

Required skills and experience include:

• Understanding requirements management across Defence Lines of Development.
• Experience with UK MOD requirements management and frameworks.
• Proficiency with DOORS/Dimensions RM software.
• Knowledge of modern SE approaches like MBSE.
• Experience with complex system of systems projects.
• Capability development of tools and techniques.
• Leading multidisciplinary teams in a consultancy setting.
• Experience working within the public sector and government processes.
• Stakeholder management skills.
• Employee development and mentoring skills.
• Experience contributing to bids and proposals.

Applicants must have:

• Right to work in the UK.
• SC clearance or willingness to obtain it.
• Degree or relevant experience.
• Significant defence-related systems engineering experience.
• Engineering Chartership or equivalent.

Benefits include working in a dynamic environment, career development opportunities, and a supportive, innovative culture.