Lead Safety Engineer

Hackajob Ltd; Sunderland; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus scheme

Pension scheme

Hybrid working

Private healthcare

Flexible benefits

Learning & courses

Job summary

Leonardo UK is hiring a Lead Safety Engineer to join the Design Integrity team. The role focuses on ensuring safety governance across all activities from concept through certification, with responsibilities spanning test safety and safety of test equipment.

Based on a hybrid model, you will be onsite at Edinburgh or Newcastle for at least three days per week and will travel between sites as required, contributing to compliance, regulatory alignment, and world-class safety standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or science with a 2:1 or higher.
• Ideally Chartered Engineer status.
• Experience applying safety tools in Electronics or Avionics.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate to achieve project safety requirements.
• Define product safety and environmental requirements.
• Plan and execute test programmes addressing design safety.
• Ensure test equipment safety certification and readiness for test.
• Support lifecycle readiness reviews and design certification.
• Provide independent assessment through product design reviews.
• Offer specialist product safety and environmental guidance.
• Participate in Product Safety Panels and incident data management.

Skills

Product Safety

System safety governance

Test safety

Regulatory compliance

Hazard analysis

Risk assessment

Environmental safety

Education

Chartered Engineer

2:1 engineering/science degree

Tools

Test equipment safety standards

ARP4754 knowledge

DO-178C/DO-254 familiarity

Job description

hackajob is partnering directly with Leonardo to hire for this role.

Job Description:

Salary: £60,000 - £80,000

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Your Impact

Within our Radar and Advanced Targeting Systems (RATS) line of business, we deliver world-class innovative multi-role surveillance radars and countermeasure systems that help protect people and nations.

We are seeking a Lead Safety Engineer to join our Design Integrity function, to support the Test Engineering department. In this key role, you will ensure that robust safety governance is applied across all activities, meeting both internal standards and external legal and regulatory requirements. As a Lead Safety Engineer, you will lead on test safety and product test equipment safety, taking ownership from early concept through to certification. By embedding safety, environmental, and regulatory considerations throughout the entire lifecycle, you will help ensure our solutions are safe, compliant, and delivered to the highest standards.

Please note the role is working on a hybrid basis (a minimum of three days per week onsite) from either our Edinburgh or Newcastle sites. Regular travel between both sites will be required.

What you will do as Lead Safety Engineer:

• Collaborate withSystems Engineeringand Sector Engineering Safety Managers to ensure project safety requirements are achieved.
• Define Product Safety and Environmental requirements (product, contractual, legal and regulatory).
• Participate in the planning and execution of test programmes to address design safety considerations.
• Ensure test equipment safetycertification(jigs, fixtures, electrical, electronic, optical and RF test equipment and facilities) and readiness for test, supporting Declaration of Design and Performance compliance.
• Support lifecycle readiness reviews including DesignCertificationReviews.
• Provide independent assessment through Product Design Reviews.
• Provide specialist Product Safety and Environmental guidance withinTest Engineering.
• Participate in Product Safety Panels and manage safety and environmental incident data within corrective action systems.

What youll bring

• Ideally Chartered Engineer status, and a 2:1 or higher in a relevant engineering or science-based honours degree.
• Experience applying safety tools and techniques withinElectronicsor Avionics disciplines, includingHazard Log Management, Hazard Identification,Functional Failure Analysis,Fault Tree Analysis,Risk AssessmentandALARP justifications.
• Knowledge of electronic testing standards and compliance requirements.
• Experience inIntegration, Test, Evaluation and Acceptance processes for complex systems.
• Experience ofverificationand testing aligned to ARP4754 or equivalent standards.
• Experience supportingcertificationto RTCA/DO-178C Level C and/or RTCA/DO-254 Level C, or equivalent in adjacent regulated sectors.
• Experience achieving Product Safetycertificationin regulated environments.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Governments 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: 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 worklife balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, were here to help you thrive.

Benefits

• 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 teamthey 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

Additional Locations

GB - Newcastle

Contract Type

Permanent

Hybrid Working

Hybrid