Principal Cyber Engineer

Dstl; Salisbury; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Specialist allowance

Skills allowances

Job summary

Dstl seeks a Principal Cyber Engineer to provide technical leadership across a diverse portfolio, shaping architectures and delivering secure cyber capabilities.

You will mentor engineers, collaborate with stakeholders, and define approaches while ensuring delivery within time and risk constraints. The role includes onboarding specialist allowances and potential skills-related allowances.

Qualifications

• Degree in a relevant STEM discipline or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong software development in Python, C, C++, Java, Go or Rust.
• Experience with Linux and modern toolchains.
• Experience using Git within collaborative development environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development and delivery of cyber capabilities and prototypes.
• Provide technical leadership across complex cyber engineering activities.
• Shape architectures and engineering approaches for secure, effective and sustainable solutions.
• Apply software engineering, cyber technologies and secure development practices to solve challenging problems.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to integrate advanced cyber technologies.
• Influence and advise customers and stakeholders through evidence-based technical recommendations.
• Drive the delivery of outputs to agreed time, cost and quality requirements.
• Champion engineering excellence by improving tools, processes, standards and ways of working.
• Mentor, coach and support the development of less experienced engineers.
• Monitor emerging technologies and industry developments to enhance Dstl's cyber capabilities.
• Ensure work is carried out safely, securely and in accordance with governance.

Skills

Python

C

C++

Java

Go

Rust

Education

STEM degree or equivalent

Tools

Git

Job description

Dstl is seeking a Principal Cyber Engineer to provide technical leadership across a diverse portfolio of cyber projects, helping to shape and deliver capabilities that support critical defence and national security outcomes. Working alongside highly skilled engineers, scientists and operational stakeholders, you will influence technical direction, solve complex engineering problems and lead the delivery of cutting-edge cyber capabilities.

This is a senior technical role offering the opportunity to work at the forefront of cyber capability development. You will be responsible for defining technical approaches, shaping architecture decisions and ensuring the delivery of secure, resilient and effective solutions. You'll work across multidisciplinary teams, integrating innovative technologies and providing trusted technical advice that influences customer decisions and future investment priorities.

Beyond technical delivery, you'll play a key role in developing organisational capability through mentoring, coaching and knowledge sharing, while driving continuous improvement in engineering practices, tools and ways of working.

If you have a passion for cyber engineering, technical leadership and delivering innovative solutions that make a real operational impact, we'd love to hear from you.

This role is eligible for an additional specialist allowance of £2758 annually subject to meeting extended onboarding requirements. The role may be eligible for additional skills allowances depending on the skills and experience of the applicant.

Job description

What you'll do

• Lead the design, development and delivery of innovative cyber capabilities, software solutions and technical prototypes.
• Provide technical leadership across complex cyber engineering activities and programmes.
• Shape technical strategies, architectures and engineering approaches to ensure solutions are secure, effective and sustainable.
• Apply expertise in software engineering, cyber technologies and secure development practices to solve challenging technical problems.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to develop and integrate advanced cyber technologies.
• Influence and advise customers, stakeholders and decision-makers through evidence-based technical recommendations.
• Drive the delivery of technical outputs to agreed time, cost and quality requirements.
• Champion engineering excellence by improving tools, processes, standards and ways of working.
• Mentor, coach and support the development of less experienced engineers.
• Monitor emerging technologies and industry developments, identifying opportunities to enhance Dstl's cyber capabilities.
• Ensure work is carried out safely, securely and in accordance with organisational policies and governance requirements.

Person specification

What we're looking for

Qualifications

• Degree in a relevant STEM discipline, such as Computer Science, Electronic Engineering, Embedded Systems, Physics or Mathematics, or equivalent professional experience.

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• Strong software development experience using modern programming languages such as Python, C, C++, Java, Go or Rust.
• Experience developing innovative prototypes, proof-of-concept solutions and technical demonstrators.
• Experience using Linux operating systems and software development toolchains.
• Experience using version control systems such as Git within collaborative development environments.
• Understanding of system vulnerabilities and cyber security principles.
• Ability to provide technical leadership across complex engineering activities while balancing quality, security and risk considerations.

Experience

• Significant experience leading complex software development or cyber engineering activities within engineering, scientific, technical or operational environments.
• Experience solving complex and ambiguous technical problems and making informed decisions using multiple sources of information.
• Experience translating customer and stakeholder requirements into practical technical solutions that deliver measurable outcomes.
• Experience working effectively within multidisciplinary teams and delivering successful technical outcomes.
• Experience influencing technical direction and providing authoritative technical advice to stakeholders.