Principal / Lead Systems Engineer - Naval

Leonardo; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time to Recharge (flexi‑days)

Award-winning pension scheme

Mental health & wellbeing support

Bonus scheme

Access to 4000+ online courses

Flexible benefits & hybrid working

Job summary

Leonardo in the United Kingdom is seeking a Principal or Lead Systems Engineer to provide technical support within the Integrated Communication Systems (ICS) business group for Naval Systems. The role offers hybrid working at the Southampton site and a comprehensive benefits package.

You will lead multi-disciplinary IPT activities, drive design authority, and coordinate with Chief Project Engineers to deliver robust, compliant, and innovative system solutions across the lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Strong background in development of complex military products.
• Experience developing systems solutions in IP networking, RF or communications domains.
• Experience with Requirements, Test, Qualification and Acceptance strategies.
• Experience managing Design Standards and Configuration Management.
• Ability to develop technical solutions within agreed budgets and timescales.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with SMEs and End Users of various nationalities.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical solution for your system or sub-system across all phases of development, representing Leonardo with external and internal stakeholders.
• Act as technical lead on the project, ensuring governance and alignment with processes and requirements.
• Collaborate with SDA, development teams and supply chain to meet End User needs and system level requirements.
• Ensure compliance with performance, legislative and contractual requirements with traceable evidence.

Skills

Design Authority

Technical leadership

Systems engineering

RF / Comms / Networking

Requirements management

System integration

Education

Engineering degree (bachelor or higher)

Job description

Job Description:

We are looking for a Principal or Lead Systems Engineer to provide technical support within the Integrated Communication Systems (ICS)business group, covering Naval Systems.

Are you a Systems Engineer who loves contributing to the UKs Defence Industry and proven experience within defence communications? If so, then this could be the opportunity you have been wating for.

We are offering hybrid working at our dedicated site in Sunny Southampton and not to mention an award-winning benefits package.

Your impact

Within the Naval Systems IPT, the projects are diverse and exciting. There is a portfolio of work from core products that have been in service for many years, requiring support alongside forward looking developments, technology demonstrators and research projects. With customer intimacy and close collaboration with other organisations across the industry, we work to achieve a market leading position in products primarily relating to RF, Comms and Networking based domains. The opportunity to be involved as aPrincipal or Lead Systems Engineerrepresents a chance to be at the heart of a range of technologies and exciting projects across the full engineering lifecycle.

In this role, you willwork as part of a multi-disciplinary IPT,supportingthe current ChiefProjectEngineerswhoarethe technical leadersforour products and projects. These projects will push the boundaries of innovation, technology, and the ingenuity of our engineering community to provide the required level of performance and capability of our various customers.

Key Responsibility Areas:

• Own the technical solution foryour system or sub-system, as delegated by the SDA, throughall phases of the solution development by representing Leonardo with external stakeholders and representing the Line of Business with internal stakeholders to ensure all elements of Product development are considered as part of the integrated solution

• Asa technical lead on the project, ensuring governance is followedand thatyoukeep up to date on related processes and requirements

• Work closely withthe SDA and widerdevelopment teams and supply chain to ensure thatyour system or subsystem is developed tomeets therequirements flowed down from thehigher system level requirements, taking into account the End Users needandlooking tounderstand their Concept of Use and Operation

• Ensureyour system or subsystem iscompliant with any performance, legislative and contractual requirements, with a strategy for completing a traceable evidence set in placeand that any deviations to compliance are clearly recorded and managed appropriately

• Support the assembly of evidencefor your systems or subsystemto validate,verifyand qualifyin support of a Certificate of Design or Declaration of Design Performance

• Ensure robust quality, performance, cost and time trade-offs are undertaken and then to establish the technical solution coherent with the agreed budgets and timescales

• Provide technical direction, control, evaluation and recommendations with respect to risks and opportunitiesfor your system or subsystem

• Lead andmentormore junior members of thetechnical team to enable a cost effective design programme andgoodproduct solution results

• Manage and communicate issues and opportunities to the Systems Design Authority

What you’ll bring

ThePrincipal or Lead Systems Engineerwill need to:

• Be able toachieveDesign Authority (DA) statusfor systems and/or sub-systems, approved by the SDA and Chief Engineer Design Integrity, in accordance with theLeonardoDesign Integrity framework.

• Work as a technical lead within their area of specialism, to ensure our products are implemented in accordance with the design and architecture approved by the SDA

• Ensure independent product assurance through Design Reviews and ensuring companyprocessesare adhered to(eg functional reviews)

• Be responsible forensuring thedelivered product design, compliance, safety and integrityunder the supervision of the SDA

• Work as part of a multi-disciplined project team in close partnership with key stakeholders.

You really must have:

• A strong background in development of complex military products

• Have experience in developing systems solutions withinat least one ofthe following:IP networking,RF or Comms domains.

• Experience of working with Requirements, Test,Qualification and Acceptancestrategies.

• Experience of managing the Design Standard and associated Configuration Management.

• Experience in gaining Design Certification and Customer Acceptance.

• Have the ability to develop technical solutions, compliant with requirements within agreed programme budgets and timescales.

• Have the ability to produce innovative system solutions.

• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills, to be able to interact with SMEs and End Users of various nationalities regarding a wide range of technical and operational topics.

• Be a self-motivated leader and team player capable of working with minimaldirection.

It would be nice if you had:

• Knowledge ofIP networking, RF and Comms equipment in the customer domain

• Experience of developing products for Naval platforms

• Knowledge of Training Development

• Knowledge of Software Development

• Degree qualified in a relevant Engineering or Scientific discipline (or equivalent)

• Have substantial analytical and technical problem solving skills.

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 Government’s 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: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why 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 work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• 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 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.

Where this vacancy is being recruited across more than one grade, the successful candidate will be appointed to a specific assessed grade, and the applicable salary range will be that associated with the grade of appointment.

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 team—they 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 - Southampton

Contract Type: Permanent

Hybrid Working: Hybrid