Principal/Senior Systems Engineer - Autonomy and Sensor Fusion

Leonardo UK Ltd; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Bonus scheme

Pension with employer contribution

Mental health support

Learning via Coursera/LinkedIn

Employee discounts

Job summary

Leonardo in Edinburgh is seeking a Systems Engineer to join the PX Core Delivery Team. You will work on autonomy, sensor fusion and navigation, developing models and demonstrator systems for next‑gen products.

You will collaborate across disciplines, mentor junior staff, and contribute to customer-focused roadmaps and proposals, with a flexible hybrid working pattern.

Qualifications

• Strong engineering or CS background with ability to translate literature into models.
• Experience applying Autonomy & ML techniques to real-world applications.
• Solid systems thinking and ability to apply principles across projects.
• Experience coding in Python with Object‑Oriented programming.
• Experience with Git/Bitbucket for version control.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to present complex concepts clearly.
• Experience with Agile methodologies (Scrum/Kanban).
• Willingness to learn and collaborate in a wider team.

Responsibilities

• Undertaking research and development activities related to sensor management, autonomy and decision-making.
• Working with a highly skilled team to enhance mainline autonomy development projects.
• Researching literature to identify promising approaches for ongoing development.
• Creating work package plans and advising on optimal team size and capability mix.
• Ensuring delegated work is delivered on time and within scope.
• Mentoring junior team members to develop overall capability.
• Providing domain expertise to support customer engagement, roadmaps, and proposals.
• Contributing to project and team decision-making and reporting progress.

Skills

Python

Object-Oriented Programming

Autonomy & ML

Communication skills

Agile practices (Scrum/Kanban)

Education

STEM degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Git

Bitbucket

Job description

Job Description: Your Impact At Leonardo, we have an exciting new opportunity for a Systems Engineer to join our team within the Processing (PX) Core Delivery Team (CDT) based in Edinburgh. You will join the rapidly growing Autonomy, Sensor Fusion, and Navigation team, who are researching and developing next-generation algorithms and architectures that will be embedded in our future products. You will play a key role in researching new techniques, architectures and building demonstrator models for autonomous decision-making at a sensor, platform, and mission level. You will help to advance these capabilities with a view to engaging with both internal stakeholders and our customers. For this role, we are looking for engineers who have a strong track record in research, the ability to develop models and source code, and the application of algorithms to real-world problem spaces. We need effective collaborators who can work towards a long-term collective vision as part of a multi-discipline team, and strong communicators who are able to present novel, and potentially technically demanding concepts clearly to a wider group.

What you'll do

This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to join a dynamic team in a time of significant growth in the business. You will work closely with the responsible Team Lead and Technical Specialist(s) to deliver the capabilities for next generation products against the required timescales and budget.

Your responsibilities will include the following:

• Undertaking research and development activities and studies related to sensor management, autonomy and decision-making.
• Working as part of a highly skilled team to build improvements and new capabilities into the mainline autonomy development project.
• Researching key areas of promise/interest within literature that could support the ongoing development.
• Creating work package plans, advising on optimum team size/capability mix and reporting against the teams work programmes including analysis of risk
• Aiding the planning and managing of technical activities for a small team.
• Ensuring delegated work is delivered on time and within scope.
• Mentor, coach, and develop more junior members of the team in order to develop overall capability.
• Providing domain experience in support of customer and user engagement, product roadmaps, and proposals and statements-of-work.
• Contribute to project and team decision-making, for both short-term goals and long-term vision.
• Delivering artefacts to capture the research you have carried out, which clearly and concisely summarise key outcomes.
• Presenting any key findings both internally to the team and engage with wider internal/external stakeholders on project progress.

What you'll bring

Ideally, you will be degree qualified, and you will have relevant equivalent experience in a STEM related subject. You will ideally have experience and knowledge in the following areas:

• A strong engineering or Computer Science background, with the ability to understand concepts from the academic literature and transform them into a modelling environment.
• Experience in applying Autonomy & Machine Learning techniques to real world applications.
• Knowledge of wider systems thinking, with a drive to apply these principles in their own work and to encourage these to be followed by colleagues.
• Experience of coding or software development, specifically Python with a working knowledge of Object-Oriented Programming.
• Experience of using version control tools such as Git and Bitbucket are an advantage.
• Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to present technical concepts clearly and concisely to a variety of audiences.
• Engineering decision-making and the risk/reward trade-offs associated with engineering activities.
• Working and delivering designs using Agile methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban.
• A willingness to learn and working as part of a wider team that are focused on driving new technologies forward.

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.

Company Information

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 - Edinburgh Additional Locations: GB - Newcastle Contract Type: Permanent Hybrid Working: Hybrid International, multicultural, innovative, technological: this is Leonardo. The company’s passionate and talented team is strongly influenced by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) expertise, with a diverse range of experience that enables colleagues to share knowledge and know-how across the generations. Leonardo always wants to expand its talent pool, here you can find the right opportunity for you!