Principal Systems Design Engineer - Future Products

MBDA UK; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Pension

Overtime

Flexi Leave

Flexible working

Enhanced parental leave

Site facilities

Healthcare Cash Plan

Job summary

MBDA UK is seeking forward-thinking Systems Design Principal Engineers to shape the next generation of missile systems by turning ambitious concepts into the technical blueprints of tomorrow.

This hybrid on-site role requires security clearance and offers a salary up to £57,500 depending on experience, with a company bonus, enhanced pensions, flexi Leave, and flexible working arrangements.

Qualifications

• Extensive Systems Engineering experience, especially in early-phase conceptual work.
• Experience developing and applying requirements to translate customer needs into specifications.
• Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approaches and tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead concept development and funneling towards technical down-selection.
• Define functional architecture and system-level performance requirements.
• Specify missile system capabilities to meet operational needs.
• Own technical milestones and deliverables with SMEs.
• Capture and translate customer needs into structured specifications (CPS, SRS, TRS).
• Collaborate with stakeholders to align technical strategy with business goals.

Skills

Systems Engineering

Requirements development

MBSE awareness

Technical leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

SysML

Job description

Define the next generation missile systems; we are looking for forward-thinking Systems Design Principal Engineers, to develop and transform ambitious concepts into the technical blueprints of tomorrow’s missile products. Salary: up to £57,500 depending on experience Dynamic (hybrid) working: 3-to-5 days per week on-site, depending on workload classification Security Clearance: British Citizen or a Dual-UK national with British citizenship Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team. A minimum of SC clearance is also required for the roles.

What we can offer you:

• Company bonus: Up to £2,500 (based on company performance and will vary year to year)
• Pension: maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
• Overtime: opportunity for paid overtime
• Flexi Leave: Up to 15 additional days
• Flexible working: We welcome applicants who are looking for flexible working arrangements
• Enhanced parental leave: offers up to 26 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave -enhancements are available for paternity leave, neonatal leave and fertility testing and treatments
• Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more…
• Healthcare Cash Plan: The Healthcare Cash Plan benefit provides the option to claim cash back on everyday healthcare expenses such as optical, dental, health and wellbeing and more

The Opportunity:

Shape the Future of Missile Systems As a Future Products, Principal Systems Design Engineer, you will join a technical function dedicated to defining the next generation of missiles/effectors and integrated weapon system capabilities. This role is positioned at the critical intersection of early-phase design and strategic growth, where you will transform high-level concepts into viable technical scopes that ensure long-term success in major national and international programs.

Why this role is compelling:

This position offers the opportunity to lead the technical narrative during the most creative phase of the product lifecycle. You will have the autonomy to explore new functionality and apply cutting-edge Systems Engineering techniques to solve complex problems before they are fully defined. You will act as a key technical integrator, bridging the gap between ambitious customer needs and deliverable engineering plans.

What you will be doing:

• Concept Development & Funnelling: Leading the conceptualization process, managing the evaluation of various options, and driving the rigorous "funnelling" process toward technical down-selection.
• Functional Architecture & Performance: Defining the functional behaviour and system-level performance requirements, ensuring the logical architecture supports the overarching mission goals.
• Missile System Capability: Defining the specific capabilities of the missile system to ensure it meets operational needs, focusing on the missile system design.
• Technical Delivery & Planning: Owning the technical milestones for task groups and collaborating with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to translate high-level goals into detailed, deliverable plans of work.
• Requirements Orchestration: Leading the early capture of customer needs and translating them into structured specifications (such as CPS, SRS, and TRS) using industry-standard approaches & tools.
• Strategic Collaboration: Engaging with stakeholders at all levels to align technical strategy with business objectives.

What we're looking for from you:

• Extensive experience in Systems Engineering, especially desirable if within early-phase conceptual work.
• Experience with developing and applying requirements, ideally including familiarity with approaches and tools to capture and translate customer needs into specifications.
• Ability to engage at a technical level across multiple disciplines (Physical Architecture, Aerodynamics, Propulsion, Guidance Control & Navigation, etc) Comfortable with occasional engaging into Sales and Business Development & Strategy to understand wider objectives and direction Comfortable working with ambiguity and in uncertainty Delivery-focused with positive and enthusiastic outlook
• Highly Desirable: experience in technical project management and competitive bidding.
• Highly Desirable: Team and Technical Leadership skills
• Desirable: Proven ability to develop Functional Architectures and system-level performance requirements.
• Desirable: Awareness of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE).

Our company:

Peace is not a given, Freedom is not a given, Sovereignty is not a given MBDA is a leading defence organisation. We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom. We are proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity, Disability and more… We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Follow us on LinkedIn (MBDA), X (@MBDA_UK), Instagram (MBDA_UK) and Glassdoor or visit our MBDA Careers website for more information. What we do matters. Because defence matters. As a leading company in the defence industry we support our nations by delivering essential military capabilities, both for today and the future. We are proud to be an award-winning employer and are proud of the growing diversity of our workforce. Our people are the ones who drive our constant innovation and deliver against challenging targets. Whatever your background, we welcome your application to MBDA UK and look forward to speaking with you soon.