Principal Systems Engineer

Safran UK; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Early finish on Fridays

Competitive salary and annual bonus

25 days' holiday + bank holidays (buy‑

Flexible working options

Pension (matched up to 8%) and life

Job summary

Safran Landing Systems in Gloucester is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to lead the development of aircraft landing gear systems. You will oversee requirements capture, validation, verification, and supplier liaison while steering a team of engineers to deliver compliant solutions.

You will apply systems engineering principles, ARP4754/ARP4761 knowledge, and MBSE techniques to ensure safety, reliability, and performance across the lifecycle of landing gear components.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in systems engineering for aerospace projects.
• Experience with ARP4754/ARP4761 is desirable.
• Ability to lead and collaborate across disciplines.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain system development plans aligned with Safran processes and ARP4754.
• Manage requirements at system, sub-system, and equipment levels, including customer and regulatory needs.
• Lead requirements validation and documentation of validation evidence.
• Coordinate product verification planning and documentation of verification evidence.
• Provide technical leadership to the systems engineering team.

Skills

Systems engineering

Requirements management

Validation & verification

Leadership & influence

Communication

Tools

IBM DOORS Classic/NG

MBSE

Job description

Principal Systems Engineer

Gloucester UK

Looking after the people who make Safran great is our priority. We offer a range of flexible benefits designed to support you-both in and out of work, including:

• Early finish on Fridays
• Competitive salary and annual bonus
• 25 days' holiday + bank holidays (option to buy/sell)
• Flexible working options
• Pension (matched up to 8%) and life assurance
• Professional development, ongoing training, mentoring
• Onsite amenities: parking, restaurant, bicycle storage, showers
• Family-friendly and accessible workplace policies
• Plus a wide range of flexible benefits of your choice!

Safran - Here, we craft excellence together.

At Safran, excellence is a journey - and we'd love you to be a part of it. As a trusted global leader in aerospace, defence, and space, we are proud to be a company where diversity, innovation, and opportunity come together to shape a sustainable future where we can all succeed together through a shared vision

We are looking for passionate individuals to join our Engineering team as a Assistant Principal Systems Engineer at our Gloucester site.

Safran Landing Systems are a global leader in aircraft landing and braking systems, from commercial and business travel to military and defence fleets. Our expertise cover the entire life cycle of our products from end-to-end; OEM Design, Engineering & Manufacturing, through to Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO).

Your Role

As a Principal Systems Engineer, you will ensure the successful development of aircraft landing gear systems-including structures, extension/retraction, hydraulics, and electrical harnesses-fully aligned with customer needs, regulatory requirements, and the Safran system development process.

You will lead system development planning, requirements capture and analysis, validation and verification activities, and supplier management for equipment such as actuators, hydraulic hoses, and electrical harnessing. You will also provide leadership to junior and senior engineers within the team.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting the definition of systems development plans aligned with Safran processes and ARP4754, in collaboration with the Systems Architecture Integration team.
• Ensuring adherence to systems development plans throughout the lifecycle.
• Managing requirements definition at system, sub system, and equipment levels-including customer, regulatory, and internal needs.
• Leading requirements validation from planning to documentation of validation evidence.
• Managing product verification, including planning, coordination of verification means, and documentation of verification evidence.
• Setting up and maintaining requirements management tools such as IBM DOORS Classic and DOORS NG.
• Producing systems engineering documentation including requirements, descriptions, validation/verification matrices, and DDP dossiers.
• Writing specifications for landing gear equipment (hydraulic actuators, hoses, electrical harnesses).
• Acting as a technical liaison with equipment suppliers.
• Providing technical leadership across the systems engineering team.

What You'll Bring

Essential

• Strong understanding of Systems Engineering principles, with experience in requirements management, validation, and verification
• Knowledge of aircraft landing gear systems (ATA32) or comparable complex aerospace systems - Must have!
• Ability to lead and influence stakeholders, supported by strong communication and collaborative leadership skills

Desirable

• Experience in mechanical engineering and hydraulics (actuators & hoses)
• Experience in electrical engineering
• Knowledge of airworthiness and certification requirements
• Familiarity with ARP4754 and ARP4761
• Experience using IBM DOORS (Classic or NG)
• Knowledge of Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
• Ability to review engineering documents such as reports, analyses, specifications, and requirements documentation
• Previous engineering signatory experience
• Ability to write clear and accurate technical reports
• Willingness to work collaboratively across all engineering disciplines
• General computer literacy and good written communication