Principal Systems Engineer

Leonardo; Luton; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous leave

Pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution

Free mental health support

Access to online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning

Financial rewards through the referral programme

£500 annual flexible benefits

Job summary

Leonardo is looking for a Systems Engineer in Luton to develop requirements and test plans, collaborating with multi-functional teams on system development. The role demands a science-based Honours degree and a focus on systems engineering.

The salary ranges from £55,000 to £68,000. The position is office-based with flexible working options, alongside generous leave and a strong pension scheme.

Qualifications

• Candidates must have a science-based Honours degree or equivalent experience.
• Desire to gain knowledge in electronic warfare is preferred.
• Knowledge of the systems engineering lifecycle is essential.

Responsibilities

• Develop Requirements and Test Plans.
• Control Parts and Documentation.
• Collaborate with multi-functional teams on system development.

Skills

Systems engineering

Electronic warfare domain knowledge

Problem definition

Requirements engineering

Digital signal processing

Education

Science-based Honours degree

Tools

IBM DOORS

Job description

Your Impact

Are you looking to advance your career and work on technology that will shape the future of defence? Does working on developing systems for current and future military aircraft sound like a challenge that would be of interest? If you have skills in systems engineering and five years UK residency, we are looking for engineers to join us at Leonardo in Luton in a predominantly office and laboratory-based role.

What You’ll Do As a Systems Engineer

• Development of Requirements and Test Plans
• Control of Parts and Documentation, including change management
• Collaboration with multi-functional teams on system and sub-system development
• Work with suppliers, integrators, and users across the UK

Our Systems Engineers work in multidisciplinary teams spanning a range of activities pulling together the necessary engineering and technology strands into a high-performance system, bridging the gap between the theoretically possible and the practically implementable.

Examples of Work

• Early concept studies investigating the application of new technology on future platforms
• Engaging with stakeholders, defining requirements for a new system
• Conducting cost and functional performance trade-offs and evaluation of proposed solutions
• Enhancing capabilities and performance of in-service systems
• Designing and integrating new functionality into an existing system
• Modelling a system to understand observed simulated performance
• Development of capability within limitations and constraints of the target hardware
• Root‑cause analysis of anomalies observed during integration or evaluation activities
• Designing and conducting testing and trials to prove equipment function and performance
• Opportunities to lead technical activities and initiatives
• Mentoring and coaching other engineers
• Creating and delivering reports, presentations and proposals to customers and industry partners
• Supporting knowledge sharing and exploitation of good practice

What You’ll Bring

• A science‑based Honours degree or equivalent experience
• Experience or a desire to gain electronic warfare domain knowledge
• Knowledge of the systems engineering lifecycle, particularly in the following areas
  • Problem definition
  • Requirements engineering, including the use of IBM DOORS
  • Systems Architecture
  • Synthetic Environments
  • Systems Modelling and Analysis
  • Integration
  • Verification and Validation
  • Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
• Experience of working with related specialisms such as safety, security, airworthiness or reliability
• Domain‑specialist knowledge
  • Digital signal processing
  • RF systems
  • Multi‑sensor data fusion and tracking
  • Real time data simulation/generation
  • Military Electronic systems
  • Data analysis using AI or Machine Learning
  • Operational Experience in Electronic Intelligence or Electronic Warfare

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre‑employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), along with an additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV), including 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. Due to the nature of the work and its connections to UK Defence strategy, applicants must have five years UK Residency and hold a UK Passport.

Salary Range

Principal Engineer £55,000 to £68,000

Why join us

• 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.

Primary Location

GB - Luton - Cap. Green 300

Contract Type

Permanent

Hybrid Working

Onsite