Principal Systems Engineer (Lead)

ultra; Maidenhead; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Ultra Intelligence & Communications Cyber (UK) Business is seeking a Principal Systems Lead to oversee the Systems Engineering lifecycle for a major defence program. You will own the solution from requirements through delivery, guiding multi-disciplinary teams and ensuring compliance with ISO 15288 standards.

The role requires independent judgement, strong technical leadership, and the ability to mentor project managers and engineers.

Qualifications

• Extensive Systems Engineering lifecycle experience.
• Leadership of cross-disciplinary teams in complex projects.
• Strong ability to translate requirements into design and verification.

Responsibilities

• Represent the Systems discipline as the lead engineer on a project.
• Define and allocate resources, delegate responsibilities, and manage risks.
• Develop technical solutions for complex engineering problems across systems.
• Provide technical direction across architecture, design, and implementation.
• Lead design reviews with senior management and customers.
• Collaborate with system, hardware, firmware and software architects.
• Ensure compliance with ISO 15288 processes and lifecycle.
• Sign off significant technical documents and manage security of information.

Skills

Systems engineering

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Technical direction

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

ISO 15288

Model-based systems engineering

Job description

Company: Ultra Intelligence & Communications
Cyber (UK) Business

Powering Decision

Join the team redefining defense technology. From engineering systems that save lives to leading programs that change the battlefield-find your place in the future of defense.

Cyber Business

Our Cyber business unit is at the forefront of pioneering advanced cryptographic and key management solutions, facilitating the confidential exchange of vital information for customers operating at both tactical and strategic echelons. Join our team and participate in the innovation that ensures the highest security and trust worldwide.

Job Description

The Ultra Engineering function manages a portfolio of specialist capabilities, generating highly differentiated solutions and products by applying, systematically, electronic, mechanical, and software technologies in demanding and critical environments to meet customer needs. Within the Engineering function the Systems Engineering discipline ensures a defined multi/inter-discipline approach and assures the cross-discipline solution/products support a compliant system, offering a means to gain stakeholder acceptance.

The Principal Systems Lead role is responsible for, and assures, a hierarchical implementation of the ISO 15288 processes and practices across the Systems Engineering life cycle, for the assigned project. This Lead role owns the solution in response to the collective technical requirements; furthering the clarity of the requirements for engagement and flow down to the other disciplines; managing the delivery of the required deliverables associated to the candidate solution/capability, whilst also assuring the evidence-base offers a managed approach to progressive acceptance.

As a professional at this grade, they need to be able to apply their technical and leadership knowledge, making independent judgements based on reasoned decision making and significant previous experience. Often seen as a referral point or more senior team member, to escal… this role is expected to act independently with minimal guidance and may mentor project managers/other discipline engineers/early careers.

Key Responsibilities

• Represents the Systems discipline as the lead Systems Engineer assigned to a project, owning the totality of the Systems assigned work packages and tasking, to deliver obligations and commitments to the enabling technical requirements, agreed processes, plans, quality, schedule and budget.
• Supports the Engineering Project Lead (EPL) in delivering the delegated engineering management obligations, defines the team resources needed and delegates leadership and technical responsibilities applicable to the Systems work packages and assurance tasks to the allocated systems team.
• Is responsible for all aspects of the development of technical solutions to large and complex engineering problems, demonstrate alignment to Systems Engineering practices, principles and processes, to ensure customer requirements are satisfied.
• Quantifies and implements a marriage of technical processes and technical management processes to achieve the desired solution, delivering Systems Engineering artefacts, as required, across the engineering development lifecycle, to result in a positive project outcome.
• Provide technical direction and exert technical influence across the numerous project work packages, such that the optimal approach, applicable processes, risk mitigations, architecture, design, and implementation are selected/identified.
• Work closely with the system, hardware, firmware and software architects and design authorities to ensure consistency, design for modularity and re-use, and technical excellence.
• Plans and delivers design reviews, to senior management and customers, to a level of clarity and quality to ensure a successful event/outcome.
• Leads, manages and reports Systems aspects of the project to achieve optimal balance between requirements, solution maturity, technical risk, schedule and cost.
• Manage customers and external suppliers to define and achieve expectations and objectives, where the System lead achieves acceptance via the technical solution and related products/artefacts.
• Having delivered the solution acts as the Design Authority (DA), supporting the in-service phase and future opportunities/change.
• Ensure and review technical/task proposals, providing accurate estimates for the associated effort, costs and risks, for bids and proposals, leading to contract award.
• Technically lead other project discipline lead/s, working with project management and engineering project leads, to create proposals associated to the technical solution, that drive down project costs, risk and increase margin.
• Reviews and signs off significant technical documents; frequently supporting the technical review chair with the significant deliverables.
• Manage security of information as defined in the Security manual