Project Chief Engineer

Leonardo; Luton; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time to Recharge

Pension up to 15%

Mental health support

Bonus scheme

Free online courses

Hybrid working

Refer a friend

Job summary

Leonardo UK in Luton seeks a Systems Design Authority (Delivery) to lead technical delivery of EW Payload capabilities from concept to implementation. You will engage customers and engineering teams, providing critical technical leadership and shaping solutions across cost, schedule, risk, and performance.

In a hybrid role with travel, you will influence strategy, partner with development SDA teams, review bids, and mentor engineers to deliver robust, compliant systems for high‑stakes defence

Qualifications

• Significant systems engineering leadership across defence/aerospace sectors.
• Ability to engage with customers and senior stakeholders to define requirements.
• Experience across Requirements Management, Verification, Qualification, Acceptance, Design Certification, and Customer Acceptance.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical solution for EW Payload programmes, ensuring requirements translate into deliverable solutions.
• Develop CONOPS and CONUSE with customers, translating needs into system requirements with engineering teams.
• Provide technical leadership to multidisciplinary teams and balance performance, cost, schedule, quality, and risk.
• Lead identification and management of technical risks and opportunities for informed decisions.
• Shape future product strategy and roadmaps with key stakeholders.
• Review bids and proposals, ensuring alignment with strategy and customer needs.
• Coach engineers to deliver high‑quality, cost‑effective solutions.

Skills

Technical leadership

Systems engineering

Stakeholder engagement

Lifecycle experience

Design standards

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

Job Description:

Are you passionate about turning complex customer needs into cutting‑edge Electronic Warfare solutions? We’re looking for a Systems Design Authority (SDA) (Delivery) to lead the technical delivery of EW Payload capabilities, shaping solutions that make a real impact for our customers and operational users.

In this influential role within Leonardo’s Electronic Warfare (EW) Sector, you’ll work closely with customers, engineering teams, and senior stakeholders to define, deliver, and assure technical solutions from concept through to implementation.

This is an opportunity to shape both the delivery of today’s EW Payload solutions and the development of tomorrow’s capabilities , combining technical leadership, customer engagement, and strategic influence in a highly visible role.

This role offers a hybrid working arrangement, with a combination of on‑site presence at our Luton office and UK and international travel.

Key Responsibilities as the EW Payloads SDA (Delivery)

• Own the technical solution for EW Payload programmes, ensuring customer requirements are translated into effective, compliant, and deliverable solutions.
• Work with customers to develop Concepts of Operation (CONOPS) and Concepts of Use (CONUSE), translating operational needs into clear system requirements in partnership with engineering teams.
• Provide technical leadership to multidisciplinary engineering teams, guiding key decisions and trade‑offs across performance, cost, schedule, quality, and risk to establish a compliant technical solution.
• Lead the identification, assessment, and management of technical risks and opportunities, ensuring informed and balanced decision‑making.
• Partner with the EW Payloads Development SDA and key stakeholders to shape future product strategy and capability roadmaps.
• Review bids and proposals, providing independent technical assessment to ensure solutions align with strategic objectives, product strategy, and customer needs.
• Coach and mentor engineers, fostering a collaborative culture that delivers high‑quality, cost‑effective solutions.

What you’ll bring:

You Really Must Have:

• Significant technical leadership experience, underpinned by a strong systems engineering background and a proven track record in the design, development, qualification, certification, and delivery of complex solutions within defence, aerospace, or other highly regulated industries.
• The ability to engage confidently with customers and senior stakeholders, providing clear technical direction and leading multidisciplinary teams to successful outcomes.
• Broad experience across the engineering lifecycle, including Requirements Management, Verification, Qualification, Acceptance, Design Certification, and Customer Acceptance.
• Proven capability in Design Standards, Configuration Management, and the delivery of innovative system‑level solutions.
• Experience developing compliant technical solutions that achieve customer requirements within cost and schedule constraints.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• A self‑motivated and collaborative approach, with the ability to work with minimal direction and communicate effectively with subject matter experts and end users across diverse technical and cultural environments.

It would be nice if you had:

• Knowledge of Electronic Warfare equipment and its application within operational customer environments.
• A degree in a relevant engineering or scientific discipline, with Chartered Engineer status (or working towards it) and membership of a relevant professional institution such as the IET.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to make sound technical decisions in complex environments.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

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.

Leonardo UK operates a grade‑based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

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 - Luton - Cap. Green 300

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hybrid Working:

Hybrid