Project Engineering Lead

Leonardo UK Ltd; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme with employer contrib.

Bonus scheme

Free online courses (Coursera/LinkedIn

Flexible/hybrid working

Job summary

Leonardo UK Ltd in Edinburgh is seeking a Project Engineering Lead to steer a multi-disciplinary team on a flagship radar project. You will deliver receiver technology with a focus on timely delivery, cost control, and quality, while engaging with stakeholders and ensuring compliant engineering processes.

The role promotes agile ways of working and continuous improvement within an integrated project team. A strong electronics background and leadership are essential.

Qualifications

• First degree or higher in Electronics or related discipline.
• Strong leadership and team-working capabilities.
• Knowledge of an engineering lifecycle process and related business processes.
• Willingness to travel within the UK, and possibly overseas.
• Familiarity with electronic systems design and operation.
• Experience with software, hardware, firmware and integration.

Responsibilities

• Lead the engineering team on large-scale flagship projects to deliver on time and within budget.
• Provide engineering input to project performance reviews and ensure quality standards.
• Collaborate with project stakeholders, suppliers and Make/Buy decisions.
• Promote modularity, re-use, and continuous improvement across the lifecycle.

Education

Electronics degree

Leadership

Engineering lifecycle

System design

Budget & schedule estimation

Stakeholder management

Tools

Hardware integration

Software/firmware integration

Job description

Job Description: Your impact Are you looking for an exciting and challenging opportunity to lead a skilled team in a time of significant growth in an AESA Radar sector, based in our Edinburgh site? Leonardo is a global leader in defence electronics and delivers mission critical systems for situational awareness, electronic warfare and surveillance across land, sea and air.

The Radar and Advanced Targeting line of business, based in Edinburgh, is uniquely positioned as one of the world’s top manufacturers of radars, lasers and infrared countermeasure systems with a rich heritage in engineering, with 100 years of pioneering development.

We are looking for a Project Engineering Lead (PEL) to join the engineering team on a permanent basis to cover an exciting and growing large scale flagship project developing cutting edge Receiver technology. Working within a multi-disciplinary Integrated Project Team, the role provides engineering leadership to deliver projects on time, within budget and to the required quality standards.

It is accountable for engineering inputs to Project Performance Reviews, maintaining effective reporting and communication, and ensuring the delivery of best‑value solutions that meet customer, contractual, safety and legislative requirements.

The role promotes streamlined ways of working, encouraging re‑use, modularity and continuous improvement across the engineering lifecycle.

It works closely with the Project Chief Engineer, suppliers and key stakeholders to resolve technical and programme challenges, support make‑or‑buy decisions, maintain configuration and change control, and document design rationale.

Strong stakeholder management and communication are essential, ensuring issues are escalated appropriately and performance targets are achieved.

The role also supports Agile ways of working, fostering a collaborative, motivated and high‑performing engineering team.

What you’ll bring

• A first degree or higher qualification in Electronics or a related discipline.
• Strong leadership competency whilst demonstrating team working skills.
• Knowledge of a typical Engineering lifecycle process and business processes.
• A willingness to travel within the UK, and possibly overseas.
• Familiarity with electronic systems design and operation.
• Familiarity of Software, Hardware, Firmware and integration.
• Delivery of accurate estimations in support of further orders.

It would be nice if you had

• Extensive experience in integrating systems and sub‑systems.
• Experience of Radar and/or Communications.
• Experience in developing integrated solutions for airborne environments.
• Experience within system design/system architectures.
• Chartership with an engineering institution.

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

• 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 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 - Edinburgh

Contract Type: Permanent

Hybrid Working: Hybrid International, multicultural, innovative, technological: this is Leonardo.

The company’s passionate and talented team is strongly influenced by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) expertise, with a diverse range of experience that enables colleagues to share knowledge and know-how across the generations. Leonardo always wants to expand its talent pool, here you can find the right opportunity for you!