SC Cleared Senior Configuration Specialist

Synergize Consulting Ltd; Rowberrow; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Synergize Consulting Ltd is currently hiring a SC Cleared Senior Configuration Analyst for an initial 12-month contract. The role offers a hybrid working model: 3 days remote, 2 days on site in Bristol, with duration likely to extend. Inside IR35.

The position involves technical leadership in configuration management across defence and aerospace programmes, owning the Configuration Management Plan (CMP) and serving as the focal point for governance, audits, and best practice.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in configuration and change control within defence, aerospace, or another highly regulated industry.
• Proven experience authoring and maintaining Configuration Management Plans.
• Strong knowledge of configuration management principles, baseline control, and change classification (Class I/Class II).
• Extensive experience using TCU or similar Tool for configuration and change control.
• Experience supporting audits and regulatory engagement.
• Excellent attention to detail with strong analytical and leadership skills.
• Experience working with classified and export-controlled information.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement configuration management strategy for programmes in line with organisational policy and defence/aerospace standards.
• Lead the identification and control of Configuration Items (CIs) for hardware, software, and firmware.
• Establish, control, and maintain configuration baselines across the full life cycle.
• Ensure robust traceability between requirements, design artefacts, verification evidence, and delivered product.
• Act as the technical authority for configuration management matters within assigned programmes.
• Author, maintain, and own the Configuration Management Plan (CMP) for programmes and/or product lines.
• Ensure the CMP defines CI selection, baseline strategy, change control, configuration status accounting, audits, and tool usage.
• Maintain the CMP throughout the life cycle, ensuring it reflects programme maturity, contractual changes, and regulatory updates.
• Ensure the CMP is compliant with applicable standards (e.g., DEF STAN 05-057 and all Customer CM requirements).
• Provide the CMP as auditable evidence to customers and regulators and ensure effective implementation across project teams.
• Lead and govern the end-to-end change control process using TCU.
• Chair or provide senior support to Change Control Boards (CCB), ensuring disciplined decision-making.
• Classify and manage Class I and Class II changes, ensuring full assessment of safety, airworthiness, cost, schedule, and support impacts.
• Oversee concessions, deviations, waivers, and temporary changes, ensuring correct approval and traceability.
• Ensure approved changes are implemented, verified, and correctly re-baselined.
• Act as a senior user and subject-matter expert for TCU.
• Ensure TCU is used consistently as the authoritative source of configuration and change data.
• Define best practice for data structures, workflows, and status accounting within TCU.
• Ensure data integrity, access control, security classification, and export control compliance.
• Support continuous improvement of configuration and change control processes and tool usage.
• Ensure configuration and change control activities comply with regulatory, contractual, and organisational requirements.
• Lead preparation for and support internal, customer, and regulatory audits (e.g., FCA, PCA).
• Provide configuration status accounting, metrics, and management reporting.
• Ensure security classification and export control (ITAR/EAR) requirements are applied consistently to configuration data.
• Support configuration and change activities across design, development, manufacture, in-service support, modification, and obsolescence.
• Support release to manufacture, release to service, and in-service modification decisions.
• Advise programme management on configuration risks, impacts, and mitigation strategies.
• Mentor and support junior configuration and change control engineers.
• Provide training and guidance on configuration management principles, procedures, and TCU usage.
• Work closely with engineering, systems, quality, safety, manufacturing, supply chain, and programme teams.
• Act as the escalation point for complex configuration and change issues.

Skills

Configuration management

Change control

Audits/regulatory

Team leadership

Export control

Documentation

Tools

TCU

Job description

We are currently hiring for an SC Cleared Senior Configuration Analyst for an initial 12 months contract assignment. This will involve a hybrid working model of 3 days remote, 2 day on site in Bristol. (Duration is very likely to extend). Inside IR35

SC Cleared Senior Configuration Engineer. Current active SC Clearance is essential.

Reporting To

Lead Configuration and Change Manager

The Senior Configuration Engineer provides technical leadership and subject-matter expertise for configuration and change control across defence and aerospace programmes. The role is accountable for defining, implementing, and assuring configuration management arrangements throughout the full life cycle, using TCU as the authoritative configuration and change control tool.

The role includes ownership of the Configuration Management Plan (CMP), ensuring alignment with contractual, regulatory, and organisational requirements, and acting as the focal point for configuration governance, audit readiness, and best practice.

Key Responsibilities

Configuration Management Leadership

Define and implement configuration management strategy for programmes in line with organisational policy and defence/aerospace standards.

Lead the identification and control of Configuration Items (CIs) for hardware, software, and firmware.

Establish, control, and maintain configuration baselines (functional, allocated, product) across the full life cycle.

Ensure robust traceability between requirements, design artefacts, verification evidence, and delivered product.

Act as the technical authority for configuration management matters within assigned programmes.

Author, maintain, and own the Configuration Management Plan (CMP) for programmes and/or product lines.

Ensure the CMP defines CI selection, baseline strategy, change control, configuration status accounting, audits, and tool usage.

Maintain the CMP throughout the life cycle, ensuring it reflects programme maturity, contractual changes, and regulatory updates.

Ensure the CMP is compliant with applicable standards (eg DEF STAN 05-057 and all Customer CM requirements).

Provide the CMP as auditable evidence to customers and regulators and ensure effective implementation across project teams.

Lead and govern the end-to-end change control process using TCU.

Chair or provide senior support to Change Control Boards (CCB), ensuring disciplined decision-making.

Classify and manage Class I and Class II changes, ensuring full assessment of safety, airworthiness, cost, schedule, and support impacts.

Oversee concessions, deviations, waivers, and temporary changes, ensuring correct approval and traceability.

Ensure approved changes are implemented, verified, and correctly re-baselined.

Act as a senior user and subject-matter expert for TCU.

Ensure TCU is used consistently as the authoritative source of configuration and change data.

Define best practice for data structures, workflows, and status accounting within TCU.

Ensure data integrity, access control, security classification, and export control compliance.

Support continuous improvement of configuration and change control processes and tool usage.

Ensure configuration and change control activities comply with regulatory, contractual, and organisational requirements.

Lead preparation for and support internal, customer, and regulatory audits (eg FCA, PCA).

Provide configuration status accounting, metrics, and management reporting.

Ensure security classification and export control (ITAR/EAR) requirements are applied consistently to configuration data.

Support configuration and change activities across design, development, manufacture, in-service support, modification, and obsolescence.

Support release to manufacture, release to service, and in-service modification decisions.

Advise programme management on configuration risks, impacts, and mitigation strategies.

Mentor and support junior configuration and change control engineers.

Provide training and guidance on configuration management principles, procedures, and TCU usage.

Work closely with engineering, systems, quality, safety, manufacturing, supply chain, and programme teams.

Act as the escalation point for complex configuration and change issues.

Skills & Experience

Essential

Significant experience in configuration and change control within defence, aerospace, or another highly regulated industry.

Proven experience authoring and maintaining Configuration Management Plans.

Strong knowledge of configuration management principles, baseline control, and change classification (Class I/Class II).

Extensive experience using TCU or similar Tool for configuration and change control.

Experience supporting audits and regulatory engagement.

Excellent attention to detail with strong analytical and leadership skills.

Experience working with classified and export-controlled information.