Senior/Principal Electronic Warfare Systems Architect

Plextek; Great Chesterford; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Plextek is seeking a Senior or Principal Electronic Warfare Systems Architect to shape and grow our EW capability. You will lead technical delivery, define solutions, and work with customers and partners in the UK and internationally.

The role requires deep EW knowledge and the ability to turn ideas into deployable products, with responsibility across the full lifecycle from proposals to demonstrations.

Qualifications

• Significant EW Systems Architect experience in defence or systems engineering.
• Breadth across architecture, RF/electronics, software, signal processing or FPGA.
• Experience contributing to proposals and leading complex engineering programs.
• Strong communication with customers, MOD and industry partners.
• Willingness to obtain NATO Secret and UK DV clearance.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across EW proposals, projects and product development.
• Define, develop and integrate EW systems and capabilities across disciplines; hands-on when needed.
• Identify risks, opportunities and drive effective solutions.
• Collaborate with Product Manager, CTO, Delivery Manager and Sales to shape EW capability roadmap.
• Maintain awareness of EW technology, threat systems and defence landscape; attend conferences and publish papers.
• Act as senior technical authority and mentor engineers to grow EW capability.
• Support trials and demonstrations in the UK, Europe, US and Asia.

Skills

EW knowledge

Systems engineering

Communication skills

Security clearance readiness

Job description

Plextek is a leading choice for employees and customers for exceptional engineering and strategic innovation to create better, safer, and more sustainable technologies and products.

OUR VALUES AND BELIEFS

Being a responsible business, we work with integrity and honesty. We share success with our people and our communities. We embrace diversity in outlook and work as a team with colleagues, customers, and suppliers to provide the best technical solution and professional service experience. We empower each other, we’re adaptable, show initiative, and deliver on our commitments together.

THE ROLE

We are looking for an experienced Senior or Principal Electronic Warfare Systems Architect to play a key role in developing and growing our EW capability.

This is a senior technical role for someone who combines deep EW knowledge with broad technical understanding, and a strong appetite to turn technology ideas into real capability in the form of deployable products and solutions.

You will bring energy and pace across the full lifecycle: shaping new opportunities and proposals, defining and developing technical solutions, leading technical delivery, and supporting trials and demonstrations with customers and partners in the UK and internationally.

The role will suit someone who is as comfortable discussing EW capability and threat systems with MOD and industry stakeholders as they are getting into the technical detail with engineers.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership across Electronic Warfare proposals, projects and product development activities
• Lead the technical definition, development and integration of EW systems and capabilities; getting hands on where needed and working across disciplines including systems architecture, RF/electronics, software, signal processing, FPGA, mechanical and associated engineering domains
• Identify technical risks, opportunities and dependencies and drive the development of effective solutions
• Work with Product Manager, CTO, Delivery Manager and Sales team to help define and evolve the organisation’s EW capability roadmap
• Maintain awareness of developments in EW technology, threat systems and the wider defence landscape; attend technical conferences and deliver talks or publish papers as part of building and maintaining our external technical credibility
• Act as a senior technical authority and source of EW expertise within the wider engineering team, mentoring and supporting other engineers and contributing to the development of technical capability across the organisation
• Support trials and demonstrations in the UK, Europe, US and Asia

Your essential experience and attributes:

• Significant professional experience as an Electronic Warfare Systems Architect, ideally in a product development, defence technology or systems engineering environment
• Depth in one or more of systems architecture, RF/electronics, software, signal processing or FPGA, combined with sufficient breadth to understand how these disciplines are integrated within an operational EW system
• Deep understanding of the EW landscape, threat systems, operational context, principles and architectures
• Demonstrable experience contributing technically to proposals, bids or new business opportunities and leading technically complex engineering or product-development activities; we want to see you having taken ownership, developed capability and delivered results
• Strong communication skills and confidence engaging with customers, MOD, industry and technical partners
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-moving and dynamic environment
• Willingness and ability to obtain NATO Secret and UK DV security clearance

In addition, the following are desirable but not essential:

• Existing network of strong technical relationships across the MOD, defence industry, technology companies and relevant international communities
• Experience of UK and international trials, demonstrations or operational evaluations
• Line management experience – this role has the potential to manage a small team of technical leads

THE REWARDS

We offer an excellent package, a stimulating environment, and a real interest in your development to encourage you to achieve your full potential. We are a versatile business, able to support career progression as appropriate.

We are based just south of Cambridge with easy road and rail routes to the city centre. We provide a friendly and supportive working environment, including regular on-site and off-site social events.