Senior System Design Engineer

MBDA S.A.S.; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 41,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Pension contribution up to 14%

Overtime

Flexi Leave

Flexible working

Enhanced parental leave

Site facilities

Healthcare plan

Job summary

MBDA UK Ltd is seeking a Senior System Design Engineer in Bristol to deliver systems engineering expertise for complex weapons programmes across air, land and sea domains. You will establish requirements, develop architectures and guide verification activities.

The role offers dynamic hybrid working with 2–3 days on-site, competitive salary 41,000–46,500 GBP depending on experience, and a company bonus along with a strong benefits package.

Qualifications

• Experience in systems engineering for defence programmes.
• Ability to write clear engineering documentation.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and manage system requirements and architectures.
• Guide verification, validation and performance assurance across lifecycles.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure system integrity.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Interpersonal skills

Tools

DOORS/DOORS NG/Rhapsody

Job description

Senior System Design Engineer

Employer

MBDA UK Ltd

Location

United Kingdom-Bristol

Salary

Competitive

Closing date

20 Oct 2026

Clearance Level

DV, SC, None / Undisclosed

Sector

Defence, Engineering, Information Technology

Job Type

Permanent

As a Senior Systems Design Engineer in the System Design Missiles Function you will deliver systems engineering expertise to major programmes developing the latest Complex Weapons capabilities for the UK and allied Armed Forces in response to advanced threats across Air, Land and Sea domains.

Salary: Between 41,000 - £46,500 depending on experience

Dynamic (hybrid) working: 2-3 days per week on-site due to workload classification (may vary depending on specific project needs)

Security Clearance: British Citizen or a Dual UK national with British citizenship

Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.

What we can offer you:

• Company bonus: Up to £2,500 (based on company performance and will vary year to year)
• Pension: maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
• Overtime: opportunity for paid overtime
• Flexi Leave: Up to 15 additional days
• Flexible working: We welcome applicants who are looking for flexible working arrangements
• Enhanced parental leave: offers up to 26 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave - enhancements are available for paternity leave, neonatal leave and fertility testing and treatments
• Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more...
• Healthcare Cash Plan: The Healthcare Cash Plan benefit provides the option to claim cash back on everyday healthcare expenses such as optical, dental, health and wellbeing and more.

The opportunity:

The System Design Missiles function has a number of vacancies for Senior System Design Engineers across multiple missiles systems across different lifecycles, presenting an exciting opportunity to contribute to the defence of our and our allies' nations.

You could be using your systems engineering skills:

• to establish requirements,
• develop system architectures
• guide the verification and validation process
• provide system level performance assurance
• certify our product leading to acceptance by the Customer and their assurance agencies.

There will be plenty of opportunities to grow your skills and expertise in a supportive team, all while knowing you are making a difference defending our freedom.

What we're looking for from you:

• Desire to increase Systems engineering experience at multiple phases of the lifecycle, such as requirements, system architecture, verification and certification.
• Desire to increase understanding of the Systems engineering processes for system performance and the functional chain domain.
• Experience of Systems engineering toolsets, such as DOORS/DOORS NG/Rhapsody
• Possess excellent analytical and problem-solving skills and the capability to write clear, concise engineering documentation.
• Good verbal communication, listening and time management skills.
• Ability to engage with subject matter experts and grow your knowledge of new technical areas.
• An effective team player with strong interpersonal skills, essential to working as part of a multi-disciplinary team and in building cohesion in the relationships between the systems team and various interfacing teams.
• An ability to respond quickly when programme priorities change.

Our company: Peace is not a given, Freedom is not a given, Sovereignty is not a given

MBDA is a leading defence organisation. We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.

We are proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity, Disability and more...

We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process.

Follow us on LinkedIn (MBDA), X (@MBDA_UK), Instagram (MBDA_UK) and Glassdoor or visit our MBDA Careers website for more information.

#LI-KF1

Company

Together. For the future of defence.

We work with purpose, knowing that every advancement provides better, smarter and more effective defence capabilities to the UK and their allies. Regarded as one of the most trusted suppliers of defence solutions in Europe, we have a relationship with the UK military spanning back over 70 years.

Whether it's designing a future concept for the British Army, managing the procurement of a missile component or harnessing their expertise in software in order to integrate one of our products on to the newest fighter jet, all of our employees are a part of delivering a more secure tomorrow.