Senior Systems Engineer

BAE Systems; Waterlooville; On-site; GBP 51,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defence company in Waterlooville is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to apply Systems Engineering principles across the full lifecycle, from requirements definition to integration and testing. Ideal candidates should have strong knowledge of Systems Engineering standards, experience in complex system designs, and be familiar with tools like JIRA and IBM DOORS. The role offers competitive salary and an array of benefits including health plans and employee share schemes.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Discounted health and lifestyle benefits

Annual incentive eligibility

Qualifications

• Understand engineering principles applied to design and development.
• Knowledge of Systems Engineering standards like ISO 15288.
• Experience in multiple engineering lifecycle phases.

Responsibilities

• Implement ISO 15288 across the full lifecycle of systems engineering.
• Manage system and sub-system requirements using approved tools.
• Perform system design decomposition and maintain architectural models.

Skills

Engineering principles understanding

Systems Engineering knowledge

Experience in large scale complex system designs

Knowledge of lifecycle models

Presentation skills

Tools

IBM DOORS Next

CATIA Magic (Cameo)

JIRA

Job description

Job Title: Senior Systems Engineer

Location: Portsmouth Broad Oak

Salary: Up to £60,000 dependent on skills and experiences

What you’ll be doing:

• Apply Systems Engineering Principles: Implement ISO 15288 across the full lifecycle—from requirements definition through integration, acceptance, support, and disposal
• Requirements Management: Decomposing and managing system and sub-system requirements using approved tools (e.g., IBM DOORS Next)
• System Architecture & Design: Performing system design decomposition, interface definition, and maintain architectural models in tools like CATIA Magic (Cameo)
• Integration & Testing: Planning and executing system integration and testing, contributing to acceptance strategies and compliance verification
• Technical Documentation & Reviews: Producing technical reports, presentations, and conducting reviews to ensure adherence to specifications and standards
• Technical Leadership & Guidance: Working independently under limited direction, resolving engineering issues, and providing guidance to the immediate team
• Maintain Contemporary Practices: Staying current with Model-Based Engineering, digital threads, cybersecurity, and safety procedures

Your skills and experiences:

• Understands engineering principles and approaches underpinning design and development activities and be capable of systems thinking, applying holistic approaches to complex problems
• Demonstrates understanding, knowledge and experience of Systems Engineering with a focus on software-based product development including knowledge of appropriate Systems Engineering and Software Engineering standards (e.g. ISO 15288 and ISO 12207 respectively)
• Experience of working with large scale complex system designs
• Experience of multiple phases of an engineering lifecycle and good knowledge of lifecycle models (e.g. Waterfall, Agile) and associated tools (e.g. JIRA)
• Experience of presenting both technical and non-technical information in a formal setting

Benefits:

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts – you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Modelling & Simulation Projects team:

We’re a team of around 150 training and systems engineering specialists with decades of experience delivering world-class naval training solutions for the Royal Navy. Our diverse workforce includes former RN officers, operators, and maintainers, alongside experts from the Army, RAF, MOD, academia, and industry. We shape training strategy, define requirements, and assure solutions that meet operational needs.

We deliver end-to-end training management and technology solutions across the Defence training continuum, aligned with JSP 822 and JSP 939. From strategy and acquisition to integration and assurance, our products support training delivery, experimentation, and test & integration.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date: 2nd January 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.

“Due to the festive season, there may be a delay in the processing of your application. Your application is important to us, and we will respond as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.”