Senior Systems Engineer- Software Systems- Defence

Positiv+ Cohort; Bristol; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Positiv+ Cohort is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer in Bristol to lead software systems development for defence programs. You will shepherd requirements from client engagements through system and software-level derivation, ensuring traceability and compliant change control within a modular architecture.

You will collaborate across stakeholders, document functional designs, and influence product line strategy with reusable software components.

Qualifications

• Experience in capturing, deriving and validating system and software requirements.
• Strong systems engineering background with traceability across levels.
• Excellent communication to translate complex concepts for stakeholders.
• Proven ability to manage engineering changes and configuration controls.
• Experience with trade studies and system development activities in defence/aerospace.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with defence clients to understand operational needs and translate into actionable requirements.
• Develop and manage system/software requirements with traceability across levels.
• Inform product line strategy with reusable architectural components.
• Define controlled processes for engineering changes and maintain system integrity.
• Act as internal customer for software components within the overall architecture.

Skills

Requirements management

Systems engineering

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Defence/aerospace domain knowledge

Tools

DOORS

DOORS NG

Rhapsody

Job description

About the Role:

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Systems Engineer with a strong focus on software systems to join our dynamic team in the defence sector. This role is pivotal in shaping complex systems that meet diverse customer needs, ensuring robust requirements management, and driving software development aligned with strategic product line goals.

Key Responsibilities:

• Customer Engagement & Requirements Capture:
  Collaborate with defence clients to understand, elicit, and refine their operational needs and translate them into clear, actionable system and software requirements.
• Requirements Derivation & Flowdown:
  Develop and manage system, subsystem, and software requirements using industry-standard tools, ensuring traceability and alignment with customer expectations.
• Product Line Strategy Support:
  Contribute to product line development by informing common architecture and reusable software components that serve multiple customer applications.
• Change Management:
  Define and implement controlled processes for managing engineering changes, ensuring system integrity and compliance throughout the lifecycle.
• Software Item Ownership:
  Act as the internal customer for specific software components, guiding their development and integration within the broader system architecture.

What We’re Looking For:

• Proven experience in requirements management and derivation, ideally within the defence industry.
• Proficiency with systems engineering tools such as DOORS, DOORS NG, Rhapsody, or similar.
• Strong understanding of functional design and the ability to flow requirements through system, subsystem, and equipment levels.
• Excellent communication skills to translate complex technical concepts into clear, customer-friendly language.
• Demonstrated ability in engineering change control and configuration management.
• Experience initiating and conducting trade studies and system development activities.
• Background in developing complex systems, preferably in a defence or aerospace environment.
• Ability to communicate architectures and technical ideas effectively across all levels of stakeholders.
• Strong stakeholder management and interpersonal skills.
• Experience working with product lines and modular system architectures is highly desirable.

Competitive Rates Outside IR-35