System Engineer- Mechanical Bias- Defence

Positiv+ Cohort; Stevenage; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Positiv+ Cohort is seeking a Systems Engineer (Mechanical Bias) to own the missile airframe mechanical architecture, interfaces, and verification strategies. You will ensure coherence and compliance of mechanical and thermal solutions across all variants, serving as the focal point for requirements and validation throughout the lifecycle.

Essential background includes a degree in mechanical or systems engineering and proven experience in safety-critical systems.

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related discipline.
• Proven experience in systems engineering within complex, safety-critical products (defence, aerospace, missile systems).
• Strong background in mechanical architecture, interfaces, and requirements management.
• Experience with requirements specifications, interface control documentation, and verification plans.

Responsibilities

• Lead establishment and ownership of Missile Airframe TRS with traceability.
• Define and maintain overall mechanical architecture across missile variants.
• Manage mechanical interfaces with the launcher and coordinate across domains.
• Implement GMA policies and promote modular design across product variants.
• Develop airframe proving logic and support regulatory approvals.
• Engage with customers and stakeholders to communicate mechanical status.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Systems engineering

Requirements management

Interface management

Airframe architecture

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Role Purpose

The Systems Engineer (Mechanical Bias) is responsible for the definition, integration, and delivery of the missile mechanical architecture, ensuring that mechanical and thermal solutions are coherent, compliant, and optimised across all missile variants. The role sits at the heart of systems engineering, acting as the focal point for mechanical requirements, interfaces, and validation logic throughout the missile lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

Mechanical Architecture & Requirements

• Lead the establishment and ownership of the Missile Airframe Task Requirements Specification (TRS), ensuring a structured, robust, and traceable mechanical response to the overall Missile TRS.
• Define and maintain the overall mechanical architecture for all missile variants, ensuring consistency, compliance, and suitability against performance, environmental, and certification requirements.
• Ensure that mechanical architecture and interfaces are fully aligned with system-level requirements and design intent.

Interface Management

• Manage the mechanical interface with the launcher, ensuring compatibility, robustness, and compliance with system and customer requirements.
• Lead the management of mechanical and thermal interfaces across the missile, coordinating inputs from multiple engineering domains to ensure fully integrated solutions.
• Act as the mechanical interface focal point between systems engineering, detailed design teams, and external stakeholders.

Modularity, Reuse & Governance

• Implement and enforce GMA (Generic Missile Architecture) policies, ensuring that modularity, reuse, and commonality objectives are achieved across product variants.
• Promote architectural decisions that reduce lifecycle cost and complexity while maintaining technical integrity and performance.

Verification, Validation & Certification

• Develop and own the airframe proving logic, defining how mechanical requirements will be validated and verified throughout development.
• Ensure mechanical compliance to the Airframe TRS, supporting the achievement of missile Certificate of Design and other regulatory approvals.
• Support reviews, audits, and technical assessments related to mechanical compliance and system integrity.

Customer & Stakeholder Engagement

• Interface with and support the management of customer expectations throughout the development lifecycle, providing clear technical rationale and status on mechanical aspects.
• Contribute to technical discussions with customers, suppliers, and partners, representing the mechanical architecture with authority and clarity.

Planning & Delivery

• Produce Statements of Work (SOWs), work packages, and associated plans for activities within the mechanical systems engineering scope.
• Support programme planning, risk management, and delivery activities, ensuring mechanical tasks are achievable, resourced, and appropriately sequenced.

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Proven experience in systems engineering within complex, safety-critical products (e.g. defence, aerospace, missile systems, or similar).
• Strong background in mechanical architecture, interfaces, and requirements management.
• Experience working with requirements specifications, interface control documentation, and verification plans.
• Ability to operate confidently at system and sub-system level.

Desirable

• Experience with missile, airframe, or launcher systems.
• Knowledge of thermal management and environmental qualification in harsh operating conditions.
• Familiarity with modular design approaches and product line architecture.
• Experience supporting certification or regulatory approval activities.