Systems Engineering Lead

Global Sports Jobs Limited; Biggin Hill; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private healthcare

Dental care

Staff shuttle to Biggin Hill

Training via L&D team

Discounts on F1 experiences

25 days annual leave + 8 bank holidays

MBSE training opportunities

Job summary

Global Sports Jobs Limited seeks a Systems Engineering Lead to drive end-to-end systems engineering across high-performance technology spaces. You will guide architecture, requirements, interfaces and data governance while mentoring teams and coordinating with software, electronics, and operations.

You’ll influence technical decisions, manage lifecycle activities, and ensure high-quality, compliant engineering outcomes across multiple projects.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of systems engineering principles and lifecycle management.
• Experience authoring and reviewing technical requirements, specs, interfaces and artefacts.
• Experience managing requirements traceability, configuration management and change control.

Responsibilities

• Establish and improve systems engineering processes, standards and ways of working.
• Serve as subject matter expert for systems engineering and provide technical assurance across projects.
• Develop capability through mentoring, coaching and knowledge sharing.
• Own standards and governance for requirements and specifications across engineering teams.
• Maintain requirements traceability across lifecycle from concept to operational acceptance.
• Act as final technical authority to translate business needs into engineering requirements.
• Define approach for telemetry, data dictionaries and common data standards.
• Provide leadership across system architecture, interfaces and subsystem integration.
• Oversee reviews, design sign-off and independent technical challenge when required.
• Drive improvements in documentation, configuration management and governance with QMO.

Skills

Systems engineering

Technical leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Requirements management

Communication

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree + 15+ years

Master's degree + 12+ years

PhD + 10+ years

Tools

SysML

Cameo Systems Modeler

Enterprise Architect

MBSE workflows

Job description

About the Role

The Systems Engineering Lead is responsible for establishing and driving systems engineering practices across Formula 1's operational technology landscape. The role acts as the organisation's subject matter expert for systems engineering, providing leadership and technical assurance across projects and programmes. The postholder works across Formula 1 engineering teams and collaborates closely with software, electronics, infrastructure, networking, broadcast and operational teams, as well as the QMO team, to promote cohesive end-to-end system design.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish, maintain and continuously improve systems engineering processes, standards and ways of working across Formula 1 engineering teams.
• Act as the organisation's subject matter expert for systems engineering, providing leadership and technical assurance across projects and programmes.
• Develop systems engineering capability across the organisation through mentoring, coaching and knowledge sharing, and promote the adoption of structured systems engineering practices throughout the project lifecycle.
• Own the standards and governance for how requirements and specifications are produced, ensuring they are consistently high quality and fit for use across engineering teams and delivery partners.
• Establish and maintain requirements traceability throughout the engineering lifecycle, from concept and design through implementation, validation and operational acceptance.
• Act as the final technical authority when business and operational needs must be resolved into engineering requirements, arbitrating where translation is ambiguous or contested.
• Define the approach for managing telemetry, interface and data dictionaries across Formula 1 engineering systems, and work with engineering teams and suppliers to promote common data standards supporting integration, diagnostics, performance monitoring and future system development.
• Provide technical leadership and oversight across system architecture, interface management and subsystem integration activities, defining architectural principles and integration frameworks for complex engineering systems.
• Own the review and assurance mechanisms, including design reviews, technical challenge and sign-off, and facilitate technical, architecture and design reviews with independent technical challenge where required.
• Drive continual improvement in engineering documentation, configuration management, change control and governance practices, working closely with the QMO team to align with engineering standards, quality processes and design review practices.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Strong understanding of systems engineering principles, lifecycle management and systems thinking.
• Experience authoring and reviewing technical requirements, specifications, interface documentation and engineering artefacts.
• Experience managing requirements traceability, configuration management and change control processes.
• Strong technical leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence multidisciplinary teams, suppliers and technology partners delivering complex operational systems.
• Experience facilitating technical reviews and providing engineering assurance across multiple projects.
• Bachelor's degree plus 15+ years' systems engineering experience, or a Master's degree plus 12+ years' systems engineering experience, or a PhD plus 10+ years' systems engineering experience.
• At least 5 years defining, implementing or maturing systems engineering governance frameworks at an organisational level.
• Knowledge of verification, validation and system acceptance methodologies.
• Knowledge of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), SysML and systems modelling tools such as Cameo Systems Modeler or Enterprise Architect.
• Experience in motorsport, broadcast, telecommunications, aerospace or other high-performance technology domains.
• A strong communicator who can translate complex technical concepts into clear and actionable guidance for engineers, leaders and operational stakeholders.
• Delivery focused and collaborative, able to balance live operational realities with engineering rigour.
• Confident to constructively challenge and influence decisions across internal and external teams.

Preferred Skills

• Developing telemetry, command structures, data dictionaries or Interface Control Documents (ICDs).
• Working within live operational, safety-critical or mission-critical environments.
• Working within regulated or quality-driven engineering environments.
• Supporting complex distributed systems operating across multiple locations and time-critical environments.
• Experience establishing systems engineering capability in a newly formed or maturing team or function.
• Training or certification in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), SysML or recognised architecture frameworks.

Benefits & Perks

• Private Healthcare scheme
• Dental Care
• 4 x Grand Prix Paddock passes per season
• Enhanced maternity/paternity leave and other family planning policies
• A free staff shuttle service running to and from surrounding train stations near to Biggin Hill
• Free healthy snacks in the offices
• Subsidised canteen in Biggin Hill, serving breakfast and lunch
• 25 days annual leave and 8 Bank Holiday days, plus a Christmas period closure
• Opportunities to develop and request training for your role via the in-house Learning and Development team
• Discount on F1 merchandise
• Discount at F1's experiences including F1 Arcade and F1 Drive
• Perkbox benefit portal and more