Lead Systems Engineer

Lead Systems Engineer

Location: Cheltenham/ Deeside
Travel between business sites, customer and supplier locations will be required
Department: Engineering
Reports To: Engineering Manager

Role Summary

The Systems Engineer is responsible for leading the definition, development, integration, and certification of advanced hydro & electro-mechanical actuation and control systems across the full systems-engineering lifecycle. This role provides architectural direction, driving supplier technical performance, and ensuring system integrity throughout the product lifecycle. The successful candidate will join the team at the initial phase of a 7-year development project with opportunities to set technical direction of the project and the business.
Systems Engineer will be required to shape departmental practices by driving technical innovation, improving processes, and guiding teams toward efficient, scalable solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Systems Leadership:
•    Lead system-level requirements definition, traceability, and validation, ensuring alignment with customer needs and regulatory expectations.
•    Define system boundaries, operational concepts, and architectural frameworks for actuation and control systems.
•    Own the creation and control of system architectures, functional models, and interface definitions across mechanical, software, and electronics.
•    Development of complex control systems within a secure and highly regulated defense environment.
Design & Development Stewardship:
•    Provide technical oversight for the design and development actuation systems, including the integration of motors, braking mechanisms, sensors, solenoid, control electronics and other components. 
•    Guide multi-disciplinary engineering teams to ensure cohesive system integration and design consistency.
•    Drive system-level trade studies, risk assessments, and decision-making; act as the technical authority for systems decisions and provide technical direction for functional SME’s for key programme decisions.
Supplier Technical Management:
•    Lead and influence supplier engineering teams; review and approve supplier analyses, design outputs, qualification evidence, and change proposals.
•    Conduct high-rigor supplier design reviews, focusing on interface control, architecture compliance, safety, and certification alignment.
Integration Leadership:
•    Own the system integration strategy, ensuring elements integrate with accuracy and controlled interfaces.
•    Resolve complex system-interaction issues, supporting manufacturing and platform-level integration.
Verification, Validation & Certification:
•    Oversee system-level V&V strategies, ensuring rigorous compliance with aerospace and military standards.
•    Review and approve supplier test evidence and safety analyses.
Through-Life Technical Leadership:
•    Support flight test, production, and in-service investigations; lead root-cause analyses and corrective actions.
•    Champion continuous improvement of systems engineering processes and tools.

Required Qualifications & Experience

•    Degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical/Mechatronics, or Systems Engineering.
•    Proven experience of setting up and operating requirements management tools (DOORS / Siemens Polarion / Yama or equivalent)
•    Extensive engineering experience with aerospace actuation systems or high-integrity systems.
•    Deep understanding of systems engineering, architecture definition, integration, and V&V.
•    Proven experience leading supplier technical activities.
•    Competence interpreting engineering drawings and interface specifications.
•    Evidence of delivering programmes in accordance with DO-178 and DO-254 requirements. 
•    Ability to lead complex engineering activities independently.

Desirable Skills

•    Experience with modelling/simulation tools and MBSE/SysML.
•    Knowledge of reliability engineering and safety assessments.
•    Project/supplier-management certifications beneficial.

Personal Attributes

•    Candidate must be a UK national, capable of attaining BPSS and SC clearances.
•    Strong systems Engineer with multifunctional-domain understanding.
•    Process driven, critical thinker.
•    Highly organised and proactive, able to influence widely.
•    Excellent communicator with strong ownership mindset.