Leonardo has a fantastic opportunity for a Principal Systems Engineer on a permanent basis working at our modern and purpose-built Luton (Capability Green) site. The Principal Systems Engineer will need to be a talented and highly experienced systems engineer, familiar with working on large and complex systems within the defence industry, with a mindset towards system-of-system (SoS) design and development.

The Principal Systems Engineer will have extensive experience of creating and developing system architectures and requirements, to apply their knowledge to the development of a world-leading multispectral integrated sensing suite for a next-generation combat aircraft. A strong technical ability in multispectral sensors and / or technologies will be required to allow consideration of capability, performance, and successful interoperability at a system level. The role inherently requires a strong aptitude for problem solving and an ability to understand complex interdependencies, encompassing various degrees of uncertainty and managing requirements and design inputs from multiple stakeholder groups.

This Principal Systems Engineer role is within the Major Air Programmes business group, and will focus on developing conceptual system designs for a highly integrated multispectral avionic sensor suite. The system will provide next-generation Electronic Warfare (EW) capabilities (e.g. detection, identification, countermeasure, and communication) to provide unrivalled mission effectiveness and platform survivability.

What you will get

• Advanced Technology: You will have the ability to contribute to the development of market-leading technology and product development, providing advanced capability and protection to UK platforms
• EW Expertise: Leonardo has subject-matter experts with extensive and detailed knowledge of the EW domain, technology, performance, and operational capabilities - the learning potential is limitless!
• Continuous Learning: Whether it's EW, engineering lifecycle processes, leadership, or personal development, you'll be supported in your ongoing professional development though training and mentoring.
• Teamwork: You will work alongside like-minded professional engineers in a highly collaborative environment.
• Connections: You will be joining an expansive team of around 7,000 people at six major sites across the UK.
• EW Heritage: We are proud of our rich heritage in EW, with 100 years of pioneering EW development. Today we're providing the latest advances in RF technology and enabling our customers to keep pace with an ever-evolving EW environment.

Key Responsibility Areas

What you will do

• Develop architectures and control mechanisms for sensor management and sensor data exploitation.
• Work closely with sensor and communication technical specialist teams to:
• Define requirements and architectures for the integrated sensing suite.
• Design control mechanisms for elements of the integrated sensing suite.
• Develop and challenge system modelling and analysis approaches.
• Perform analysis and modelling to demonstrate the effectiveness of architectures and control mechanisms.
• Define and influence system-level requirements, architectures and interface definitions, utilising the Systems Modelling Language (SysML).
• Assess system design compliance against user and system requirements, alongside key performance parameters.
• Identify performance improvements and propose candidate solutions, implementation methods, and routes to demonstration of design compliance.
• Create formal specifications, reports and presentations for delivery to internal and external customers and industry partners.
• Travel within the UK to meet with our customers and industry partners.

Skills, Qualifications & Knowledge Required

What we're looking for

• Significant experience working with high-performance RF/EO/IR sensor systems
• Familiar with use of SysML modelling tools (e.g. Cameo Systems Modeler, Magic-Draw)
• Strong proficiency in architecture and requirements generation and management
• Experience in interface definition for complex systems
• Good understanding of acceptance criteria relating to requirements and architecture sign-off at varying stages of maturity
• Ability to lead work packages, assuming ownership and responsibility for deliverables in accordance with project plans and guidelines
• Experience of developing team members in systems engineering/architecture skills and techniques
• Self-motivated with a strong aptitude for problem-solving and decision-making within projects involving design complexity and uncertainty
• Excellent verbal and written communication/collaboration skills
• Experience of collaborating with a variety of internal and external stakeholders of varying seniorities

It would be nice if you had:

• Knowledge of passive/active RF sensor systems, including methods for detection, measurement, identification, and countermeasure
• Demonstrable knowledge of EW technology (e.g. Radar, EO, IR) performance, operational capabilities, and mission use
• Proficiency with mathematical modelling tools (e.g.MATLAB)
• Experience working with configuration management (e.g. Azure, Git)
• Experience in hardware/firmware/software development for product delivery