Lead Systems Engineer

Salary: £36,000 – £54,000 per year

We are looking for a Lead Systems Engineer to join Leonardo in Edinburgh. You will join an established team within our AESA fast jet radar development program.

Leonardo is a global leader in defence electronics and delivers mission critical systems for situational awareness, electronic warfare and surveillance across land, sea and air. The Radar and Advanced Targeting line of business, based in Edinburgh, is uniquely positioned as one of the world’s top manufacturers of radars, lasers and infra-red countermeasure systems.

The role involves leading a team in activities associated with signal processing data recorded from Systems/Software trials, integration and verification activities. The work will span the full radar lifecycle with elements of design and modelling, specification, integration, test and verification.

You will have a track record of analysing, modelling, simulating and predicting the behaviour of AESA Radar Systems, Subsystems and algorithms. You will liaise with engineering staff from a variety of engineering disciplines and take full ownership of allocated tasks, delivering high quality work products within defined cost and schedule limits.

You will have a great opportunity to work directly with the end user, taking feedback to implement further improvements to the existing design. The work is technically demanding and you will rapidly further develop skills in radar system design and the operational complexities of modern radar systems. Team leadership skills, or the potential and willingness to lead a team, is a pre-requisite.

What we can offer you:

Flexible working: We offer our employees the time and flexibility they need to enjoy a balanced life
Continuous Learning: You’ll be supported in ongoing personal development including access to thousands of online courses free of charge via Coursera
Annual leave: We offer 25 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays
Award-winning pension scheme: Our multi-award-winning pension scheme includes generous employer contribution
Flexible benefits: Our company-funded approach to flexible benefits allows employees to make choices appropriate for them. Each employee has access to a wide choice of lifestyle, health and wellbeing options best suited to their individual lifestyle goals.
Employee discount schemes: In addition to the above flexible benefits, our employees benefit from access to everyday discounts with many high street and online retailers, restaurants and days out.
Family friendly policies
Positive support for the Reserve Forces, including additional time off for Reservists
To find out about all our Company benefits please visit:

What you will do:

Building relationships with customer-side engineers, reporting analysis results and conclusions to the customer, typically during visits to customer’s site or in periodic joint customer-supplier meetings.
Personally coach and mentor others within the systems team to ensure clear development of self and team.
Lead the trial and integration activities associated with analysis of recorded data from roof lab and flight trials to evaluate and develop a cutting edge AESA radar system. This will be achieved using both bespoke analysis tools for general work and MATLAB for focused tasks.
To report on results, e.g. performance achieved, problems found.
To lead activities connected with problem investigations and generation of related solutions. This is a challenging task due to the complexity of the radar. This will involve modelling (MATLAB) and working closely with a range of multi-disciplinary teams.
To define changes to address problems and develop the radar. This is done through the use of various requirements management and configuration control tools (e.g. DOORS, Dimensions, and Teamcentre).
To work closely with the project systems and software teams to integrate changes. This may be at the level of generating test vectors for testing local software changes and at higher level supporting roof lab testing of the radar system.
To contribute to the verification of the developing radar system.
In conjunction with the Chief Systems Engineer and System Team Lead
Translate customer requirements and problem reports into clear design solutions and specifications in order to ensure technical solutions are robust, innovative and in line with customer and Leonardo expectations.
Make technical decisions and mitigate technical risk for Systems Integration within an integrated project team (IPT).
Actively contribute to a culture of best practice, knowledge exploitation and process improvement in order to develop longer term capability and expertise within the IPT and across the wider business.
What we are looking for:

Ideally you will have radar experience although this is not essential. You will be degree qualified in an appropriate numerate discipline and be able to demonstrate exceptional team working and interpersonal skills.

You will be proficient in using standard office software tools such as Word or Excel, Atlassian toolsets such as JIRA and Confluence as well as having skills in modelling tools like MATLAB. An appreciation of requirements and configuration management tools is desirable (DOORS, Dimensions).

You must be capable of achieving full SC security clearance and will require access to caveated information such as UK Eyes Only.

The role will also require off-site support to flight trials and joint customer development reviews.

This is a challenging role providing an opportunity to excel in a high profile programme.