Leonardo
Chief Systems Engineer
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Chief Systems Engineer
Are you an experienced Systems Engineering leader, able to guide large teams? Are you passionate about Systems Engineering? Are you able to coach and develop the Systems Engineers of the future?
Chief Systems Engineer
The Chief Systems Engineer acts as the focal point for Systems Engineering Governance and ensures our Systems Engineering capability is headed in a positive direction.
Contact & Oversight
- Key contact for Systems Engineering capability for the Sector Head of Engineering Projects, Sector Chief Engineer, and Head of Systems Engineering.
Overview
- Focus: Driving the cutting-edge work across our diverse airborn RF sensing technologies portfolio, at every stage of development.
- Core Challenge: Applying “The Art of Systems Engineering” to streamline activities and ensure alignment with project needs.
- Core Principles: Lean into systems thinking to tackle:
- Defining problems completely.
- Reusing techniques and artifacts across projects.
- Managing complexity through sound system architecture.
- Predicting and mitigating emergent behaviors at system and system-of-systems levels.
- Keeping verification and validation strategies aligned with project goals.
Core Responsibilities
You’ll shape not just our products, but the technical decisions and customer satisfaction that define them.
Leadership & Guidance
- Lead and scale the Systems Engineering discipline through team coaching, mentorship, and organizational alignment.
- Set the technical vision and drive cultural shifts toward agility, digital solution incorporation, and human-centered design.
- Champion innovation in systems engineering techniques and strategies across lifecycle management (LCM)—ensuring best-practice adoption in bids, design reviews, and audits.
- Upskill the workforce: Build skills through sharing trends, lessons learned, and cross-sector collaboration.
- Foster experimental culture around systems engineering—emphasizing rapid iteration and failure as feedback engines.
Strategy & Influence
- Represent Leonardo in key industry groups (e.g., INCOSE) to shape the wider SE discipline.
- Own and drive quarterly “threat and mitigation” reviews, ensuring sector-wide awareness of risks.
- Lead interdisciplinary collaboration, bridging gaps between technical teams and capability leads.
- Align continuous improvement plans with Leo’s business needs and cross-organization standards.
- Go beyond technical execution:
- Propose and apply Design for Excellence (DfX) concepts.
- Implement Human Factors Integration to enhance system usability.
- Broadcast insights on contemporary challenges to encourage strategic cohesion.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Special Expertise
- Clarifies emergent terminology, integrating state-of-the-art approaches in architecting, system of systems, and managing complexity.
- Spearheads metrics-based performance improvement—driving ROI from mission-critical tactics.
Progression & Successor Planning
- Identify high-potential successors (program management, design leadership, or technical expertise) for future positions.
- Inculcate own tailored specialization within Electronic Warfare (EW) or broader electronics ecosystems.
Key Skills & Experience We Seek
- Mindset:
- Must thrive in dynamic, high-pressure environments—focusing on decision agility.
- Demonstrated passion for systems thinking and innovative technology.
- Drive to instill problem-solving rigor across engineering teams.
- Portfolio of substantial governance influence in:
- Systems engineering lifecycle management (LCM).
- Programme-level decision-making, balancing trade-offs.
- Architectural definition and lifecycle program adherence.
- Stakeholder cultivation across technical narratives.
- Collaboration with external contractors/d fora.
Experience Requirements
Leadership & Governance (senior-level experience)
- A record of shaping SE strategies, embedding best practices.
- Proven ability to cohere teams under ambiguous or shifting priorities.
- Track record in balancing timelines, budgets, and technical intricacies.
Domain Specialization
- Senior-level experience in systems engineering, including:
- Hands-on application of systems engineering process & standards (e.g., ISO/IEC/IEEE model-based standards).
- Design and tooling specialization (e.g., Model-Based Systems Engineering).
- Managing complex system evolution across varied development lifecycles.
Technical Mastery
- Familiarity with earlier/parallel design/validation steps where risk concentration occurs.
- Proficiency with system analysis/tooling (e.g., SYSML-based modeling).
- Scientific/technical rigor accompalied with cross-discipline negotiation.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
About the Role
Work Style
- Primarily hybrid (custom CNS définit), with onsite availability as needed.
Security & Employment Requirements
- This role is subject to UK Government Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and further National Security Vetting assessments.
- Our platforms meet areas requiring SC or DV levels.
Please review further guidance: Security and Vetting policy
Extended Benefits
- Salary Range: £70,000–£95,000 national benchmark (grade-specific alignments reviewed after assessment).
- Comprehensive wellness & equity benefits:
- Corporate-funded private healthcare/dental package, sick pay, post-pregnancy leave.
- Freedom to flourish during non-billable periods (12 “flexi-days” annually).
- Pensions distinct for employees (up to 15% employer contribution).
- Free mental health support + tailored employee health programs.
- Entitlement to Coursera/XPLinky, increasing knowledge autonomy.
- Support for proactivity:
- External industry affiliation: free access to professional/promotional events.
- Inclusivity: diverse networking (e.g., Employee Networks on Inclusion/LGBTQ+, Disabilities).
- Sound career outlooks building toward System/Engineering leadership positions.
Jump-start your future in engineering: free hybridity, sponsorship of lateral shifts and tenure. Be the catalyst for progress.
Location: Primarily Luton (GB—Cap. Green 300), with UK-wide collaboration into Bristol (GB—Coldharbour Lane).
A diverse talent pool fuels the best innovations. Register and network with across: Leonardo Careers / UK
---## Inclusive Workplace Leonardo champions accessibility and equality. Adaptations will be provided if requested at interview/company induction support** process.
Joining Leonardo gives you impact, visibility, and kinship with a global engineering community. Work purposefully across Aerospace Defence & Security.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location