Senior System Engineer(SDA)

Job Description

We are looking for a highly experienced and enthusiastic Senior Systems Engineer to lead a major project in the role of Systems Design Authority. You will be responsible for delivery of a complex system involving specialist sensors, electronics and signal processing firmware and software to customers.

As the most senior engineer, you will lead the team to successfully complete system design and development, system and sub-system implementation, integration and test, and will gain customer acceptance ensuring all design requirements are met. You will also provide strong technical governance and mentoring of the design team and assist the project manager in reporting to a variety of internal and external customers and other stakeholders. You should also identify potentials for system enhancements and upgrades where appropriate and support development of roadmaps to achieve these changes.

The work is predominantly related to sonar system software development, but also includes signal processing algorithm development. Currently the work covers maritime systems but has the potential to evolve into other associated domains in the future.

What you’ll do:

• System Design Authority for one or more projects, supporting the Project Manager on all technical issues and acting as the technical authority for the project.
• Undertake and oversee design activities at the equipment, system and software levels ensuring rigorous test procedures are in place to verify these.
• Meeting technical requirements through all phases of design, integration and leading to customer acceptance.
• Develop technical documentation to support the project development and deliverables, including test plans, specifications and procedures.
• Co-ordinate and oversee testing and qualification activities throughout the project lifecycle including testing performed at external test houses.
• Support the Project Manager in project planning activities.
• Management of project technical risks and opportunities.
• Guide and govern the hardware, software and firmware engineering development teams to ensure that system designs achieve the operational performance requirements.
• Review and approval of technical documents.
• Preparation of and attendance (including chairing) of project design reviews with customers.
• Involvement with acceptance events at factory and external sites.
• Involvement in the safety, reliability and through life support of products.
• Leadership, guidance and mentoring of your multi-disciplinary engineering team.
• Observe and predict scientific, engineering and technological trends to continually improve the business offering.
• Support the business development team in identifying opportunities and preparing technical proposals & solutions.
• Foster good working relationships with suppliers and customers.
• Liaise and co-operate with the Project Managers and other Design Authorities to resolve technical, project or resource problems and conflicts across projects as required.
• Supporting the research and development of products within the Company, improving engineering quality, efficiency and cost.

What you’ll need:

• Track record of delivering complex system design, implementation, test and integration in the defence (or similar, highly regulated) domain.
• Experience of full system lifecycle, design, development, testing, integration and acceptance.
• The ability to analyse and specify system acceptance requirements.
• Appreciation of modern software design techniques, for example, C++, Java and C#.
• Experience of sonar system development and support.
• Strong technical knowledge of sonar systems, particularly designing and implementing software.
• Be able to manage, motivate and develop engineering employees to ensure they fulfil their roles and meet targets within agreed timelines and standards of quality.
• Be forward thinking and support the development of existing and future products.
• Have a high level of both verbal and written communication skills providing regular communication to internal and external stakeholders, customers and suppliers.
• Ability to evaluate, mitigate and manage engineering risks across the project(s) for which you will be directly responsible.
• Appreciation of complex electronics and firmware design principles.
• Experience of bid & proposal development, including architecting the technical solution to a customer requirement.
• Signal processing knowledge.
• Experience of Windows and Linux operating systems.
• Ability to present complex ideas to all levels of the customer community and both internal and external stakeholders.
• Member of a professional Engineering or Science Institute.
• Experience of agile or spiral development cycles.
• At least a BSc / BEng Degree in Engineering, Maths or Science subject or equivalent experience.
• Ability to attain DV or SC UK security clearance.
• Full UK driving Licence.