Senior/Principal Systems Engineer - CUAS

Job Description:

Leonardo has an exciting opportunity for a Senior or Principal Systems Engineer to work on real engineering problems, designing and developing our system of systems solutions.

You will have the skills and competencies to fulfil the role of Senior or Principal Systems Engineer on major programmes, this will involve leadership, including planning and scheduling, for several Systems Engineering Work Packages throughout the life cycle of the project. Our Systems Engineers span across a range of activities and help pull together all the necessary engineering and technology strands into high-performance systems.

Working within a growing team based in Basildon, Essex.

Your impact

You will be engaged on projects Countering UAS (Uncrewed Air Systems – Drones), within our Mission Systems team, focusing on large scale strategic integrated Radar, Electro-Optic, and CEMA Sensors, Command and Control software, and mobile CUAS. We are currently running major delivery programmes, as well as active campaigns.

The role is inward and outward facing, working closely with customers and our engineering team to support delivery of a solution that is compliant with user needs, aligned with Leonardo strategy and delivers high quality, highly capable and effective solutions.

You must have proven experience in all aspects of the Systems Engineering lifecycle, from bid stage to product support, which includes requirements capture, design, analysis/modelling, integration, test and acceptance. The candidate will work within Leonardo’s engineering delivery model, which provides a controlled and supportive framework for the achievement of excellence in system design.

The successful candidate would be joining a dedicated team with a full and stretching workload, with huge potential for personal development and growth.

Key Responsibility Areas

• Engagement with customer, suppliers, product teams and other stakeholders to support the definition of the overall solution, taking responsibility for elements of the detailed solution.
• Working with stakeholders to create and agree top level solution documentation including system architecture/design documents.
• Working with the team, suppliers, and customers, to reach equitable and mutually acceptable conclusions consistent with Leonardo principles.
• Ensuring technical requirements are flowed down to subsystems / subcontractors.
• Ensuring that design integrity requirements (activities and deliverables) are correctly flowed down to subcontractors and internal providers.
• Presenting elements of system and sub-system design reviews.
• Defining, managing and leading Verification and Validation activities.
• Creation or Review of outgoing technical documents.
• Leading System/sub-system fault finding and integration troubleshooting activities in demanding timescales.
• Review of incoming technical documents /drawings from subcontractors.
• Technical acceptance of subcontracted and internal sub-elements.
• Supporting the Certification of the overall solution and sub-elements.

What you’ll bring

• Engineering Degree qualification (or equivalent experience).
• Highly experienced at systems engineering, including integration of complex systems.
• Demonstrated verbal and written communication and presentation skills, producing work of accurate and presentable quality in the defined formats.
• Domain knowledge in at least 2 of the following technologies –Radar, Electro-optics , Command and Control Software, ICT and Networked systems.
• Demonstrable competence in the development and implementation of complex technical solutions, making engineering decisions, managing and mitigating technical risk, and ensuring best practice is shared.
• Demonstrable understanding of product safety with experience in supporting safety reviews and hazard identification and management.
• Demonstrable ability to engage with internal and external stakeholders on complex technical issues.
• Demonstrable competence in identifying non-customer requirements crucial to the design integrity of a solution.
• Familiarity with the concept of design certification, including its importance in managing personal and corporate liability.
• Successful experience with supporting and/or managing equipment installations.
• Experience of in-field and/or remote support for trouble-shooting and repair, thereby, capable of delivering technical advice to off-shore teams.
• Prepared to work short periods (<1month) overseas.
• Work with, and maintain relationships, with clients, suppliers and third-party contractors in a multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team, be it leading or in a support role, towards achieving shared objectives.
• Capable of working to tight deadlines and prioritise workload to meet deadlines in a professional manner.
• Adaptable and Flexible to accommodate operational requirements.
• Capable of using own initiative, working unsupervised and, at times, leading small teams.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit:

Salary Range: £45,000 - £71,000

Where this vacancy is being recruited across more than one grade, the successful candidate will be appointed to a specific assessed grade, and the applicable salary range will be that associated with the grade of appointment.

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now