Chief Systems Engineer

Chief Systems Engineer

Oxfordshire

What the role entails:

As part of an ambitious international growth strategy, my client have recognised the UK as a focus country and are leveraging their existing footprint to enable the pursuit of new business. The space sector, in the UK and globally, is changing quickly, consequently the Space business is a dynamic and agile working environment. Although centered around the Space office in Harwell, in the heart of the UK's space technology incubator, the role will also require travel within the UK and internationally, engaging with internal and external stakeholders. This is an opportunity to be part of the formation of a new UK business.

As a Chief Systems Engineer your skills and qualifications will include:

• Accountable for overall engineering technical, cost, and schedule performance on UK aspects of the Skynet EC program.
• Member of Program Integrated Team and primary engineering interface with Program Office / Customer for all programmatic items. Responsible for the technical integrity of the product to meet Customer needs within cost/schedule constraints.
• Ensure engineering aspects of the program support Space's aspiration of Skynet EC as a pathfinder for "digital transformation", being a fully digital program from the start
• Provide technical/engineering leadership to Space based systems and services integration and service provision
• Lead the development and commissioning of manufacturing facilities to support key programmes in the UK
• Support systems/services procurement management
• Provide technical support to governance and assurance regimes
• Provision of technical innovation and support to strategic development roadmaps
• Leverage Space and Enterprise capabilities in mission analysis, resilience tools, common products and selective teaming.
• Lead the development of solutions utilising a federated outcome provided through two or more mission elements and delivered by a combination of development / acquisition approaches (e.g. commercial, sovereign or semi-sovereign military and allied partnerships).
• Lead the provision of alternative architecture solutions.
• Lead the development of engineering capabilities for Space partners.
• Ensure engineering stakeholder engagement in program oversight and cost estimating review/approvals.
• Monitor program performance including earned value management and technical progress measures to ensure engineering is accountable for design, development, and delivery of products within the cost/schedule constraints of the program.
• Ensure technical and programmatic risks and dependencies are identified, managed and appropriately elevated.
• Ensure technical integrity of program products.
• Ensure requirements baseline is documented, tracked, maintained, and verified.
• Ensure establishment and tracking of key Technical Performance Measures (TPM).
• Track maturity of technical baseline and management of technical debt.
• Ensure adherence to adequate and appropriately adapted Engineering & Technology processes.
• Accountable for technical issue resolution, including ownership of the failure review and adjudication process.

Main responsibilities:

• You will be considered an expert in the field of UK MOD Satellite Communications across the space, ground and control segments.
• You will have significant technical and leadership experience with demonstrated expertise in System of Systems integration programs.
• You will also have significant experience in:
• Engineering Management within a Defence engineering and regulatory framework.
• Management of Technical Risk.
• Resource planning, competency management, established ability to develop technical talent.
• Control Account Management
• Eligible to attain Chartered Professional Engineer in relevant institution.
• Broad knowledge of other space related fields such as PNT/GNSS, earth observation, geospatial intelligence and space situational awareness
• Experience as a system engineer in a commercial environment, ideally with a Defence Prime

In a nutshell we are looking for someone with a collaborative team ethos, a good sense of humour, capable of autonomous working and a self starter. Someone who will relish the idea of having autonomy rather than have prescriptive tasks or someone who wants to delegate tasks to others as it is a comparatively small team and not part of a massive immediate structure initially. It is a small team of senior experts and key posts who are working together in a supportive and collaborative way to win this major bid and form the linchpins of a much larger team to come.

We are looking for someone with an open mind and a creative approach to problem solving, someone with industry expertise who isn't averse to applying that knowledge and previous approaches in a potentially different and more innovative way to overcome challenges.

Although my client are a big corporation and this role comes with all the benefits of working for a big company such as good salary, benefits, security, opportunity to work on major programmes. It also has most of the benefits of working for a small start up type company such as flatter management structures, a focus on employee culture and support for innovation and creativity, being a big cog in a small machine, knowing everyone in the business by name and having more of a close knit feel.

The role also has the exciting benefit of being involved pretty much on the ground floor of the programme so is able to direct and influence the shape and direction from the start.

This really is a fantastic opportunity for a Chief Systems Engineer to progress their career. If you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as this position will be filled quickly so don't miss out!

Please note that eligibility for UK security clearance up to SC level is required for the Chief Systems Engineer position.

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