Combat Air Systems – Systems Engineer

Role Purpose 

ServiceKey is seeking a motivated and developing Systems Engineer to support engineering activities within a future combat air programme, with a particular focus on integrating Through Life Support (TLS) and supportability considerations into early lifecycle capability development. 

Working alongside experienced engineers, specialist TLS Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and customer teams, the successful candidate will apply Systems Engineering principles, methods and processes to support the development, assessment and integration of requirements, concepts, architectures and engineering evidence. 

The role will focus primarily on the Concept and Assessment phases of the CADMID lifecycle, helping to ensure that supportability and through-life considerations are incorporated into engineering activity from the outset, influencing the development of coherent, effective and supportable combat air capability.

This is an opportunity for an engineer looking to develop their Systems Engineering experience within a complex, multidisciplinary defence environment. The role will provide exposure to a broad range of engineering activities, working across technical disciplines and contributing to the structured development of future combat air capability. 

The successful candidate is not expected to be a specialist in every aspect of Through Life Support. Instead, they will bring a foundation in Systems Engineering, an inquisitive and analytical approach, and the ability to work with specialists to translate technical inputs into coherent engineering outputs. 

Key Responsibilities 

Systems Engineering & Integration

• Apply Systems Engineering principles and methods to support engineering activities within the Concept and Assessment phases of a complex combat air programme. 
• Assist in the development, analysis and management of system and supportability requirements, ensuring alignment with operational needs and programme objectives. 
• Support the development and assessment of engineering concepts, architectures and interfaces, working with experienced engineers and specialist SMEs. 
• Contribute to maintaining traceability between operational needs, requirements, engineering concepts, architectures and supporting evidence. 
• Assist with the identification and assessment of technical interfaces, dependencies, assumptions and risks across multidisciplinary engineering activities. 
• Support engineering options analysis and trade studies, considering technical performance, supportability, affordability and through-life implications. 
• Contribute to the preparation of engineering documentation, technical assessments and evidence to support reviews and programme decisions. 

Through Life Support Integration

• Work alongside TLS SMEs to understand and integrate supportability considerations into wider Systems Engineering activity. 
• Support the development and assessment of TLS requirements, support concepts and emerging support architectures. 
• Help capture, structure and integrate specialist technical inputs from support disciplines, including Training Systems, Ground Mission Enablement, Support Information Systems and Integrated Product Support. 
• Develop an understanding of how system design decisions influence reliability, maintainability, availability, training, infrastructure, logistics and future sustainment. 
• Contribute to the identification of design-for-support considerations and opportunities during early capability development. 
• Assist in ensuring that supportability requirements and engineering evidence remain coherent and traceable as concepts and solutions mature. 

Essential Experience and Knowledge 

• A foundation in Systems Engineering principles and methods, gained through practical engineering experience, relevant academic study or a combination of both. 
• Experience or demonstrable understanding of requirements engineering, systems architecture, integration, engineering analysis or lifecycle engineering. 
• An understanding of the systems engineering lifecycle and how requirements, design, verification and validation activities relate to one another. 
• Ability to analyse technical information, identify relationships and dependencies, and present findings in a structured manner. 
• Experience working within engineering teams or contributing to multidisciplinary technical activities. 
• Ability to produce clear technical documentation and communicate engineering information effectively.
• A proactive approach to learning, problem-solving and developing technical knowledge. 
• Strong interpersonal skills and a willingness to engage with engineers, technical specialists and customer stakeholders. 

Desirable Experience 

• Experience working on major UK defence, aerospace or combat air programmes. 
• Experience of the Concept and Assessment phases of CADMID or comparable capability development lifecycles. 
• Knowledge of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), SysML, architecture modelling or digital engineering approaches. 
• Experience of requirements management and engineering modelling tools. Understanding of system-of-systems engineering, integration and interface management. 
• Knowledge of supportability engineering, Integrated Product Support, reliability, maintainability, availability or whole-life costing. 
• Familiarity with relevant Defence standards and support methodologies, including Def Stan 00-600 and ASD IPS S-Series specifications. 
• Experience contributing to engineering governance, technical assurance, design reviews or programme gateway activity. 
• Familiarity with fast-jet or combat air operational and support environments. 

About You 

We are looking for someone with a strong engineering mindset, a willingness to learn and the confidence to contribute within a complex technical environment. 

You will be: 

• A developing systems thinker: Interested in understanding how different systems, engineering disciplines and technical decisions interact to deliver an overall capability. 
• Naturally inquisitive: Comfortable asking questions, exploring technical problems and challenging assumptions constructively. 
• Analytical and methodical: Able to approach problems logically, structure information and develop evidence-based conclusions. 
• Collaborative and personable: Able to build positive working relationships and engage effectively with experienced engineers, SMEs and customer teams. 
• Proactive and self-motivated: Willing to take responsibility for assigned activities, seek guidance when appropriate and progress work with increasing independence. 
• Adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity: Able to work in an evolving programme environment where requirements, concepts and solutions are still being developed. 
• Pragmatic and outcome-focused: Interested in applying engineering methods to solve real problems and produce useful technical outputs. 
• An effective communicator: Able to explain technical information clearly and confidently, both verbally and in writing. 
• Committed to professional development: Keen to build technical knowledge, broaden engineering experience and develop as a Systems Engineering practitioner.  

What Success Looks Like 

Success in this role will be demonstrated through the ability to: 

• Apply Systems Engineering methods effectively to defined engineering tasks, with appropriate guidance and support. 
• Contribute to the integration of TLS and supportability considerations into early lifecycle engineering activity. 
• Help maintain clear relationships and traceability between requirements, concepts, architectures and engineering evidence. 
• Work effectively with TLS SMEs, capturing and structuring their technical inputs to support wider engineering activities. 
• Produce accurate, clear and useful engineering outputs that contribute to customer understanding and decision-making. 
• Identify technical questions, gaps and dependencies and work constructively with colleagues to address them. 
• Demonstrate increasing technical confidence, independence and understanding of complex combat air engineering challenges.  

Professional Development 

This role offers the opportunity to develop practical Systems Engineering experience within a complex future combat air environment. 

Working alongside experienced engineers and specialist SMEs, the successful candidate will gain exposure to requirements engineering, systems architecture, technical integration, engineering assurance and early lifecycle capability development. 

The role provides a foundation for progression into more senior Systems Engineering positions, with opportunities to develop technical expertise in complex systems integration, supportability engineering and system-of-systems capability development. 

Salary: £48,000 Annually

Location: Remote with ad-hoc travel required to Customer Sites (North West)