Principal Systems Engineer

Company Description

General Dynamics Mission Systems engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of more than 13,000 top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defence and scientific arenas. In the UK, we are leading the way in avionics and communication systems. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency.

General Dynamics in St Leonards-on-Sea currently provide avionic mission computing systems for a wide range of military fast jets, helicopters, and UAV’s. Recent success has resulted in General Dynamics developing the next generation of Advanced High Performance, Safety Critical Mission Computer Systems to meet the needs of latest platforms in development by several aircraft manufacturers. These Mission Computing Systems provide the functionality that integrates aircraft systems, sensor systems and stores management systems with the information and control systems required by the aircrew to meet the demanding operational needs of these aircraft.

Job Description

We are recruiting Principal Systems Engineers who will play a pivotal role in the development and delivery of next-generation mission computing systems for military aircraft platforms. You will be responsible for the integrity and suitability of the design of next generation mission computing products and for leading the life-cycle management of the product, including design reviews, verification, and qualification activities.

The successful candidate will:

• Lead the development of system architectures, concepts of operation, and system design specifications for complex products.
• Act as design authority or technical decision maker for major system work packages.
• Lead requirements definition, flow‑down, optimisation, and traceability across the system lifecycle.
• Lead integration, verification, validation, and qualification for complex systems.
• Review and approve engineering documentation produced by project teams.
• Interface with customers to resolve complex technical challenges and influence system direction

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Qualifications

Successful candidates should ideally possess:

• Experience delivering complex engineering systems.
• Expert knowledge of systems engineering methods and life-cycle governance.
• Experience with requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS) and modelling environments (e.g., Rhapsody, PTC Modeler).
• Strong architectural thinking across hardware, software, firmware, mechanical and integration domains.
• Skilled in leading technical teams and coordinating multi-disciplinary engineering activities.
• Exceptional problem-solving and technical judgement.
• Ability to support business development and shape technical solutions for bids.
• Degree (or equivalent) in Engineering or a related technical field; advanced degree desirable.
• Demonstrated leadership of major system work packages or cross-discipline engineering teams.
• Experience working with defence, aerospace, maritime, or safety-critical systems environments.
• Desirable: advanced qualifications in MBSE, airworthiness, safety, or chartership
• Experience working with or familiarity with AI/ML models is preferred

Additional Information

This role has a salary of between £59,200 and £80,000 plus our flexible benefits package.

We are open to this role being spent with time working from home and in the office (hybrid - typically 3 days working in office) on a weekly basis or fully in our offices.

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose, offering impressive benefits: 

• A compressed nine-day fortnight and compressed hours - which means every other Friday off. 
• A personalized career development plan, alongside regular progress reviews - supporting and valuing your progression within the Company. 
• A flexible working environment where your contributions are recognized and rewarded with flexible benefits 

We believe in maintaining a diverse workplace - inclusive of beliefs, cultural background, job experiences, thoughts and ideas. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we welcome you to join our inclusive team!

Our success is fuelled by our colleagues and the wide variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills they bring to the Company.

We are a Disability Confident Employer, as such we offer an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job.
Please email disabilityconfident@gd-ms.uk if you would like your application to be considered under the DC Scheme.

All successful/appointed applicants must be able to obtain a level of UK Security clearance that is appropriate for the role and undertake suitable Right to work checks.

Every application matters to us. We want you to know that each application we receive is reviewed by a real person—not just an algorithm. Our screening questions are also carefully considered to help us understand your experience and fit for the role.

We appreciate the time you take to apply.