Lead Systems Specialist

GB - Basildon March 20, 2026 Full Time Workday

Job Description:

Leonardo has a fantastic opportunity for a Lead System Engineer, a position which will see the successful candidate join the Systems Engineering team within the Integrated Sensing and Protection (ISP) Line of Business area.
Leonardo is a global high-tech company and one of the key players in Aerospace, Defence and Security. Headquartered in Italy, Leonardo has over 45,000 employees, of which 7,000 are based in the UK.

 

The Lead Systems Engineer will work closely with the Project Engineering Manager to complete the design and delivery of the engineering solution for one of Leonardo key strategic projects. You will ensure that our delivery is compliant with user needs, aligned with Leonardo strategy and delivers the high quality, highly capable and effective solutions for which we are known.

 

WHAT YOU’LL GET

  • Flexible working: We offer our employees the time and flexibility they need to enjoy a balanced life through flexible hours and part time options
  • Custom working: The role may be a mixture of home based and onsite
  • Flexible benefits: Our company-funded approach to flexible benefits allows employees to make choices appropriate for them. Each employee has access to a wide choice of lifestyle, health and wellbeing options best suited to their individual lifestyle goals.
  • Network groups : To support our ongoing commitment to diversity & inclusion, we have a range of network groups for colleagues :o Carers (employees caring for family or friends)o Enable (supporting people with disabilities) o Equalise (development of a gender balanced workforce)o Pride (promoting equality for all LGBTQ+ individuals)o Ethnicity Inclusion (developing a more ethnically based workforce)o Wellbeing (promoting & supporting employee wellbeing)
  • Training : Free access to Coursera which provides more than 4,000 online courses
  • Continuous Learning : You will be supported in your ongoing professional development through training and mentoring
  • Investors in People : We are proud recipients of the Investors in People Silver Award
  • Employee Assistance Programme : Providing free and confidential mental health support
  • Annual leave: We offer 25 days holiday, plus 8 bank holidays and 12 flexi days

 

To find out about all of our Company benefits please visit: https://uk.leonardocompany.com/en/people-careers/life-at-leonardo/company-benefits

Key Responsibility Areas

  • Provide algorithmic vision, supporting capability roadmaps, for development of products in the short, medium, and long term.
  • Support the development and research in to algorithms and solutions to be applied across the company’s products.
  • Provide internal consultation and applied mathematical expertise to support projects
  • Support design reviews as a reviewing stakeholder
  • Derive functional and behavioural aspects of a system
  • Develop and document mathematical models and analysis to inform key high-level design decisions
  • Liaise with Systems, Software, and Hardware disciplines to ensure correct implementation of algorithms and solutions using MBSE and MBD approaches.
  • Mentoring and coaching colleagues in core modelling skills and practices

 

You must be eligible for full security clearance. For more information and guidance please visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Skills, Qualifications & Knowledge Required

  • Broad experience of applied mathematics and physics
  • Experience in modelling and simulation of sensor systems in the EO, IR, and RF domains
  • A record of researching and developing algorithms and solutions for complex systems ideally including:o Image and signal processingo Statistical estimation and filteringo Control systems
  • Expert user of Mathworks modelling tools (Matlab, Simulink, Stateflow)
  • Experience in MBSE and MBD (SysML or UML, with tools such as IBM Rhapsody or Cameo Systems Modeler)
  • Knowledge of software languages including C and C++.
  • Experience in managing and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, proven ability to build trust and respect at different levels.
  • Proven leadership and decision-making skills in a high complexity, dynamic environment at a senior level

Primary Location:

GB - Basildon

Contract Type:

Hybrid Working:

Hybrid
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How to Get Hired at Leonardo DRS

  • Leonardo DRS is a ~6,500-person US defense prime headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, listed on NASDAQ and TASE under DRS since the November 2022 RADA merger, and operating as the US subsidiary of Leonardo S.p.A. under a Special Security Agreement with the Department of Defense.
  • The Special Security Agreement erects a firewall between Italian parent leadership and DRS's classified US programs; a cleared US Government Security Committee oversees proxy-held voting, facility security, personnel, and access to classified information under NISPOM / 32 CFR Part 117, and CEO William J. Lynn III (former US Deputy Secretary of Defense) has led that structure since 2012.
How to apply to Leonardo DRS

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