Head of Performance Engineering

Location: Barrow-in-Furness (Onsite). We offer a range of hybrid and flexible working arrangements – please speak to your recruiter about the options for this particular role.

Salary: circa £50,000 depending on skills and experience

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead the development of the Stealth Engineering Above Water Signatures capability
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to design low-signature equipment and systems
• Helping define technical requirements, test methods, and approval criteria
• Reviewing design documents to confirm that above water signature requirements are met
• Leading modelling efforts for radar, infrared, visual, and RF signatures using custom and commercial tools
• Developing testing methodologies to confirm signature performance
• Managing research with internal teams and university partners
• Improving stealth features on in-service submarines

Your skills and experiences:

Essential:

• A degree (or equivalent experience) in Maths, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or another STEM field
• Experience with modelling software or programming tools
• A strong grasp of electromagnetism, radar, or infrared and visual detection technologies
• Familiarity with stealth systems or signature control methods

Desirable:

• A postgraduate qualification in a STEM subject
• Experience in defence or large-scale manufacturing
• Knowledge of submarine or naval systems

Benefits:

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts – you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Stealth Engineering Department:

As a Principal Engineer, you will be working with a team tasked with assuring the stealth performance of submarines built in Barrow. From concept system designs to the assessment of the whole submarine as part of major commissioning trials, you will be involved in all aspects of the submarine lifecycle from concept through to support of the in-service fleet. We offer relocation support packages across all Submarines roles, subject to meeting eligibility criteria.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date: 20th February 2026. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.