Systems Integration & Development Engineer in Easton-in-Gordano

We require a Systems Integration and Development Engineer to support an iterative research and development service that will define, build, integrate, test, assure and release tactical edge gateway solutions for range extension and sensor integration across Line-of-Sight and Beyond-Line-of-Sight scenarios. You will support the integration of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) equipment, software and network services within a Tactical Mission Environment. Your primary place of work will be at Filton, Bristol, with further attendance required at various customer sites to engage with end-users, support demonstrations, trials, test events and assurance activities. There could also be an opportunity for overseas travel as the project evolves.

Typical duties include (but are not limited to):

• Operate at SFIA Level 5, demonstrating substantial autonomy, authoritative technical judgement, influence across stakeholders and responsibility for the planning and delivery of complex engineering and integration activities.
• Act as the principal day-to-day engineering focal point, coordinating design, development, integration, testing and technical documentation activity across various stakeholders.
• Translate prioritised user stories, use cases and acceptance criteria into proportionate technical tasks, solution options, development plans and demonstrable outputs for each iterative solution.
• Develop, integrate and configure tactical edge gateway solutions using COTS hardware, network components, software, virtualisation and containerisation technologies, as applicable to the agreed problem set.
• Support the integration of tactical radios, routers, sensors, Bearers of Opportunity, ensuring solutions are configurable, scalable, interoperable and suitable for further iteration.
• Produce and maintain solution architectures, interface definitions, configuration/build information, bill of materials, work instructions, user documentation and repeatable implementation patterns sufficient to reproduce an accepted solution.
• Plan, prepare and conduct integration, functional, performance and interoperability testing, including the capture and analysis of test evidence against agreed acceptance criteria.
• Identify, investigate and manage technical faults, integration constraints, risks, assumptions, dependencies and requests for change, coordinating troubleshooting and corrective action with appropriate specialists.
• Support Secure by Design, safety, quality, configuration management, technical assurance and release activities, providing evidence required by the Authority and escalating matters that require specialist or delegated approval.
• Support demonstrations, user trials and requirements solicitation activities, capturing user feedback and converting agreed outcomes into backlog items and future development recommendations.
• Provide technical input to Change Acceptance Boards, Capability Integration Working Groups, Service Maturity Assessment evidence and other project governance and assurance activities.
• Plan and coordinate additional resource requirements where the task requires expertise or capacity beyond your core abilities, to include; network architecture, software engineering, cyber security, electronics, test and evaluation, safety, human factors and technical authoring.
• Work to short iterative delivery cycles, with the aim of supporting rapid development and evidence-based acceptance of Minimum Viable Product solutions.

Knowledge:

• Mandatory: Proven experience delivering systems integration and development within complex communications, tactical network, defence or similarly regulated environments. Strong systems engineering capability, including requirements interpretation, user story analysis, architecture development, interface management, verification, validation, acceptance and release evidence. Practical experience integrating COTS hardware, software, network components, compute, gateway equipment and associated services into coherent, supportable and repeatable solutions. Ability to develop, integrate, configure and test tactical edge gateway solutions that support range extension, sensor integration, LOS/BLOS operation, WAN access and Bearers of Opportunity. Knowledge of IP networking, routing, WAN technologies, secure network design and interoperability between radios, routers, sensors, gateways and wider tactical mission network services.
• Desirable: Knowledge of MOD engineering governance, GEAR, Secure by Design, Defence Lines of Development, safety and environmental management, quality management and assurance processes. Knowledge of tactical communications, tactical edge gateways, tactical radio networks, range extension, sensor integration, satellite bearers, MANET, MTN, TMN and Bearers of Opportunity. Electronics knowledge relevant to gateway development, including power integration, equipment layout, cabling, enclosure constraints and integration of gateway components.

Skills:

• Mandatory: Experience planning, preparing and conducting integration, functional, performance, resilience and interoperability testing within controlled development and test environments, including production of objective test evidence. Ability to produce repeatable technical patterns, build standards, configuration records, bills of materials, work instructions, user guidance, release evidence and technical documentation sufficient to reproduce accepted solutions. Experience supporting iterative development, including translating prioritised requirements into technical tasks, backlog items, acceptance criteria, definitions of done and demonstrable solution increments. Ability to identify, investigate and manage technical faults, integration constraints, delivery risks, assumptions, dependencies, obsolescence considerations and requests for change. Experience supporting engineering governance, technical assurance, Secure by Design, configuration management, safety, quality and release activities within MOD or comparable controlled delivery environments. Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, including the ability to work with users, SPTC engineering resource, Product Owner/Capability Integrator resource, DIP teams, commercial staff, assurance stakeholders and governance forums. Ability to coordinate specialist support where required, including network architecture, software engineering, cyber security, electronics, test and evaluation, safety, human factors, CAD/mechanical design and technical authoring. Experience providing evidence to support acceptance activity, including progress reporting against agreed outputs, risks, issues and dependencies.
• Desirable: Hands-on software development, scripting, software integration, DevOps or configuration management experience. Experience of virtualisation, containerisation and deployment of software services within gateway, compute, cloud-enabled or tactical network environments. Experience supporting CAD, STL file production, 3D printing, enclosure development, mechanical layout, cable management, maintainability, environmental resilience and deployability considerations. Experience supporting vulnerability assessment, security architecture, penetration testing or cyber assurance activities, including coordination of independent cyber specialists where required. Experience working in Agile or hybrid iterative delivery environments, including rapid prototyping, fail-fast development, lessons learned, user feedback capture and delivery of Minimum Viable Product increments. Experience producing technical options, trade studies and recommendations covering integration, interoperability, affordability, supportability, scalability, value for money and technical risk. Experience supporting development of deployable or MilSpec solutions, including user instructions, operating instructions, codification, support documentation or transition-to-service planning. Awareness of MOD commercial delivery routes and working practices, including DIP, POCI, framework-based equipment procurement and tasking through existing contractual arrangements.