Lead Supportability Engineer in Edinburgh

Salary Range: £59,400 - £75,000

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

We are looking for a Lead Supportability Engineer with strong industry experience not necessarily within the domain of Supportability, but those with backgrounds in Electronics/Hardware or Systems would also be suitable. The Supportability department has a unique position within our business as it is involved in the full lifecycle of a programme, from Bid, Development, Production then Customer Support and eventually disposal. We draw engineers from many different disciplines such as Electrical and Electronic, Mechanical, and System Engineering to enhance the Supportability department.

We expect our people to create strong working relationships with cross-department colleagues in Systems, Electronics, Mechanical, Software, Test Equipment, Quality and Industrial to identify problems on complex systems before they reach Production or the Customer. As a department, we have a strong focus on continuous improvement of our procedures and processes but also of our department itself and want anyone who joins to be part of that journey. This might include using your engineering talent to grow and develop the Supportability community and skill base through the mentoring, coaching and development of more junior members of the team or contributing to best practices to help drive out the cost and reputational consequence of failure. We can also help you develop your skills and offer great opportunities to develop, grow and progress in your career!

Your impact

As a Lead Engineer, you will be leading a team of Supportability Engineers who deliver a wide range of Supportability Engineering work packages. You will work closely with Project Managers, Operations and Project Engineering Managers from other functions within the Integrated Project Teams to advise on Supportability requirements, provide analysis and offer guidance.

What you’ll bring

You will support and develop your team to ensure the broad range of Supportability analysis and deliverables can be completed, including:

• Reliability Analysis: Working with other disciplines, your team will develop component to system level reliability models, including the use of Reliability Block Diagram Methodology on electronic, power, RF, digital and mechanical systems to provide guidance to the design engineers.
• Reliability Testing and Simulation: The Supportability team will create models to discover areas of concern and develop Reliability Growth plans and procedures to identify failure modes and propose Corrective action.
• Maintainability Analysis: Your team will carry out modular to system level analysis that addresses Human Factors and Maintenance Task Analysis to identify Reliability Centred Maintenance and Scheduled Maintenance tasks, ensuring that the equipment meets its operational capability.
• Testability Analysis: Your team will complete a FMECA analysis, working closely with Hardware engineers to establish the effectivity of fault detection and isolation of the equipment BIT and feed back omissions and improvements into the design process.
• Product Safety: As part of a broader safety team, including Design Integrity and Systems Engineering, your team will carry out analysis of the design, its assembly, test and operation to complete an Intrinsic Product Safety hazard and Environment Impact Analysis, providing input to the Hazard Log, Safety Case and Fault Tree Analysis.
• Production Support: Your team will be involved in analysis of production and in-service failure data (FRACAS), to identify and prioritise pattern faults. SE will work within a multi-discipline IPT team to identify Root Cause and Corrective action.
• Support Strategy: You will help to develop a product’s In-Service Support strategy, using through-life cost modelling and many aspects of the above analysis.

Alongside supporting the activities above, you will also:

• Ensure milestones are completed to schedule and budget while ensuring technical quality.
• Provide expert input into Life Cycle Management reviews.
• Work alongside the IPT to reduce cost and risk across the lifecycle and support any continuous improvement activities.
• Work with Supportability HoD to seek improvements to our methods and processes and to promote and implement improved ways of working within the Supportability department.
• Schedule, manage and Chair Sector Project Cost Review Boards (PCRBs).

Skills, Qualifications & Knowledge Required

• Degree in a relevant engineering or science discipline.
• Worked in industry, defence or have other relevant experience.
• Strong experience of leading and developing teams.
• Commercial and business awareness.
• Experience in engineering management and delivery of project work packages.
• Ability to manage complex situations with sound judgement and the ability to balance conflicting challenges.

We are particularly interested in receiving your application if you have experience in any of the following areas:

• Experience of working with, and supporting products throughout their whole lifecycle.
• Working in multi-disciplinary teams to influence design by implementation of DfX, specifically those associated with Supportability such as Design for Supportability, Reliability, Maintenance, Testability and Safety.
• Experience of implementing and undertaking Failure Modes Effects & Criticality Analysis (FMEA/FMECA).
• Knowledge of the many UK and International Standards applicable to Safety and RMT.
• Availability analysis and modelling.

A working knowledge of the following tools and packages would be beneficial: MS Office packages; PTC Windchill; Matlab/Simulink; Power BI; JIRA and Python. This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV).

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity.
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website. Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know. Be part of something bigger - apply now!