GCAP - Product Owner (Systems Engineering) in Reading

Leonardo is a global industrial group, among the main global players in Aerospace, Defence and Security that realises multi-domain technological capabilities in Helicopters, Aircraft, Aerostructures, Electronics, Cyber Security and Space. With over 60,000 employees worldwide, the company has a solid industrial presence in Italy, the UK, Poland and the US. It also operates in 150 countries through subsidiaries, joint ventures and investments.

Within the GCAP Joint Venture, in the GCAP Technical Leadership UO, we are looking for a Product Owner (Systems Engineering) for GCAP HQ in Reading (UK). This role reports to the Head of DE&D and is accountable for the deliverables of the Systems Engineering Product Area, ensuring integrated plans across the Delivery Managers of Requirements Engineering, MBSE, System of Systems, Safety, and Product Security, and with adjacent Product Areas, to deliver the right capabilities at the right time in the right way.

The Product Owner – Systems Engineering leads the end-to-end definition, prioritization, and coordinated delivery of systems engineering capabilities across these five pillars. The role aligns Digital Engineering practices with rigorous lifecycle management, verification, integration, configuration and variant control, and authoritative model adoption across the DE Digital Thread.

The Product Owner ensures that reference architectures, technical baselines, modeling guidelines, and toolchains (e.g., SysML/UML, UAF, IBM DOORS NG for requirements, global configuration, interface governance, assurance/security case management) are defined and executed to meet programme, qualification, and certification needs. The role enforces end-to-end traceability and evidence through assured processes and tools, enabling seamless translation from capability and system requirements into architecture, models, verification artefacts, and compliance evidence.

To achieve effective operational capability, the Product Owner drives cross-partner integration of engineering artefacts from internal teams, Partners, and Suppliers, proving system and system-of-systems interoperability and performance. They enable common and nation-specific delivery through consistent methods, processes, data models, and standards, while managing a common repository and integration strategy. Where direct tool compatibility is not possible, the Product Owner oversees efficient translation mechanisms to preserve fidelity, traceability, and compliance.

• Programme leadership: Lead, manage, and supervise the Systems Engineering Product Area (Reqs Eng, MBSE, SoS, Safety, Product Security), ensuring capabilities are delivered, coordinated, and integrated with Engineering, Programme Management, DE&D, and other stakeholders to agreed service levels, budgets, timelines, and quality.
• Delivery: Oversee definition, prioritisation, and execution of cross-pillar activities: modeling guidelines, toolchain selection, lifecycle environment setup, verification, integration, and configuration/change/variant management. Ensure alignment with certification/assurance objectives and roadmap outcomes.
• Integration: Collaborate with DE&D Product Owners and Delivery Managers to ensure interoperability of tools, processes, and data models across Domains and Partners. Guarantee full integration with the DE Digital Thread and end-to-end traceability from capability and system requirements to models, analyses, and verification evidence.
• Supplier and Partner management: Build and maintain strong relationships with internal teams, Partners, and Suppliers to ensure seamless integration of artefacts and adherence to common processes, repositories, and toolsets.
• Team leadership: Manage the Product Area team-of-teams, providing guidance, mentorship, and performance management for Delivery Managers. Define resource requirements to ensure appropriate sizing and capability for roadmap delivery.
• Communication: Maintain clear documentation and communications for priorities, progress, and delivery status; publish roadmaps, release notes, and maturity/adoption dashboards.
• Financial management: Own budget planning and expenditure for the Product Area; support effective financial control and investment decisions for projects, services, and component cost models.

• Mentor and grow the Product Area team: Build a skilled leadership cohort of Delivery Managers and technical leads; establish training pipelines and common methods across Partners.
• Scope and source delivery partners: Identify internal/external support for architecture, modeling, integration, verification, safety/security evidence, and configuration governance; engage suppliers through the digital partner network.
• Understand Product Area requirements: Work with stakeholders and the Product Owner – DE Needs Management to capture systems engineering needs and translate them into actionable statements of work for internal and external teams.
• Develop Product Area delivery plan: Define and maintain an integrated plan for systems engineering activities, coherent with the overall roadmap and aligned with other Product Areas.
• Monitor and control delivery: Establish governance to track performance, progress, and risks across the portfolio, including internal and external contributors.
• Stakeholder engagement: Build strong relationships across IT, Edgewing, engineering, manufacturing, and enabling functions to ensure alignment of requirements and effective communication of progress.

• Degree in Systems Engineering, Engineering (Mechanical/Electrical/Aerospace), Computer Science, or a related technical discipline.
• Service Management certification (e.g., ITIL) or equivalent experience.
• Project or Programme Management certification (e.g., APM, PRINCE2, or SAFe/Agile) or demonstrable experience managing complex multi-pillar delivery environments.
• Minimum 12–15 years of experience across Requirements Engineering, MBSE, System of Systems, Safety, and Product Security in regulated, safety-critical industries (e.g., Aerospace/Defence).
• Strong knowledge of model-based engineering and digital thread enablement across requirements, architecture/design, analysis/simulation, manufacturing constraints, test, and compliance evidence.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multi-partner and supplier integration within complex programmes and distributed teams.
• Experience defining and implementing common methods, standards, and toolchains across distributed, international partners.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills; ability to influence and align diverse teams.
• Strong financial and resource management skills, including planning, budgeting, and cost control for systems engineering activities.
• Security clearance or eligibility for clearance in defence programmes is mandatory.