Contractor - System Owner in Shoreham-by-Sea

Pushing Boundaries: A World leader in propulsion engineering from concept to production

Ricardo is a trusted engineering partner specialising in complex propulsion, driveline, and energy systems. We work with customers globally to deliver end-to-end solutions from initial design through to full production. For over 110 years, we have been at the forefront of world-changing engineering innovation, partnering with many of the world’s most ambitious organisations to improve performance, push boundaries, and accelerate progress. Headquartered in Shoreham by Sea (UK), Ricardo brings together more than 1,000 experts and delivers in excess of 200 major programmes globally at any given time. For more information, visit www.ricardo.com

The Role

The System Owner will lead the design, development and delivery of assigned systems and sub-systems, ensuring compliance with technical, safety, regulatory, and certification requirements. This role requires a technically versatile engineer capable of coordinating cross‑functional engineering teams. They are likely to have technical expertise in one or more of the engineering disciplines and also possess broader systems engineering and complex system delivery experience.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Act as the system / sub‑system lead for assigned projects, ensuring technical integrity and compliance.
• Interpret and apply technical, safety, regulatory, and certification requirements across the system lifecycle.
• Support requirements decomposition and validation to ensure complete traceability from customer needs to system‑level deliverables.

Project Execution

• Manage and coordinate a cross‑functional team of engineers through the full product development lifecycle of assigned system or sub‑system.
• Manage and coordinate suppliers and external partners who are contributing to the development.
• Lead the definition and execution of Design Verification Plans (DVPs), ensuring robust coverage of system requirements.
• Develop and maintain detailed test plans, procedures, and acceptance criteria.
• Coordinate execution of validation activities, including lab and field testing.
• Track progress of DVP execution, managing risks, issues, and corrective actions.

Quality & Compliance

• Ensure that all engineering deliverables meet safety, quality, and regulatory standards.
• Manage certification evidence and ensure compliance documentation is complete and auditable.
• Support hazard analysis, FMEA, and safety case development to demonstrate compliance.
• Manage and coordinate the change management of design aspects within your assigned system or sub‑system.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate with other system and sub‑system teams including design, validation, manufacturing, and suppliers to ensure:
• The overall system performance is optimized.
• Requirements are met.
• Change impact is understood and managed across all teams.
• Represent your system or sub‑system in technical reviews, audits, and program updates.
• Collaborate with quality and safety teams to ensure alignment of engineering activities with compliance needs.

Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement

• Identify and resolve issues during design validation and test execution.
• Apply structured problem‑solving methods (DOE, 8D, root cause analysis) to ensure robust corrective actions.
• Promote continuous improvement in system design, development and delivery processes.

Documentation & Reporting

• Develop and maintain documentation for your assigned system or sub‑system, including requirements, DVPs, and certification evidence.
• Prepare reports and presentations summarising risks and issues, validation status, and compliance outcomes.
• Communicate results and recommendations clearly to stakeholders and leadership.

Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in systems, mechanical, electrical, or aerospace engineering; Master’s degree preferred.
• Demonstrable experience comprised of a mix of engineering discipline and systems engineering, safety, or validation roles.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing DVPs.
• Proven track record managing safety and certification deliverables in regulated industries.

Working here

You will be warmly welcomed into our workplace where every voice matters. We are diverse thinkers and doers, coming together to create a culture of inclusion. We will support you to find your place. We will encourage you to use your passion and expertise to make a positive impact through the projects you work on. Your knowledge and desire to bring about change will be invaluable in helping deliver innovative solutions that support communities across the globe in becoming safer and more sustainable.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro‑actively with all our employees and to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a disability confident employer.