Principal Systems Engineer IVV in Thatcham

Company: Ultra Intelligence & Communications Cyber (UK) Business Powering Decision. Join the team redefining defense technology. From engineering systems that save lives to leading programs that change the battlefield—find your place in the future of defense.

Cyber Business: Our Cyber business unit is at the forefront of pioneering advanced cryptographic and key management solutions, facilitating the confidential exchange of vital information for customers operating at both tactical and strategic echelons. Join our team and participate in the innovation that ensures the highest security and trust worldwide.

Job Description: The Project/Systems Engineering function in Ultra provides expertise to all projects through the bid and full development lifecycle. It ensures that both project and statutory requirements are suitably met and works to improve the effectiveness of the systems engineering approach within the company. It is responsible for the system requirements, the resulting architecture, the design and integration of the solution. It is responsible for ensuring we design to cost and design for manufacture. A professional at this grade applies technical / professional knowledge, making reasoned independent judgements based on practice and significant previous experience. Often seen as a referral point or more senior team member, to elevate more complex challenges and opportunities. This role is expected to act independently with minimal guidance, and may mentor project managers/early careers.

Responsible for / Key responsibilities:

• Responsible for assuring the Systems Engineering (in-process verification and validation) and delivery of conclusive evidence via System Integration, Verification and Validation (IV&V) processes and activities.
• Ensure the correctness and completeness of work products and solutions, from the requirements phase onwards, executing an evidence creation strategy in order to progressively gain internal and external acceptance.
• Create and maintain IV&V artefacts such as Strategies, Plans, Procedures, Compliance Matrices and Reports, to progressively assure the desired outcomes.
• Carry out IV&V responsibilities in accordance with IV&V processes and industry practices, so that internal, qualification and acceptance events are completed to an agreed level of maturity.
• Lead the cross-discipline development of any supporting test equipment/rigs/fixtures, via a lifecycle approach; creating requirements, support the design, development, testing of and maintenance, enabling the associated development and in-service test events.
• Responsible for all safety and security aspects relating to IV&V events and facilities used by the project.
• Actively participates, and is a key stakeholder, at engineering design reviews and project gates/reviews, owning the preparation, delivery and resulting actions of TRR.
• To support the Qualification activities, to include in house and external test houses.
• Responsible for the utilisation of any external IV&V facilities/test houses, i.e. organising interoperability testing, collaboratively developing test harnesses/fixtures etc. with test houses.
• Actively contributes to improving processes, tools and techniques that to increase the adoption, quality and efficiency of SE, IV&V engineering.
• Provides specialist knowledge and support to the wider engineering team.
• Exemplifies, leads, mentors and coaches IV&V to engineers and non-technical resources; sharing knowledge willingly and constructively to aid consistent application of IV&V principles, processes and methods.
• Manage security of information as defined in the Security Aspects and Government regulations.

The role is expected to provide Line Management, Technical Management or Subject Matter Expert responsibilities:

• Line management of a team of systems engineers (2-6), responsible for their development, training and approval of the team’s requests (e.g. annual leave etc.).
• Technical management of a team of systems discipline engineers (1-5) on a project, their tasking and being responsible for the quality of their technical delivery and adherence to schedule and budget.
• Subject Matter Expertise, and recognised as an expert in a specific subject matter, such as a specific product/technology/tooling/practice type or area.

Essential Qualifications / skills /requirements:

• Has extant/recent SC security clearance.
• Is flexible to travel within the UK to support external stakeholders, test houses and customers.
• Willing and able to obtain, and maintain, DV security clearance.
• Degree or equivalent qualification in Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or have applicable defence industry experience.
• Knowledge of Systems Engineering/V&V experience of solutions formed of Hardware, Software and Firmware components.
• Has designed and delivered special to type test equipment to meet the diverse requirements generated across multi-concurrent projects.
• Safety and security management for test environments including laboratories, able to build a business case to ensure that test environments are suitably available, safe & secure.
• Demonstrable experience of INCOSE/ISO 15288 Systems Engineering of complex solutions and delivered IV&V in accordance with ISO 29119.

Desirable Responsibilities:

• To be familiar with environmental facilities and their operation under the guidance of environmental test team.
• Assesses tasks to define Basis of Estimate costing for bid and change processes.
• Actively reviews professional publications; champions Systems Engineering/IV&V industry standards; active member and promotes related professional organisations.
• Experienced in the implementation of test facilities/equipment in relation to ISO 17025.

Desirable Qualifications / skills /requirements:

• INCOSE member – ASEP/CSEP.
• IV&V/Test related certification/recognition.
• Experienced in test automation, frameworks and marriage with manual testing for an overall test campaign.
• Environmental, EMC, EMI, TEMPEST etc design for and/or test experience.
• Modelling to understand test scope, test environment requirements and/or to validate.
• Scripting languages: JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Perl, Bash, Rest, MySQL.
• Development approaches, iterative, incremental, Test-Driven Development (TDD), Behaviour Driven Development (BDD), Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD), hybrid and similar models.

Notice: Due to the nature of the programs we deliver for our customers, candidates may need to obtain the relevant security clearance or handle export-controlled material as defined by the role's requirements. Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate level of security clearance for the role. Due to the nature of our work, you must be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.

Our Benefits:

• Participation in an Annual Bonus Scheme.
• Private Medical Cover.
• 25 days’ holiday (plus Bank Holidays) with the option to buy an extra 5 days.
• Pension Contribution.
• 4 x Life Assurance Cover.
• Flexible working hours with opportunity for a 1pm finish on a Friday.
• Flexible benefits including cycle to work scheme, will writing and more.
• Security Clearance Allowance – where relevant and subject to you holding the required security clearance.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement: At Ultra I&C, we are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity and inclusivity. Underpinned by our values, behaviours, and policies, we want you to feel empowered to be the best version of yourself. We also believe that people from different backgrounds and cultures will increase our diversity of thinking, ensuring we successfully deliver to our customers. We, therefore, do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We also support requests for flexible working arrangements wherever possible.