Systems Engineering Lead – 6 month contract

About the role

We are seeking a Systems Engineering Lead for a 6‑month contract based in Bristol, offering £70 per hour inside IR35. You will lead the Common Architecture Team (CAT) for a market‑leading defence and aerospace client, driving the functional design of the Command & Control subsystem.

Key responsibilities

• Provide day‑to‑day management, direction and technical leadership of the multi‑functional Common Architecture Team.
• Lead the capture, derivation and refinement of subsystem requirements for the Command & Control subsystem.
• Collaborate with the CAT to deliver the functional architecture of the Command & Control subsystem.
• Identify and capture functional risks, opportunities, issues, assumptions and define mitigation strategies.

Required profile

• Product development and systems‑thinking mindset.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills.
• Proven experience across the systems engineering/product development lifecycle with successful project delivery.
• Experience in functional design and development.
• Practical knowledge of systems engineering processes and tools such as IBM Rhapsody, IBM DOORS and IBM Engineering Workflow Management.
• Background designing complex systems in defence or other highly regulated environments.
• Experience leading or working within a cross‑functional engineering team.

Required skills

• IBM Rhapsody
• IBM DOORS
• IBM Engineering Workflow Management

What we offer

• 6‑month contract
• £70 per hour (inside IR35)
• On‑site role in Bristol