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BAE Systems • Rochester, United Kingdom

Lead Systems Engineer / Team Lead

Employment type:  Full time
Salary:  Up to £65,000 per annum
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Job Description

Job Title: Lead System Engineer / Team Lead

Location: Rochester – Onsite

Salary: Up to £65,000 dependent on skills and experience. We are recruiting for a range of technical and team leading positions

Who we are:

Join BAE Systems and you’ll be part of something bigger. As a valued member of our global colleague network, you’ll bring your unique skills and perspectives to help pioneer progress and protect what matters most. You’ll be trusted to play your part in delivering the advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions of tomorrow, shaping a safer future, for all of us.

From the depths of the ocean, to the far reaches of space, there’s no limit to where a career at BAE Systems could take you.

Job Description:

This role focuses on guiding and developing engineers by offering technical direction, supporting wellbeing, and helping shape their career growth. It involves collaborating across teams to identify effective technical solutions, contributing to strategic project decisions, and ensuring initiatives are implemented smoothly.

A key part of the position is understanding project scope, timelines, and resource needs, while regularly advising managers on team capacity and skill requirements. The role also ensures dependencies and facilities are in place for successful delivery, and supports the wider business by preparing bid estimates and maintaining schedules and budgets for ongoing projects.

Core duties:

  • You will be providing guidance to less experienced engineers, supporting team members wellbeing and career development
  • Your understanding of scope, size and time phasing of packages of work, will be used to facilitate and contribute to project success
  • You will be understanding the team size and skillset required, giving regular status and recommendations on resourcing requirements to the project and functional engineering manager
  • You will be supporting the business by creating new estimates for bids and maintaining the schedule and budget for on-going projects

Essential Skills:

  • You will have experience in the systems engineering domain and product lifecycle
  • You will have familiarity with system engineering tools such as DOORS, Siemens Polarion, Enterprise Architect, CAMEO, MATLAB and/or Simulink
  • You will have experience leading a team and making decisions from either a technical or managerial aspect
  • You will have a degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant Scientific/Engineering subject (e.g. Systems Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Aerospace, Physics or Mathematics)

The Systems Engineering Team:

The team supports the functional department and projects through work package scope, scheduling, resources and strategy for the project systems domain. Your role will include working with Engineering Project Managers to broadly understand the near-term work planned (3mth – 6mth) and longer term work planned (18mth – 24mth). You will be leading a team of highly capable engineers to deliver against your plans and estimates.

Why BAE Systems?

Here you’ll build a career with purpose and limitless possibilities. With lifelong learning and meaningful work, this is a place where you can grow your career with confidence and be empowered to be your best. You’ll be recognised for your contribution and enjoy rewards tailored to what’s most important to you and your family, support for your financial and personal wellbeing, as well as a balanced lifestyle. In an environment embracing sustainable ways of working and with a strong sense of shared purpose, our supportive culture is a place you can feel you belong and proud of the difference you make.

A place where everyone can thrive:

We’re committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and supported. We know that a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences strengthens our teams and is vital to the work we do.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date: 8th April 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

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Company benefits

Adoption leave
Annual bonus
Buy or sell annual leave
Collaboration spaces
Cycle to work scheme
Electric Car Salary Sacrifice
Employee discounts
Enhanced maternity leave – Up to 52 weeks with the option of returning to work on reduced hours for the first 13 weeks
Enhanced paternity leave – 4 weeks for eligible employees
Enhanced pension match/contribution
Family health insurance
Fertility treatment leave
Gym membership – Discounts available
Health insurance
In house training
Learning license
Lunch and learns
Mental health support
Mental health first aiders
Mental health platform access
Modern office
Neo-natal leave
Open to compressed hours
Open to job sharing
Open to part time work for some roles
Open to part-time employees
Pregnancy loss leave
Private booths
Referral bonus
Relocation packages
Reservist leave – 15 days
Salary sacrifice
Secure on-site parking
Share options
Shared parental leave
Mentoring

Working at BAE Systems

Company employees:

Around 110,000

Hiring in countries

Australia

Canada

Japan

Malaysia

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United Kingdom

Office Locations

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