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MBDA • Bristol | United Kingdom

Command and Control Subsystem Engineering Lead

Employment type:  Full time
Salary:  £52,500 per annum
Apply now

Job Description

This role is an excellent opportunity to take a leading role in the design and development of a key subsystem on a high-profile project aiming to deliver the Royal Navy’s first operational Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) capability in rapid timescales.

Salary: Circa £52,500 depending on experience

Dynamic (hybrid) working: 4 days per week on-site due to workload classification

Security Clearance: British Citizen or a Dual UK national with British citizenship.

Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.

What we can offer you:

  • Company bonus: Up to £2,500 (based on company performance and will vary year to year)
  • Pension: maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
  • Overtime: opportunity for paid overtime.
  • Flexi Leave: Up to 15 additional days.
  • Flexible working: We welcome applicants who are looking for flexible working arrangements
  • Enhanced parental leave: offers up to 26 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave -enhancements are available for paternity leave, neonatal leave and fertility testing and treatments
  • Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more…
  • Healthcare Cash Plan: The Healthcare Cash Plan benefit provides the option to claim cash back on everyday healthcare expenses such as optical, dental, health and wellbeing and more.

The opportunity:

DragonFire is MBDA’s new Laser Directed Energy Weapon that we are developing for the royal Navy. A critical component of this system is the Command and Control (C2) system that integrates the different components of the weapon system together, provides digital integration of the weapon system to the ship’s systems and sensors, and provides the operator with the means to plan and execute laser engagements. Reporting to the Head of C2, you will provide day-to-day management, direction and technical leadership for the multi-disciplinary Common Architecture Team (CAT) responsible for the design of the C2.

The role has good visibility and engagement across a range of MBDA weapon system design functions, and the successful candidate will help to build the foundation for future design evolutions of MBDA LDEW products beyond the DragonFire Minimum Deployable Capability (MDC) programme.

The role has good visibility and engagement across a range of MBDA weapon system design areas, primarily System Design, Software and Algorithms engineers, but also with safety and human factors.

The successful candidate will help to build the foundation for future design evolutions of MBDA LDEW products beyond the DragonFire Minimum Deployable Capability programme.

Key responsibilities:

  • Provide direction and technical leadership (including activity tracking and project reporting) of the multi-functional Common Architecture Team (CAT).
  • Lead the capture, derivation, and refinement of subsystem requirements for the Command & Control subsystem.
  • Work collaboratively with the CAT to deliver the Command & Control sub-system functional architecture.
  • Identify and capture functional risks, opportunities, issues and assumptions and their associated mitigation strategies.
  • Conduct trade studies and engineering analyses to ensure we deliver a fit for purpose DragonFire MDC C2&EMS that is on schedule.

What we're looking for from you:

  • Product development / systems thinking mindset, with experience in complex systems functional design and development.
  • Excellent stakeholder management skills.
  • Experience across the systems engineering / product development lifecycle, with an emphasis on successful project delivery.
  • Proactive and self-managing, with an ability to work under pressure to deliver successful outcomes on demanding timescales.
  • Practical knowledge and experience of system engineering processes and tools (e.g. IBM Rhapsody, IBM DOORS, IBM Engineering Workflow Management).
  • Relevant experience in defence or other highly regulated environment
  • Experience working in or leading a cross-functional engineering teams.

Our company: Peace is not a given, Freedom is not a given, Sovereignty is not a given

MBDA is a leading defence organisation. We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.

We are proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity, Disability and more…

We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process.

Follow us on LinkedIn (MBDA), X (@MBDA_UK), Instagram (MBDA_UK) and Glassdoor or visit our MBDA Careers website for more information.

Apply now

Company benefits

25 days annual leave + bank holidays
Adoption leave – up to 26 weeks
Annual bonus – all employee bonuses paid in Feb/March
Annual pay rises – performance (+ inflation) increases each year
Bike parking – secure parking at all sites
Buddy scheme – buddies when onboarding
Buy or sell annual leave – buy up to 5 extra days
Coffee discounts – discounted on site cafes and canteens
Company shutdown periods – Christmas closures and bank holidays
Compassionate leave
Cycle to work scheme
Dental coverage – salary sacrifice options
Electric Car Salary Sacrifice – MyCarScheme - including electric vehicles
Electric vehicle charging unit loan – electric charging points at all UK sites
Employee assistance programme
Employee discounts
Enhanced maternity leave – up to 26 weeks
Enhanced paternity leave – available after 26 weeks service
Enhanced pension match/contribution
Enhanced sick pay – increases with length of service
Faith rooms
Family health insurance – salary sacrifice options
Fertility treatment leave
Gym membership – Discounted gym on site in Stevenage, or discounts for local gyms across UK
Health insurance – salary sacrifice options
In house training – In house L&D team
L&D budget
Language lessons
Learning platform – access to multiple learning resources
Menopause support
Mental health first aiders
Mentoring – available to all employees. Includes women in leadership options
Neo-natal leave – up to 12 weeks
On-site catering
On-site gym
On-site wellness room – reflection rooms available to employees
Open to compressed hours
Open to job sharing
Open to part time work for some roles
Open to part-time employees
Optional unpaid leave
Personal development budgets – up to £150 towards non-work training courses
Professional subscriptions – full membership funding available
Referral bonus – up to £3,000 for a successful referral
Reservist leave – up to 3 weeks off for training (2 weeks on full pay)
Restaurant discounts – discount/cashback employee platform
Salary sacrifice
Share options
Shared parental leave – up to 26 weeks
Teambuilding days
Technology Loan – salary sacrifice options available
Time off in-lieu
Travel loan – season ticket loans for public transport
Volunteer days – up to 2 days a year for team-based volunteering
Pregnancy loss leave

Working at MBDA

Company employees:

6000

Gender diversity (m:f):

73:27

Hiring in countries

Spain

United Kingdom

Office Locations

Awards & Accreditations

Best Work-Life Balance

Top 5 - Best Work-Life Balance

Flexa awards 2026

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