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MBDA • Bristol | United Kingdom

System Design Engineer

Employment type:  Full time
Salary:  Up to £55,000 per annum
Apply now

Job Description

Our Sparkworks Radio Frequency (RF) and Low Observability (LO) Systems Team champion early lifecycle system definition of revolutionary new and novel systems and capabilities by working at the leading edge of the V-model.

Salary: Up to £55,000 depending on experience

Dynamic (hybrid) working: 4 - 5 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…

The opportunity:

This Systems team support the maturation of a range of technologies in the RF directed energy and active & passive stealth domains. The team form a key bridge between technology specialists, system and sub-system designers, and programme management and business development within the Sparkworks sector. The core role of the team is to bring these exciting RF and LO ideas to life for both stakeholders and customers.

Whether embedded in a multi-disciplinary team, or leading an individual work package, you will gain broad engineering experience. Typical activities include:

  • Leading/conducting early life-cycle investigations, answering “what if”, “when” and “how” questions for future concepts.
  • Supporting technology specialists and system definition through carrying out trade studies and interacting with a wide range of stakeholders.
  • Leading the development of the system design for future concepts through maturing system, sub-system and equipment level requirements, and analysing and assessing key performance attributes.
  • Working across the V-model to plan and support verification activities, including specifying and supporting trials, evidence collection, and product documentation.
  • Working across domains and project areas within MBDA, with internal and external equipment and technology suppliers to deliver concept definitions, technology demonstrations, and showcase ground breaking future capabilities.

What we're looking for:

Systems Engineering experience in any of the following will be beneficial:

  • System functional architecture definition, requirement development and management.
  • Use of Systems Engineering tools including DOORS, DOORS Next, Rhapsody.
  • Conducting trade studies, investigating conflicts in requirements and designs, and identifying credible options.
  • Working independently on technically complicated problems or within a small team, delivering at a significant pace.

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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