Senior Defence Systems Technologist
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Job Summary
This goes beyond a conventional Solution Architecture role combining mission understanding systems thinking and technology judgement.
Youll work across users programmes architects engineers and specialists to understand mission needs capture and decompose requirements identify dependencies and shape coherent technical and architectural options.
Youll be comfortable moving between the strategic and the technical: understanding an operational problem exploring how systems and capabilities interlock and helping senior stakeholders make informed technical decisions.
Your architecture should not exist simply to create diagrams. It should help people make better decisions.
What youll do
- Work with military users and stakeholders to understand operational needs constraints and measures of success.
- Apply systems thinking across people processes information technology and organisations.
- Decompose complex requirements into capabilities functions services systems interfaces and dependencies.
- Develop mission system and solution architecture views that explain how capabilities fit into the wider Defence ecosystem.
- Identify dependencies across areas such as networks cloud data identity security gateways infrastructure and other programmes.
- Consider interoperability integration and information exchange from the outset.
- Develop and assess technical options identifying risks trade-offs and opportunities for reuse.
- Apply technical judgement to challenge assumptions identify gaps and recognise when specialist expertise is required.
- Support technical governance assurance procurement and supplier discussions.
- Work alongside delivery teams to ensure architectural intent can be turned into achievable capability.
- Communicate complex technical issues clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
Technology awareness
A key part of the role is maintaining broad awareness of developments across both military and commercial technology.
This could include:
- cloud and edge computing;
- mission and combat systems (AIR);
- C4ISR systems
- data platforms and exploitation;
- cybersecurity;
- NATO interoperability technologies
- AI and machine learning;
- identity and zero-trust architectures;
- communications and connectivity;
- autonomous systems;
- Sensing/emerging IOT technologies;
- Space domain systems;
- digital engineering;
You are not expected to be a deep specialist in all of these areas. You are expected to understand technologies well enough to assess their relevance ask informed questions challenge assumptions and recognise when specialist expertise is required.
We value people who can distinguish genuine opportunity from technology hype and reduce emerging technology to a practical question: What could this mean for the mission
What good looks like
Your work should help clients answer some deceptively simple questions:
- What are we trying to achieve
- What capabilities do we need
- How do they fit together and what do they depend upon
- What already exists that we can reuse or exploit
- Where are the gaps
- Could technology change the answer
- What are the risks and trade-offs
- What decisions do we need to make next
Ultimately your job is to help turn complex operational problems into coherent integrated and deliverable capability.
This is a hybrid role and you should expect regular travel to client sites across the UK typically most weeks. When not required on site we support flexible and remote working. We are seeking applicants who are UK based that are eligible to work and reside in the UK.
You must be eligible to obtain and maintain Security Check (SC) clearance and potentially Developed Vetted (DV).
What youll get
- Meaningful work that contributes to the UKs security and resilience.
- A supportive values-led culture built on excellence empathy and integrity.
- Competitive salary performance and profit-share bonus and share options plus;
- Pension matched up to 10%. Private health insurance. Dedicated learning and development budget. Flexible remote-first working. Unlimited holiday. Volunteering leave and matched charitable donations.
Not ticked every box Wed still love to hear from you. If youre excited by the opportunity to use technology to solve complex Defence challenges please apply and start a conversation with us.
Required Skills:
Were interested in people who bring: Experience of military or defence systems gained through the Armed Forces government industry or a related environment. Experience in systems engineering architecture mission engineering capability development or technical consultancy. Strong requirements capture analysis and decomposition skills with an understanding of system-of-systems environments. The ability to move confidently between strategic intent and technical detail build trusted relationships and facilitate productive workshops. Strong technical judgement intellectual curiosity and clear written and verbal communication. Eligibility to obtain and maintain Security Check (SC) clearance with the potential to obtain Developed Vetting (DV). Experience with Defence or NATO architecture frameworks interoperability coalition environments secure information exchange Cross-Domain Solutions SysML UML or ArchiMate would be useful but it is not a checklist. We care most about how you think how quickly you understand difficult problems and how effectively you connect operational needs with technical reality. Broad technology awareness Youll maintain practical awareness of developments across military and commercial technology including AI cloud and edge computing mission systems data cyber identity communications autonomy sensing space and digital engineering. You do not need to be a specialist in every area. You should be able to test relevance recognise hype ask informed questions and know when specialist expertise is needed.
