About the Opportunity
We are partnering with a fast-paced, innovative engineering and technology business in Cambridgeshire to find a Senior or Principal Electronic Warfare Systems Architect.
Operating across land, air, and maritime environments (covering Electronic Attack, Electronic Support, and broader EW capabilities), this organisation focuses on solving high-complexity engineering challenges-developing next-generation subsystems, payloads, and bespoke technologies rather than maintaining legacy platforms.
This is a pivotal, hands-on technical leadership role. You will join a multidisciplinary engineering hub to act as a technical authority on EW, working alongside an existing hardware-focused EW specialist to expand the business's capability, mentor engineers, and shape future technical roadmaps.
What You Will Be Doing
- Hands-On Architecture & Engineering: Take a practical, hands-on approach to designing, developing, and integrating complex EW subsystems and payloads. Whether your core technical strength lies in embedded software, FPGA, RF design, signal processing, or systems architecture, you will be positioned where your expertise makes the biggest impact.
- Full-Lifecycle Delivery: Drive projects from early-stage feasibility studies and proof-of-concept prototypes (using agile, iterative methods) through to full-scale product development.
- Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Serve as a go-to EW subject matter expert within the wider engineering team-guiding technical strategy, identifying risks, and upskilling other talented engineers eager to learn from your domain knowledge.
- Shaping Solutions & Proposals: Partner with internal commercial, product, and delivery leads to provide technical direction on new bids and shape upcoming customer opportunities. (Note: This is a pure engineering and technical leadership role-you will not carry a sales quota or be expected to cold-call/business develop).
- Industry Engagement & Trials: Represent the organisation at technical conferences, publish papers, and support live system trials and demonstrations across the UK and internationally.
What We Are Looking For
- Hands-On EW Engineering Background: Proven track record architecting and developing Electronic Warfare systems within a defence technology, product development, or systems engineering environment. (Please note: Because this is a hands-on design and development role, candidates whose experience is strictly limited to operational military deployment without an engineering design background will not be suitable).
- Deep Domain Knowledge: A thorough grasp of the modern EW landscape, threat environments, operational contexts, and system architectures across EA/ES.
- T-Shaped Technical Skillset: Deep, hands-on expertise in at least one core discipline (RF/electronics, embedded software, FPGA, signal processing, or systems architecture), paired with the system-level breadth to understand how they integrate.
- Delivery & Pace: Experience leading technically complex engineering projects and contributing to technical proposals. If you are coming from a larger, slower-moving defence prime and are frustrated by red tape, you will thrive in this agile, fast-moving setting.
- Stakeholder Confidence: Strong communication skills with the credibility to engage with UK MOD, defence primes, and technical partners.
- Security Clearance: Eligibility and willingness to obtain UK DV and NATO Secret clearances.
Nice to Have (Not Essential)
- Domain experience in Maritime / Naval EW (the team already has strong land and air coverage, so a maritime background would be a great bonus, though all domains are welcome).
- Experience supporting UK or international field trials and operational evaluations.
- Prior line management or team-lead experience (this is primarily an individual contributor role, though opportunities to manage technical leads may arise as the team grows).
Why Join?
- High-Impact Variety: Avoid the monotony of routine maintenance; tackle varied, technically demanding R&D and subsystem challenges across multiple platforms.
- Supportive Culture: Join a collaborative, low-ego engineering environment with a strong focus on continuous learning, career progression, and regular team social events.
- Great Location & Package: Competitive salary and benefits package, situated in a well-connected Cambridgeshire location with straightforward road and rail links and a great office with all the toys you can think of to do the best job possible!
