Equipment Design Authority

Equipment Design Authority - Launch Management Systems
Location: Hybrid working (3-4 days per week on-site)

The Role

The Launch Management System (LMS) is a critical subsystem within our Weapon Systems portfolio, responsible for the safe, secure, and effective launch of missiles. The LMS Design Authority is accountable for the technical development, certification sign-off, and in-service support of the LMS across two major programmes: Sea Ceptor and Land Ceptor.

This role requires comprehensive oversight of the LMS design, maintaining rigorous control of functional and physical design baselines, and ensuring full verification, validation, and acceptance into the overall Weapon System capability.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain technical authority for the LMS, ensuring compliance with programme and customer requirements.
• Oversee certification activities and provide technical sign-off for the LMS design.
• Direct and coordinate technical development activities, ensuring design integrity across hardware, software, and system interfaces.
• Provide in-service technical support, ensuring deployed systems meet reliability, safety, and performance requirements.
• Engage across engineering disciplines including systems, software, electronics, mechanical, safety, cybersecurity, and reliability.

Drive the continued evolution of LMS hardware and software designs to meet future capability needs.

• Provide subject matter expertise and leadership to ensure knowledge retention and technical excellence within the team.

Key Skills and Experience

• Degree-qualified (or equivalent experience) in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Demonstrable experience in a design authority or equivalent technical governance role.
• Strong systems engineering background, with knowledge of:
• Requirements management (e.g. DOORS, Jama or similar tools)
• System modelling and architectural frameworks (e.g. SysML, UML, MBSE approaches)
• Verification and validation processes
• Understanding of software and hardware development lifecycles, including integration and testing.
• Familiarity with safety and cybersecurity assurance in complex systems.
• Knowledge of reliability, maintainability, and in-service support engineering principles.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities, capable of working across multidisciplinary teams.