Job Description
MERITUS are recruiting for a Head of Systems Design Coordination to join Future Combat Air Programmes with our defence client at either their Bristol or Stevenage site.
HEAD OF SYSTEM DESIGN COORDINATION - INSIDE IR35 - £80 PER HOUR (£592 per day) - 6 MONTHS - SC CLEARED (UKEO) - BRISTOL OR STEVENAGE - FAST MOVING PROCESS
Meritus is supporting a critical leadership hire within one of the UK's most strategically important defence programmes - focused on the development of next-generation combat air capability.
This role sits at the centre of a highly complex, multi-national programme shaping the future of air combat. You will operate at the intersection of platform design, weapons integration, and system-of-systems thinking - influencing how effects are delivered in a modern battlespace rather than simply integrated.
This is not a siloed engineering leadership role. It is a coordination, governance, and influence position operating across a large-scale Chief Systems Engineering (CSE) organisation and external partner network.
The Role
As Head of Systems Design Coordination, you will lead a critical function responsible for aligning engineering activity across a large, multi-disciplinary systems organisation (~70 engineers).
Reporting directly to the Chief Systems Engineer, you will act as a deputy in senior forums and take ownership of engineering coordination across programme-wide activities.
You will:
* Lead a Systems Design Coordination & Transversal team covering:
o Human Factors
o Through-Life Support
o Safety & Assurance
o Product Security
o Weapon Integration
* Own engineering governance across the programme:
o Design reviews & gate approvals
o Engineering Management Plans
o Systems Engineering Management frameworks
* Drive coordination across engineering task groups, ensuring alignment of outputs and technical coherence
* Act as a senior stakeholder interface across:
o Prime contractors
o Government / MOD stakeholders
o Internal engineering and programme leadership
* Support workforce development, mobility, and capability growth across the engineering function
* Contribute to bid activity and long-term capability planning
What We're Looking For
This is a high-influence leadership role - technical credibility alone is not enough. You must be able to operate commercially, politically, and strategically across a complex defence ecosystem.
Key requirements:
* Proven leadership within complex systems engineering environments (ideally defence or aerospace)
* Strong stakeholder management across primes, government, and internal delivery teams
* Experience operating within structured engineering governance frameworks
* Ability to align competing stakeholder priorities and drive decision-making
* Track record of influencing senior technical and programme leadership
* Strong organisational discipline with attention to detail across large-scale programmes
Programme Environment
* Multi-national collaboration across UK and international partners
* Highly sensitive, security-cleared environment
* Long lifecycle programme with evolving requirements and political visibility
* Strong emphasis on integration of advanced technologies and future capability concepts