Principal Post-Design Support Engineer

Job Description:

Your Impact

Are you ready to lead the post-design support of a critical national capability? As the Principal Post-Design Support Engineer, you will be accountable for the effective sustainment, improvement and technical-support performance of a complex operational capability once solutions enter service.

You will provide leadership across a multidisciplinary PDS team and coordinate engineering, service, commercial, supply-chain and programme stakeholders. You will shape the forward PDS plan, priorities and performance framework, including technology refresh, obsolescence, resilience, capability and continuous-improvement requirements; set support priorities and controls within the applicable governance; and ensure that operational outcomes are delivered to time, cost, quality and contractual expectations.

The role is a principal interface between Leonardo, Border Force and relevant authorities. You will represent Leonardo in performance, risk, change and technical-support forums, ensuring that customer and end-user needs are understood, balanced and translated into deliverable priorities.

What you will do as a Principal Post-Design Support Engineer

• •Own the end-to-end delivery and performance of Post Design Services for the supported operational capability, ensuring outcomes are achieved to agreed time, cost, quality and contractual measures.
• •Lead the transition of new or changed solutions into operational support and assure their continued supportability throughout the in-service lifecycle.
• •Provide broad technical leadership across hardware, software, system integration, obsolescence and test, drawing on specialist expertise while maintaining an end-to-end view of service performance and supportability.
• •Set and maintain the forward PDS plan, priorities and performance framework, including technology refresh, obsolescence, resilience, capability and continuous-improvement requirements, aligned with programme, customer and business objectives.
• •Lead a multidisciplinary team and coordinate specialist input across engineering, service operations, commercial, supply chain, quality, security and programme functions.
• •Act as the principal PDS interface with Border Force and relevant authorities, representing Leonardo in governance, service-performance, risk and change forums.
• •Own the PDS governance framework, ensuring fit-for-purpose methods, processes, controls, tools, records and audit trails are established and followed.
• •Direct the resolution of complex or systemic in-service issues, integrating technical evidence and specialist advice, setting priorities and escalating unacceptable operational, engineering or contractual risk.
• •Own technology-refresh, obsolescence and continuous-improvement roadmaps, including investment priorities, innovation opportunities and implementation planning.
• •Oversee engineering and service changes affecting the supported capability, ensuring impact assessments, approvals, configuration records, Engineering Change Requests and the Master Parts List are appropriately controlled.
• •Manage supplier technical and service performance, chair technical reviews, lead recovery or improvement action, and advise on commercial or contractual intervention where required.
• •Ensure business-continuity arrangements, critical technical information, media, knowledge capture and succession plans provide appropriate operational resilience.
• •Lead the technical-support relationship with the Service Desk, including the effective management of service-credit exposure and the evidence needed to support contractual decisions.
• •Oversee support and evolution of Traffic Management Systems, including requirements for new and existing sites and technical relationships with relevant suppliers.
• •Provide line management, objectives, performance leadership, development and succession planning for direct reports, building capability and reducing single points of expertise.
• •Lead an early and structured handover from the current role holder, capturing critical knowledge, relationships, decisions, technical context and recurring activities to maintain continuity and support effective succession.
• •Set PDS priorities and direct recovery action in response to operational, technical, supplier or contractual performance issues, ensuring decisions and escalations follow the applicable programme, engineering and commercial governance.
• •Ensure engineering and support changes, support risks and service-credit recommendations are assessed, evidenced, approved or escalated through the appropriate governance route.
• •Drive continual improvement through analysis of service performance, equipment failure trends, customer feedback, risk and lessons learned.

What you’ll bring

• •Substantial experience leading post-design support, sustainment, service engineering or complex in-service product support.
• •Proven accountability for delivery across time, cost, quality, risk and contractual performance in a regulated or high-integrity environment.
• •Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and achieving outcomes through technical specialists, suppliers and functional stakeholders.
• •Strong knowledge of the engineering and service lifecycle, including configuration control, change management, obsolescence, technology refresh, business continuity and operational support.
• •Broad practical understanding across hardware, software, system integration, obsolescence management and test, with the ability to challenge evidence, integrate specialist advice and make balanced support decisions.
• •Commercial awareness, with experience of supplier performance, forecasting, service measures, contractual obligations and evidence-based decision-making.
• •Strong customer leadership and influencing skills, including the ability to represent the organisation in senior governance and performance forums.
• •Sound judgement when integrating technical evidence, balancing operational priorities and escalating risk.
• •Demonstrable line-management experience, including objective setting, performance management, capability development and succession planning.
• •The ability to communicate across technical and non-technical audiences and create clarity in complex or ambiguous situations.
• •A full UK or EU driving licence, due to the requirement for travel to customer, supplier and operational locations.
• •A degree or equivalent experience in an engineering, technology, service-management or related discipline.

Core areas (must have)

• •Accountability and Delivery: Demonstrable ownership of complex in-service support outcomes, with the authority and judgement to set priorities and ensure delivery against business and customer commitments.
• •Leadership Through Others: Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, align specialist contributors and create clear accountability across organisational boundaries.
• •Forward Planning: Ability to develop technology-refresh, obsolescence, resilience, capability and continuous-improvement plans and translate them into funded, deliverable priorities.
• •Governance and Assurance: Strong understanding of engineering governance, configuration control, safety, security, quality, auditability and change control in operational environments.
• •Customer and Stakeholder Influence: Credibility to act as the principal PDS interface, manage expectations and influence senior customer, authority, supplier and programme stakeholders.
• •Commercial and Supplier Management: Ability to manage supplier performance and contractual outcomes, understand cost and service-credit implications, and recommend corrective or commercial action.
• •People and Capability: Experience developing people, building resilient teams and reducing dependency on individual specialists.
• •Judgement and Decision-Making: Ability to make evidence-based decisions within established governance, recognise the limits of own authority and escalate significant technical, operatio