Assistant Chief Engineer – SSNA Combat System

BAE Systems; Weymouth; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense contractor is seeking an Assistant Chief Engineer for their SSNA Combat System team located in the UK. In this role, you will ensure product safety and quality, manage technical integration, and provide leadership to engineering teams. Ideal candidates will have relevant engineering knowledge, preferably in Combat Systems, and hold an engineering chartership. This position offers flexible working arrangements and relocation support, with a closing date of January 9, 2026.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Discounted health and lifestyle benefits

Green car scheme

Private health plans

Shopping discounts

Qualifications

• Broad understanding of engineering principles and systems theories.
• Experience in complex systems engineering, preferably in Combat Systems.
• Degree qualification in a relevant STEM field or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Ensure design meets safety and compliance standards.
• Manage integration of technical activities across projects.
• Oversee Chief Engineers to ensure certification and release standards.
• Provide leadership to Technical Authorities.
• Engage with delivery teams to support capability and equipment needs.

Skills

Broad knowledge of engineering principles

Experience with Combat System engineering

Understanding of legal and regulatory environment

Degree in relevant STEM subject

Engineering chartership

Job description

Job Description – Assistant Chief Engineer – SSNA Combat System (00132623)

Assistant Chief Engineer – SSNA Combat System

Location: Weymouth, Barrow-in-Furness, Frimley, Filton or Broad Oak. We offer a range of hybrid and flexible working arrangements – please speak to your recruiter about the options for this particular role.

What you’ll be doing

• Ensure that the design of products is safe and meets contractual, legal and regulatory requirements, company standards and environmental requirements.
• Ensure the quality and fitness for purpose of product designs, with appropriate trade-off between performance, affordability, predictability and supportability.
• Manage the integration of technical and engineering activities across projects in support of product certification.
• Oversee the activities of subsidiary Chief Engineers/Technical Authorities, to ensure product certification and release at the required standard, to schedule.
• Ensuring that records of all significant product design decisions are retained, including a record of the relevant Chief Engineers/Technical Authorities involved.
• Provide technical and functional leadership and direction to Technical Authorities.
• Approve engineering resource and engineering facility demands for projects.
• Support the wider Engineering community, through involvement in developing policy and standardised processes, shaping and sharing good practice.
• Engage with programme and engineering delivery teams as part of the stakeholder group delivering capability, equipment and design effort to SSNA.

Your skills and experiences

• You will need to have a broad and comprehensive knowledge of engineering principles and concepts, systems theories and practices.
• Good knowledge and experience of Combat System engineering functions or other similar complex systems.
• A comprehensive understanding of the legal and regulatory environment into which company products operate and function.
• Be degree qualified within a relevant STEM subject or hold the equivalent experience.
• Hold an Engineering chartership.

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, well‑being and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts – you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The SSNA – Integrated Combat Systems team

The SSNA programme within Maritime Submarines is proud to announce this fantastic opportunity within the team. This is a really exciting time for you to be a part of one of the UK’s latest and most complex submarine design programmes to date and ensure that the overall Combat System meets platform and capability needs via its Tactical Information Management function. It is a multi‑national programme and will offer the chance to travel within the role. We offer relocation support packages across all Submarines roles, subject to meeting eligibility criteria.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date

9th January 2026. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. Due to the festive season, there may be a delay in the processing of your application. Your application is important to us and we will respond as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.