Systems Engineer - The National Timing Centre

Our world-leading Time & Frequency department is seeking a experienced Systems Engineer with proven expertise in application of Systems Engineering principles and systems development approaches.

This is an exceptional opportunity to join the global authority in precision timing at a defining moment for UK digital infrastructure.

Backed by a government investment of £180 million in the National Timing Centre (NTC) programme, we are developing a world-first resilient time distribution capability that will provide industry with a robust complement to satellite systems (such as GPS) – which are increasingly vulnerable to disruption from solar storms, jamming and spoofing. This will underpin essential services, including

• Telecommunications,
• Online banking,
• Emergency response,
• Transport networks, and
• Wider digital and data-driven operations.

Together, these services form the backbone of modern society - and your leadership will help ensure they remain secure, reliable and robust even if global navigation satellite systems fail.

Key responsibilities:

• Supporting early lifecycle systems engineering activities, including concept definition, functional decomposition, and requirements development
• Defining system and subsystem architectures, including boundaries, interfaces, and packaging in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams
• Modelling and analysing system behaviour, interfaces, and performance to inform design decisions and reduce technical risk
• Identifying, assessing, and communicating technical risks, assumptions, and trade-offs clearly and proportionately
• Producing clear, structured systems engineering artefacts (requirements, architectures, models) in line with internal processes, to time, cost, and quality
• Ensuring traceability from user needs through to system requirements and design decisions across the product lifecycle