Head of Systems Design Coordination

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:
  • Human Factors
  • Through-Life Support
  • Safety & Assurance
  • Product Security
  • Weapon Integration
• Own engineering governance across the programme:
  • Design reviews & gate approvals
  • Engineering Management Plans
  • Systems Engineering Management frameworks
• Drive coordination across engineering task groups, ensuring alignment of outputs and technical coherence
• Act as a senior stakeholder interface across:
  • Prime contractors
  • Government/MOD stakeholders
  • 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 life cycle programme with evolving requirements and political visibility
• Strong emphasis on integration of advanced technologies and future capability concepts