EW Systems Architect

Morgan McKinleyCambridgereedpublished 10/08/2026
Must-have:SecuritySeniorLeadPrincipalJunior

An exceptional opportunity has arisen for a seasoned Senior or Principal Electronic Warfare Systems Architect to take a key technical leadership role within a premier defence technology and engineering company. In this pivotal position, you will drive the evolution of cutting-edge Electronic Warfare (EW) capabilities, bridging the gap between innovative high-level concepts and battlefield-ready systems. You will serve as a primary technical authority, steering solutions across the full product lifecycle-from initial customer engagement and solution design to technical execution and real-world trials. This position is ideal for an engineer who thrives on technical variety-equally comfortable presenting complex threat landscape analyses to defence stakeholders as they are diving into engineering design details alongside multidisciplinary teams. Key Responsibilities Technical Direction: Spearhead technical architecture across EW projects, bid proposals, and product development initiatives.

System Integration: Lead the end-to-end design and integration of advanced EW solutions across software, RF/hardware, digital signal processing (DSP), FPGA, and systems engineering domains.

Roadmap & Strategy: Partner with product managers, leadership, and business development teams to define and shape the organization's long-term technology strategy.

Mentorship: Function as an internal subject matter expert, guiding junior engineers, fostering technical excellence, and potentially leading a small team of engineering leads.

Trials & Field Demonstrations: Oversee and support international and UK-based testing, trials, and live demonstrations alongside defence partners.

External Representation: Represent the business at industry symposiums, contributing thought leadership to maintain the firm's reputation as a leader in defence technology.

What We Are Looking For Proven EW Expertise: Extensive experience designing and architecting Electronic Warfare systems within a defence technology, systems engineering, or product development setting.

Breadth & Depth: Deep technical knowledge in at least one core domain (RF/Electronics, DSP, FPGA, Systems Architecture, or Embedded Software) paired with a solid grasp of overall system integration.

Strategic Understanding: In-depth knowledge of modern threat systems, operational defence contexts, and current EW operational frameworks.

Bid & Delivery Experience: Track record of driving technical aspects of proposals, winning work, and successfully delivering complex engineering programs.

Stakeholder Engagement: Excellent communication skills with confidence liaising with military/MOD customers, industrial suppliers, and technical teams.

Vetting: Ability and willingness to undergo top-tier UK security vetting (UK DV and NATO Secret clearance).

Desirable Experience Prior experience with naval/maritime Electronic Warfare domains.

An established network across the UK MOD, international defence organizations, or relevant research partners.

Experience planning or executing domestic and overseas field trials/demonstrations.

Line management or team leadership background.