SDA Combat Systems Stealth Engineer

Job summary

The Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) is a part of the Ministry of Defence responsible for the procurement, in-service support, and disposal of the UK’s nuclear submarines. Our work is of unparalleled strategic importance nationally and internationally, ensuring the security of the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent (CASD), and delivering some of the most technically complex programmes in defence. At least one of four nuclear-armed submarines, supported by smaller attack submarines, is on patrol at all times: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

At the SDA, we strive to Support, Deliver and Aspire and put our values at the heart of our recruitment process. We believe that everyone should feel comfortable to be themselves and be supported to do their best work. As part of a diverse and inclusive workforce, our team will find a community to belong to. We believe that, by celebrating different backgrounds and different perspectives, together we’ll achieve the extraordinary.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

The primary delivery location for this position is Bristol Abbey Wood.

Please note, due to the level of security, this role is reserved for UK nationals only.

As the post holder will have access to very sensitive information, there are limitations on travelling to a small number of countries and we will undertake additional security checks as part of the recruitment process. Applications from candidates with close connections to certain countries may take considerably longer to process, or in some cases result in a withdrawal of an offer of employment. Further details will be provided at the conditional offer stage.

Job description

The Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) is part of the Ministry of Defence responsible for the procurement, in-service support, and disposal of the UK’s nuclear submarines. Our work is critical to maintaining the UK’s Continuous At-Sea Deterrent (CASD) and delivering some of the most complex engineering programmes in defence.

The Forward Design Group (FDG) sits at the forefront of future submarine capability, leading early-stage design, concept development, and system-level integration for next-generation platforms. FDG plays a central role in shaping requirements, informing major investment decisions, and enabling coherence across programmes such as; Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear (Replacement) (SSBN(R)), Nuclear Propulsion Plant X (NPPX) and Naval Design Partnership (NDP) activities.

We are seeking an experienced Level 3 Engineer – Combat Systems & Stealth (SEO equivalent) to lead “fight” capability development within FDG. This role focuses on the integration and performance of combat systems and stealth characteristics at platform level, ensuring future submarines remain operationally effective and survivable in contested environments.

The FDG L3 Fight Engineer is responsible for leading combat systems and stealth input across early-stage submarine design activities. This includes shaping how the platform detects, communicates, survives, and fights — ensuring these elements are coherently integrated within the overall system.
The role operates in a concept and pre-concept environment Low Technology Readiness Level (low TRL), where influence, system-level thinking, and the ability to manage ambiguity are critical.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead development of combat systems and stealth concepts across Forward Design activities, covering sensors, communications, weapons integration and survivability.
• Define and influence platform-level “fight” architectures, aligned to operational needs and evolving threat environments.
• Embed stealth considerations (acoustic and non-acoustic) early in design to ensure survivability is integral, not retrospective.
• Assess the combat systems and stealth landscape, including current capabilities, emerging technologies and threat drivers to inform future design direction.
• Apply spiral development principles, ensuring future platforms are designed to evolve capability incrementally over time.
• Develop and support long-term technology roadmaps for next-generation and generation-after-next submarine capability.
• Lead and assure trade studies, balancing performance, risk, cost and integration to inform early-stage decisions.
• Drive cross-discipline integration and act as an intelligent customer, working with internal teams and industry to shape coherent, deliverable concepts.

If you need to contact Defence Business Services (DBS) regarding this vacancy, please indicate that your vacancy is being handled by the SDA Recruitment Team. If you experience any technical difficulties with the CS Jobs system, please contact the Support Team via the Help link.

Person specification

To be successful with an application, candidates must demonstrate the that meet the following Essential Criteria:

• Chartered or Incorporated Engineer or equivalent relevant professional registration.
• Member of a relevant Professional Engineering / Science Institute or equivalent body.
• Relevant Level 4 (or higher) qualification or equivalent experience.
• Experience of providing technical advice and leading the delivery of successful engineering outcomes.
• Wide ranging depth and breadth of technical experience in own specialism with a broad understanding of the interdependencies between your work and related systems.
• Strong background in submarine combat systems and/or stealth.
• Experience working in complex, safety-critical engineering environments (defence, nuclear, marine, aerospace or similar).
• Ability to operate effectively in early-stage design / concept environments, dealing with uncertainty and shaping direction.
• Demonstrable experience of technical leadership or mentoring of junior engineers.
• Strong systems thinking, with the ability to understand and communicate cross-discipline impacts.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with experience influencing both internal and external partners.

Memberships

Chartered or Incorporated Engineer or equivalent relevant professional registration.

Member of a relevant Professional Engineering / Science Institute or equivalent body.

Evidence of the Membership will be required at interview.

All memberships declared must be held at point of application and be in date.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• EFCF 2 Application of Analytical Techniques - Practitioner
• EFCF 4 Technical Decision Making - Practitioner

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £48,700, Ministry of Defence contributes £14,108 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Discover My Benefits: Please follow the link to visit the Discover My Benefits site which showcases the benefits and discounts offered when working as a civilian for the MOD: https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/civilian/

Hybrid and flexible working can be considered for this post but will need regular workplace attendance due to security constraints. Candidates are encouraged to discuss options with the recruiting line manager before submitting an applications.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

At the Sift Stage, Applications will be assessed against the following.

Experience:

• Personal Statement - This should be a maximum of 1000 words that sets out your motivation for applying and shows how your skills and experience meet the essential and desirable requirements for the role. Please also provide your career history.

Behaviours:

• Working Together - CSBC3
• Delivering at Pace - CSBC3
• Changing and Improving - CSBC3

Technical Competencies:

• EFCF 2 Application of Analytical Techniques - Practitioner
• EFCF 4 Technical Decision Making - Practitioner

At the Interview Stage, Candidates will be assessed against the following.

Experience:

• Personal Statement/ Experience - The panel will ask questions about your personal statement. Exploring your Past Experiences, Key Achievements or Qualifications.

Behaviours:

• Making Effective Decisions - CSBC3
• Communicating and Influencing - CSBC3

Technical Competencies:

• EFCF 2 Application of Analytical Techniques - Practitioner
• EFCF 4 Technical Decision Making - Practitioner

Please refer to the Civil Service Behaviours here and the Technical Skills Framework and Success Profile documents attached.

The sift will be completed within 10 working days of the vacancy closing date. Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.

Requests to work flexibly and/or part time will be considered, taking into account business needs. Please note the salary will be pro-rata where part time hours are undertaken.

All employees joining Ministry of Defence who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Developed Vetting.

To be considered for this role, qualifications and/or memberships detailed must be held in full, prior to submitting your application.

This post does not offer any assistance with Relocation Allowances.

The post does NOT offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non-Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package, subject to eligibility.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and working from home as part of a non-contractual hybrid working arrangement. All office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to site capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of office attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this and other flexible working arrangements may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

Please note the Civil Service Nationality Rules will also need to be met. The Civil Service Nationality Rules operate independently and in addition to the UK Immigration Rules and must be met before an individual can take up employment in the Civil Service. The Civil Service Nationality Rules do not apply to UK, Irish and Commonwealth nationals, or to those who are eligible to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme but do apply to all other nationalities- including EU/EEA nationals who are ineligible to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

This vacancy is part of the A Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. Making the Civil Service a Great Place to Work for Veterans - GOV.UK

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contactDBSFPCP-SRMResourcingSDA@mod.gov.uk

SDA Reward Offer - Working for SDA - Submarine Delivery Agency - GOV.UK

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : SDA-HR-WorkforceResourcePlanning@mod.gov.uk
• Email : SDA-HR-WorkforceResourcePlanning@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSFPCP-SRMResourcingSDA@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please see Further Information document.

Attachments

20240927_Professional Engineer_PII_SDA Success Profiles_FINAL-O Opens in new window (pdf, 140kB)20250604-Engineering Competence Framework-O Opens in new window (pdf, 198kB)Terms and Conditions (TACOS 2014) Opens in new window (docx, 68kB)20241009 - Further Information - External Opens in new window (docx, 38kB)