Senior Cyber Engineer

Job summary

Are you an innovative engineer with a passion for solving complex cyber challenges and turning cutting-edge research into real-world capability?

Dstl is looking for a Senior Cyber Engineer to join a multidisciplinary team delivering advanced cyber capabilities that support critical national security and defence outcomes. Working across a diverse portfolio of projects, you will apply your technical expertise to develop innovative software solutions, prototypes and proof-of-concept capabilities that address some of the UK's most challenging cyber problems.

This role offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of cyber security, software engineering and emerging technology. You will apply your knowledge to comprehend and resolve complex problems and deliver proof-of-concept cyber capabilities and prototypes, incorporating software and hardware elements. You will collaborate with highly skilled engineers, scientists and operational stakeholders to understand complex challenges, develop novel technical approaches and deliver impactful solutions that make a tangible difference.

As a senior member of the team, you will help shape technical approaches, influence system design and contribute to the development of engineering best practice. You will also play an important role in developing organisational capability through mentoring, collaboration and knowledge sharing.

If you're motivated by innovation, enjoy tackling difficult technical problems and want to work in an environment where your expertise can have a direct operational impact, we'd love to hear from you.

This role is eligible for an additional specialist allowance of £2758 annually subject to meeting extended onboarding requirements. The role may be eligible for additional skills allowances depending on the skills and experience of the applicant.

Dstl recognises the importance of diversity and inclusion as people from diverse backgrounds bring fresh ideas. We are committed to building an inclusive working environment in which each employee fulfils their potential and maximises their contribution.

Job description

What you'll do;

• Design, develop and deliver innovative cyber capabilities, software solutions, prototypes and technical demonstrators.
• Apply software engineering, cyber security and secure development expertise to solve complex technical challenges.
• Translate technical research and emerging technologies into practical, operationally relevant capabilities.
• Shape technical approaches and system architectures to ensure solutions are robust, scalable and maintainable.
• Work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams to integrate and deliver novel cyber capabilities.
• Engage with customers and stakeholders, translating requirements into deliverable technical solutions.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of engineering practices, tools and development processes.
• Mentor and support less experienced engineers, helping to build technical capability across the organisation.
• Maintain awareness of emerging technologies, industry trends and best practice to support innovation and future capability development.

For more information on the job responsibilities, please see the job profile attached below.

Person specification

What we're looking for

• A degree in a STEM discipline such as Computer Science, Electronic Engineering, Embedded Systems, Physics or Mathematics, or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and systems-thinking skills.
• Experience delivering technical solutions within an engineering, science, technology or operational environment.
• Experience working effectively within multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality outcomes.

Experience of at least two of the following technical skills;

• Emebdded Systems development
• RF circuit design and analysis, protoyping, test and assurance
• Construction and test of practical electronics systems with the ability to use measurement equipment such as spectrum, signal, network, logic analysers and oscilloscopes.
• Systems integration, including the ability to work across softare and hardware boundaries
• Proficiency in writing sortware for performance-critical systems, with effective version control and collaborateive development practices using tool such as Git and Jira.

Please review the attached job description for more detailed information.

Important Information:

Our work in defence, security and intelligence requires our employees to be UK Nationals who are able to gain a high level of security clearance to undertake the projects we are involved in to protect us from security threats.

For this reason, only UK Nationals will be able to apply for this role. If you are an international or dual-national candidate, and you think you have the skills we need, please consider applying to any of our government, security or defence partners.

This role will require Develop Vetting and you should have resided in the UK for the past 10 years.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,431, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory contributes £12,002 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).

Benefits

Dstl’s full range of great benefits can be found in the information pack which includes:

• Financial: An excellent pension scheme starting from 26% employer contribution (find out more here). In Year Rewarding Achievement bonuses and thank you vouchers. Rental deposit scheme and cycle to work scheme.
• Allowances: This role is eligible for an additional specialist allowance of £2758 annually subject to meeting extended onboarding requirements. The role may be eligible for additional skills allowances depending on the skills and experience of the applicant.
• Flexible working: Options include alternative working patterns such as; compressed hours (e.g. working a 4 day week/ 9 day fortnight), job shares and annualised hours (agreed number of hours per annum paid monthly i.e. working term-time only).
• Working hours: Flexibility around your working day (e.g. start time, finish time). Ability to bank hours in a 12 month reference period including the ability to accrue and use 3 days per calendar month.

• Where you work: Depending on your role, blended working may be available including remote working to suit you and your team. This can be discussed at interview.
• Annual leave: 25 days pro rata (rising to 30 after 5 years) plus 8 public holidays with the ability to buy/sell 5 additional days per annum.
• Family: Maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks with full pay, an additional 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid
• Learning and Development: Dstl encourages and supports charterships, accreditations and provides employees access to fully funded apprenticeships up to level 7 (Masters Degree). Dstl will pay for 2 memberships with relevant bodies/institutions. Employees also have access to Civil Service Learning.
• Facilities: Onsite parking, EV Charging points, restaurants, cafés and gyms.

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 and Experience.

We want you to have your best chance of success in our recruitment process, so If at any stage of the application process you would like help or assistance please contact the Dstl Recruitment Team dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk and we will do all we can to support you.

Sifting will take place week commencing the 23rd of November with interviews taking place from the 7th of December.

Your interview will consist of behavioural and technical competency-based questions. You will also be required to deliver a 10-minute presentation. Further details for the presentation will be provided to candidates invited to interview.

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

Security

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.

This job is not open to candidates who hold a dual nationality.

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 : Cyber Recruitment Team
• Email : cyberrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk

Further information

Should you wish to raise a formal complaint about the Dstl recruitment process you should email dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk stating the nature of the issue. We will respond within 5 working days.

Attachments

Senior Cyber Engineer RF Hardware L5 Opens in new window (pdf, 188kB)Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 4978kB)