Hardware Team Leader

Job Title\: Hardware Team Leader

Location\: Rochester – Onsite

Referral Bonus\: £1000

Grade\: 8

You’re expected to have completed 12 months in role prior to applying for an advertised vacancy and you should also discuss the internal opportunity with your line manager to ensure sustained business continuity and to further support your career development.

We know there may be exceptional individual circumstances that impact this, in the first instance please discuss this with your line manager.

If you don’t feel you can talk to your line manager, you can contact your HRBP.

PLEASE NOTE\: Should you be invited for interview; you acknowledge that the Recruitment team will contact you and your line manager regarding your application for this opportunity.

Job Description\:

As a Hardware Team Leader, you will lead a team of highly skilled and experienced hardware engineers responsible for the support to our production programs within products such as Helmet Mounted & Head-Up Displays, Mission Computers, Flight Controls, Active Inceptors and other associated safety critical technology.

Core duties\:

• You will be providing managerial and technical leadership of an electronics design team
• Manage work packages, cost, schedule, risk and opportunities.
• You will be working with production teams to ensure the engineering team is supporting the production program demand
• You will be providing technical governance and ensuring adherence to company processes
• You will be leading cost and performance trade-offs as well as driving continuous improvement
• Report status of tasks and technical maturity to project management

• Work closely with the functional management to review resourcing needs

Essential Skills\:

• You will be able to demonstrate high performance and achievement in leadership and management of engineering teams through a full product development lifecycle
• You will have proven experience / knowledge of cost and planning management tools/ optimising solutions and minimising impacts from dependencies/ product design and work package control
• You will have experience of design and identifying improvements to working practices and team skill development. Alongside root cause and target areas of improvement , focusing on failure reduction and MDBF
• It is desirable you will have experience of the Safety Critical Systems , requirements management tools, such as DOORS or work-package management tools, such as MSP, JIRA

The Hardware Team\:

You will be working as part of a multidisciplinary team to formulate and optimise innovative hardware engineering solutions, for products such as Helmet Mounted & Head-Up Displays, Mission Computers, Flight Controls, Active Inceptors, and other associated safety-critical technology.

This role will provide you with the opportunity to work with innovating cutting-edge projects as a member of a very experienced diverse team, with the view to progressing your career in this industry.

Why BAE Systems?

Here you’ll build a career with purpose and limitless possibilities. With lifelong learning and meaningful work, this is a place where you can grow your career with confidence and be empowered to be your best. You’ll be recognised for your contribution and enjoy rewards tailored to what’s most important to you and your family, support for your financial and personal wellbeing, as well as a balanced lifestyle. In an environment embracing sustainable ways of working and with a strong sense of shared purpose, our supportive culture is a place you can feel you belong and proud of the difference you make.

A place where everyone can thrive\:

We’re committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and supported. We know that a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences strengthens our teams and is vital to the work we do.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified people, who are BAE Systems employees and have been in their current role for 12 months or longer.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date\: 31st July 2026