Systems Engineering Lead

Are you ready to make your mark in the world of Formula 1?

At Formula 1, we are passionate about delivering the world’s greatest sports and entertainment spectacle leaving a positive legacy wherever we race. Innovation has always been at the heart of what we do ever since our first Grand Prix in 1950. Now, more than 75 years on, the sport remains a pioneer, developing technologies that have made a significant impact on society beyond the track.

Everything you see on screen or at an event comes via our passionate and dedicated people. Whether its engineering, broadcast, legal, logistics, security, event management, commercial, media rights, marketing, or communications there is always a talented team working to maximise the potential of the sport.

Role Overview:

We are looking for a Systems Engineering Lead to establish and drive systems engineering practices across Formula 1’s operational technology landscape.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Systems Engineering Leadership

• Establish, maintain and continuously improve systems engineering processes, standards and ways of working across Formula 1 engineering teams.

• Act as the organisation's subject matter expert for systems engineering, providing leadership and technical assurance across projects and programmes.

• Develop systems engineering capability across the organisation through mentoring, coaching and knowledge sharing.

• Promote the adoption of structured systems engineering practices throughout the project lifecycle.

System Definition and Requirements

• Own the standards and governance for how requirements and specifications are produced.

• Ensure requirements and specifications are consistently high quality and fit for use across engineering teams and delivery partners.

• Establish and maintain requirements traceability throughout the engineering lifecycle, from concept and design through implementation, validation and operational acceptance.

• Act as the final technical authority when business and operational needs must be resolved into engineering requirements, arbitrating where translation is ambiguous or contested.

Telemetry and Data Standards

• Define the approach for managing telemetry, interface and data dictionaries across Formula 1 engineering systems.

• Ensure telemetry and data definitions align with the requirements and interface baselines maintained elsewhere in the engineering lifecycle.

• Work with engineering teams and suppliers to promote common data standards that support integration, diagnostics, performance monitoring and future system development.

Systems Engineering and Architecture

• Provide technical leadership and oversight across system architecture, interface management and subsystem integration activities.

• Own the standards and governance for how interface definitions and specifications are produced, maintained and controlled.

• Define architectural principles and integration frameworks to support the delivery of complex engineering systems.

• Collaborate with software, electronics, infrastructure, networking, broadcast and operational teams to promote cohesive end-to-end system design.

• Support engineering decision-making through system analysis, trade studies and technical assessments.

• Provide oversight of integration, verification, validation and acceptance activities to ensure systems meet operational and performance objectives.

Technical Governance and Review

• Own the review and assurance mechanisms (design reviews, technical challenge and sign-off) that provide oversight against the systems engineering framework.

• Define and maintain engineering review processes that verify consistency, traceability and technical assurance are upheld across projects.

• Work closely with the QMO team to ensure alignment with engineering standards, quality processes and design review practices.

• Facilitate technical, architecture and design reviews, providing independent technical challenge where required.

• Drive continual improvement in engineering documentation, configuration management, change control and governance practices.

What Are We Looking For?

Personal Qualities

In this role it is essential that you are:

• A strong communicator who can translate complex technical concepts into clear and actionable guidance for engineers, leaders and operational stakeholders.

• Delivery focused and collaborative, able to balance live operational realities with engineering rigour

• Confident to constructively challenge and influence decisions across internal and external teams

Qualifications

You may also have the following qualifications:

• Degree or advanced degree (MSc, MEng or PhD) in Systems Engineering, Electronic/Software/Aerospace Engineering, or related technical discipline.

• Training or certification in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), SysML or recognised architecture frameworks.

Experience

Prior to the role it would be essential that you:

• Strong understanding of systems engineering principles, lifecycle management and systems thinking.

• Experience authoring and reviewing technical requirements, specifications, interface documentation and engineering artefacts.

• Experience managing requirements traceability, configuration management and change control processes.

• Strong technical leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence multidisciplinary teams, suppliers and technology partners delivering complex operational systems.

• Experience facilitating technical reviews and providing engineering assurance across multiple projects.

Some desirable experience that you may bring to the role:

• Developing telemetry, command structures, data dictionaries or Interface Control Documents (ICDs).

• Working within live operational, safety-critical or mission-critical environments.

• Working within regulated or quality-driven engineering environments.

• Supporting complex distributed systems operating across multiple locations and time-critical environments.

• Experience establishing SE capability in a newly formed or maturing team/function.

Knowledge & Skills

Prior to the role it is essential that you demonstrate:

• Bachelor's degree plus 15+ years' systems engineering experience

• Master's degree plus 12+ years' systems engineering experience

• PhD plus 10+ years' systems engineering experience

• including at least 5 years defining, implementing or maturing systems engineering governance frameworks at an organisational level.

• Verification, validation and system acceptance methodologies.

• Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), SysML and systems modelling tools such as Cameo Systems Modeler or Enterprise Architect.

• Motorsport, broadcast, telecommunications, aerospace or other high-performance technology domains.

Why join the force behind the sport?

Joining F1 means becoming part of a team that values innovation, collaboration and personal growth. We offer a dynamic work environment where ideas are heard, and employee contributions truly make an impact. We seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people to play their role in accelerating the future of the sport. As a member of the F1 team, you will be able to access our amazing benefits:

• Private Healthcare scheme
• Dental Care
• 4 x Grand Prix Paddock passes per season
• Enhanced maternity/paternity leave and other family planning policies
• A free staff shuttle service running to and from surrounding trains stations near to Biggin Hill
• Free healthy snacks in our offices
• Subsidised canteen in Biggin Hill, serving breakfast and lunch
• 25 days annual leave and 8 Bank Holiday days, plus a Christmas period closure
• Opportunities to develop and request training for your role via our in-house Learning and Development team
• Discount on F1 merchandise
• Discount at F1’s experiences including F1 Arcade and F1 Drive
• Perkbox benefit portal and more

Recruitment Fraud Warning: We only communicate with candidates through official @f1.com email addresses. We will never contact you via personal email accounts, messaging apps, or request payment as part of our recruitment process. If you receive suspicious communication claiming to be from our talent team, please report it to recruitment@f1.com.

Division:

Technical