Senior Systems Engineer

Job content

At Animal Dynamics we make vehicles that combine high efficiency with full autonomy and are able to do more with less impact on nature than other vehicles that perform the same tasks. Taking our inspiration from animals and the natural world, we can achieve significant improvements in the performance and efficiency of vehicles in water, air, and ground travel.

What motivates us is our desire to create original and worthwhile solutions to real problems. We are motivated to realise designs that will positively disrupt industries and technical approaches that have long been taken for granted.

Our current focus is on Stork, a family of vehicles which have been designed as highly energy and cost-efficient aerial systems for carrying loads. These vehicles are full-stack autonomous vehicles, with complex mechanical, electronic and software features.

Based in Cowley, near Oxford, we are a friendly Company and we recruit talented, committed people who want to work in a stimulating and supportive environment.

Overview of the role

As Senior Systems Engineer – Aviation Cyber Security you will join our growing Systems Engineering team responsible for the requirements, certification, cyber and safety engineering for the Animal Dynamics product range. This is a great opportunity to apply your cyber, safety and systems engineering experience to shape the design of our novel unmanned products during the early stages of the product lifecycle. You will be responsible for producing cyber physical security risk assessments and working with the AD engineering team and directly with vendors to mitigate risks and verify cyber requirements have been met.

Above all, you will be the focal point for cyber security, ensuring that requirements derived from your risk analysis are actioned in the system design, development, verification and certification. You will be a systems thinker and problem solver, ideally with experience of UAVs. You will have a proactive working style with the ability to identify solutions. You will build effective working relationships within your team but also outside your function across the business.

Responsibilities… what will you do?

As Senior Systems Engineer – Aviation Cyber Securityyou will be responsible for:

• Producing cyber physical security risk analyses in support of product certification (e.g. Aircraft Security Scope Definition (ASSD), Aircraft Security Architecture and Measures (ASAM) Preliminary Aircraft Security Risk Assessment (PASRA) etc.)
• Working with a cross-functional project team to:
• Identify, record, and analyse cyber physical security risks
• Identify and assess vendors to verify they can meet the cyber objectives for the system
• Develop risk mitigation strategies alongside specialist cyber security colleagues and consultants
• Derive and manage cyber specific requirements to ensure safety underpins design
• Develop and manage cyber processes and plans that integrate with the Systems Engineering process
• Support the Functional Safety Engineering team in carrying out safety analysis from a cyber physical security perspective (ARP 4761 products)
• Proactively work with others both within and outside of your immediate team
• Deliver respectful opinions and perspectives to help shape the future of the product
• Able to bring people together to ensure completion of tasks
• Role model positive behaviours and support the development of other engineers
• Communicate with the wider company, for example, in Company meetings
• Plan and estimate complex tasks for project planning requirements
• Ensure industry standards and best practice are incorporated into your work

Essential skills and experience… what are we looking for?

You will have the following skills and experience:

• Good first degree or Masters in a relevant engineering discipline
• Experience of design or certification of aircraft or aviation systems
• Experience in a relevant systems engineering role, with a willingness to learn cyber physical security / safety processes if you have limited experience
• Experience of working with technical requirements, statements of work, integration, verification and validation, acceptance criteria
• Ability to consider the ‘big picture’ and identify risks that could impact on the safety and security of the system
• Experience in problem solving in the context of new product development projects
• Ability to work effectively with a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers
• Innovative thinker who works in a methodical way to organise inputs from all technical functions
• Highly self-motivated with minimal supervision needed to complete assignments
• Good communication skills with a proactive approach to work and workload management

Desirable skills and experience:

• Experience in applying RTCA DO-326A and the production of the associated reports and analysis
• Experience in cyber security of electronics or IT
• Experience or interest in UAVs
• Product certification knowledge

Benefits… what do you get?

• Competitive salary in the range of £41,500 - £50,000 pa, dependent on experience. There is the possibility of an additional market supplement for candidates with the required cyber security/safety skills and experience.
• EMI share options scheme
• Flexible working
• 25 days annual leave, bank holidays, plus 3 days additional leave for Christmas closure
• Pension scheme
• New Career Development Framework to support your professional development

This role is advertised as full-time but we want to hire the best person and would therefore consider part-time options.

Note to all applicants

Due to the security classification on the work we do, we will undertake a routine Baseline Personnel Security Standard check on the successful applicant. This is a standard process which includes references and career history checks.

For full details of how we will use your personal data please see our Recruitment Privacy Statement available at www.animal-dynamics.com/rps