Technical Lead

Technology Lead, Electronics and Software – Defence and Security

Cambridge Consultants

INTRODUCTION SUMMARY We are on the lookout for a talented and ambitious Technical Specialist/Lead to join our Security and Defence, Systems and Technology team here in Cambridge, UK. The role is within the Defence & Security Business Unit that undertakes the development of innovative new products across the entire product life cycle. The role will be primarily technical development for our defence and security clients within UK government, although there will be scope to get involved in a variety of projects for our commercial and wider public sector clients. Projects typically consist of early concept work, through prototype manufacture, to new product introduction, often surmounting considerable technical challenges as we push the boundary of what is possible. We combine highly creative lateral thinking with excellent technical skills and we’re looking for broad defence and security industry experience to help us form powerful development teams. WHAT WE CAN OFFER We can offer you variety, and the chance to work in a dynamic environment buzzing with the excitement of innovation that is having a real effect on people’s lives. The projects you will be involved in will typically be highly complex, spanning the entire product development lifecycle. You will take responsibility for delivering the technical aspects of a project or workstream, working within multi-disciplinary teams of talented engineers, scientists, and designers in delivering novel products and services to market for a wide variety of clients. You will always have the support of experienced Programme Managers and Technical Authorities ready to guide you towards more complex projects as your career develops. We believe that a supportive environment is the way to bring the best out of each other. We will actively promote your progression and provide you with the opportunity to take on increasingly challenging tasks. Your specific responsibilities will vary according to your expertise but are likely to include: * Working on the detailed, day-to-day, technical implementation of projects across a variety of applications, likely with a significant amount of S&T (Science and Technology) or Research and Development content * Technical leadership of the delivery of projects that solve complex, multi-disciplinary technical challenges, potentially across multi-office teams * Capturing technical product requirements and resolving system level discussions, requiring a strong and broad technical background * Running meetings with clients and other stakeholders, presenting and communicating ideas and concepts to all disciplines, to ensure project success * Supporting Project Managers to develop project proposals that meet our government clients’ commercial and technical requirements, and Business Developers in building relationships with clients to understand their technical needs. This will be primarily for UK-based government clients This role will require some domestic UK-based travel but is focussed on working with project teams within the Cambridge office. We have adopted a hybrid working model, with a mix of both home and office working, based on project need: given the nature of our UK government work, you are likely to need to spend the majority of your time in the Cambridge office.   WHAT YOU CAN BRING You will have experience of contributing to (and potentially leading the technical aspects of) medium to large sized technical product development projects.  You will have a degree in engineering, or a relevant scientific discipline such as Electronics, Software, Physics, Chemistry or Sensing systems, with hands-on experience of product or system development within a team. You will have deep technical skills in one or more of: high-speed and/or RF electronics design, embedded software, or FPGA development, with broad background knowledge to draw on to aid contextualising your specialism as part of a wider team. You will be familiar with the basics of Linux systems, networking, and computer security. Naturally you will also have strong time management, written and verbal communication, and organisational skills. Our UK government work and client base coves a very broad spectrum, so we would also be very interested if you have any of the following: * UK Government security clearance * A passion for innovation * New product introduction / design for manufacture experience * Previous experience of working at a consulting / fee for service organisation * A strong desire to deliver outputs for Defence through Science and Technology * Existing knowledge of best practice in the development of products and systems * People skills and networks to build strong working relationships across the defence and security innovation ecosystem, including UK MOD, DSTL, Defence Innovation Unit and Innovation Hubs, a range of security customers and Government departments * Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check, be willing to undertake UK government security clearance and must be a UK passport holder.   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By submitting an application to Cambridge Consultants, you confirm that the information provided in this application, together with any supporting documentation, is true, complete, and accurate to the best of your knowledge and belief. You understand that any false statement, misleading information, or material omission may render you liable to disqualification from the recruitment process, withdrawal of any offer of employment, or dismissal without notice if discovered following appointment. You acknowledge that the organisation reserves the right to verify the information supplied. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TBU - Technical Authority, Telecoms - 1804

Cambridge Consultants

OVERVIEW We are looking for an experienced Technical Authority (TA) to provide senior technical leadership on large, multi‑disciplinary Communications engineering programmes. This is a highly visible, client‑facing role, suited to an accomplished technical leader who enjoys shaping innovative products and services from concept through to delivery. Our projects are complex, technically challenging and commercially significant. You will lead and inspire expert engineering teams, work closely with programme managers and act as a trusted technical partner to clients. WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING You’ll be working on high-impact, high‑value programmes (typically £10M+), leading multi‑disciplinary teams of 15+ engineers and specialists with significant levels of client engagement and technical innovation. In more detail this breaks down to: TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP * Owning technical solutions end‑to‑end, from early concept and architecture through to production and client acceptance. * Applying your experience and sound engineering judgement to manage technical risk, make decisions under pressure, and keep projects on track. * Selecting and tailoring the appropriate development approaches to suit project objectives, risk profiles, and delivery constraints. PROJECT & COMMERCIAL DELIVERY * Working in close partnership with Project and Programme Managers to deliver value for our clients, within budget and when they need it. * Owning the technical elements of contractual Statements of Work, ensuring commitments are clearly understood and fulfilled. CLIENT ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT * Working as a trusted client‑facing technical lead, building trust and long‑term relationships. * Communicating progress, risks, and complex technical concepts clearly to technical and non‑technical stakeholders, including senior executives. * Supporting pre‑contract and sales activities, providing techno‑commercial insight in a consultative role. TEAM LEADERSHIP * Leading, mentoring, and inspiring high‑calibre engineers and technical leaders, earning trust through expertise and integrity. * Building high performing teams, structured to effectively deliver projects against demanding timescales. * Providing clear technical direction and communication of project objectives and priorities, while enabling autonomy, innovation, and exploration of complex technical solutions. ASPIRING CANDIDATES WILL BRING THE FOLLOWING: Essential * Strong technical foundation in a relevant engineering or scientific discipline with credible experience in Telecoms/Communications. * A proven track record in leading complex, multi‑disciplinary new product or service developments (10+ years is typical for this level, though not essential), over the full project lifecycle from concept through to delivery. * Deep understanding of new product development lifecycles and development methodologies. * Demonstrable ability to make sound decisions under pressure and manage technical risk. * Experience working in a contractual delivery environment or similar commercial setting. * Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical topics clearly. * Comfortable and confident engaging with senior client stakeholders, including C‑suite executives. Desirable * Experience contributing to or leading pre‑sales and proposal activities. * International project experience and cultural awareness in a business context. * A background delivering highly innovative or “first‑of‑a‑kind” solutions.   WHY JOIN US? Put simply, you will lead technically challenging programmes with genuine commercial and societal impact. Cambridge Consultants work with exciting clients across a broad range of technologies and sectors, from blue chips to start-ups. Some are looking to optimise their existing technologies, while others come with a vision to develop something entirely new and unexpected. Examples of projects we have worked on in the recent past are: The world’s largest airborne phased-array antenna system High-bandwidth internet connectivity for US business air-travel Transparent antennas for 5G radio systems   Location: Cambridge, with domestic and international travel  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By submitting an application to Cambridge Consultants, you confirm that the information provided in this application, together with any supporting documentation, is true, complete, and accurate to the best of your knowledge and belief. You understand that any false statement, misleading information, or material omission may render you liable to disqualification from the recruitment process, withdrawal of any offer of employment, or dismissal without notice if discovered following appointment. You acknowledge that the organisation reserves the right to verify the information supplied. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Defence & National Security RF Communications Lead

Cambridge Consultants

DEFENCE & NATIONAL SECURITY RF COMMUNICATIONS LEAD MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB Radio communications is at the heart of much of what Cambridge Consultants does, and in this role you will be joining an established team of commercial and technical leaders working with clients delivering projects into the Defence and National Security sector. In this market we architect a range of both standards based and fully custom radio systems for a wide range of applications including low power long range systems and highly flexible high-performance software defined systems. Our work involves significant collaboration with clients, working together to help innovate the best approach to what can be very challenging requirements. In the early stages of a client engagement, we need to be ambitious and bold, we need to think laterally, apply system design and modelling skills and embrace early experimentation and field measurements, if useful. Overall though, we need to quickly work through the challenges and create a plan to deliver the client the most impactful solution in the most efficient way possible. To do this well, the successful applicant needs to have strong and broad radio communications experience, enjoy spending time client facing, have imagination and most importantly have a strong “can do” attitude and preferably sector experience. You will often work with our account managers to define work programmes and our commercial approach to help win work. You will be able to work on your own initiative and develop programmes of work from early stage to deployed capability. Developing key client relationships and repeat business built on trust is the cornerstone of our commercial approach and your responsibilities will include an important element of client management during project delivery. RESPONSIBILITIES * Be a strong subject matter expert in the field of RF communication systems * Work with our broader team to provide input to bids and delivery of projects * Maintain strong technical relationships with key individuals within client and potential client organisations to enable further sales opportunities * Interact with teams across the whole of Cambridge Consultants to bring the best technology to our clients to solve their problems You will also use your strong technical skills to communicate what Cambridge Consultants can deliver to potential clients. Your background skills will also help you to make a significant contribution to the overall direction of development projects, often working on multiple projects at a time. Our technical team is based in Cambridge and there will be significant travel in the UK. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS This role is for an experienced radio communication system engineer who has a strong understanding of: radio propagation, radio system design, protocol design and radio system implementations. You will play a leading role in a team of technical and advisory colleagues to solve the client’s problem. This is a technical delivery role for somebody with great client facing skills. Your career will already have included significant experience in an R&D or design role. You will probably also have had some exposure to the commercial side of projects. Previous experience of working in a consultancy, government agency or other ‘fee for service’ organisation would be an advantage. To meet the requirements of this role you will have: * Excellent radio engineering skills and experience * A passion for innovative technology solutions and for solving complex problems * An understanding of what’s important to our clients * Experience working with clients in the UK Defence & National Security sector TYPE OF WORK UNDERTAKEN BY BUSINESS UNIT The Defence and Security Business Unit specialises in the design and development of innovative solutions for specific client needs. Often projects start with requirements analysis of complex issues informed by our collective domain knowledge and evolve through technology to develop prototype manufacture and long-term delivery of equipment and services. The projects always incorporate considerable technical challenges. We work across the lifecycle, from research to deployment. Our workforce has broad expertise in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, sensing and data analytics & signal processing as well as radio frequency engineering, analogue electronics, embedded and high-level software development, mechanical design, physics and mathematics so we can and do develop complete systems for clients. Communications – and especially secure communications – are central to what we do. Our teams build bespoke communication systems for a wide range of applications, sometimes based on industry standards and sometimes custom from the ground up. Likewise, radio systems for force protection is a major area, and our experience extends to systems that support people working to defuse Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the field today – and we are working on future solutions to counter ever-changing threats.   WHY CAMBRIDGE CONSULTANTS? Cambridge Consultants creates exciting and novel breakthroughs in technology and products. We help our clients achieve the kind of game-changing leap forward that will transform their whole business. At the heart of what we do are talented and motivated multi-disciplinary teams empowered to create cutting edge technologies and systems to solve difficult problems for our clients. We recognise and celebrate individual talent and we understand the importance of letting individuals be just that. Our people are here to do the best work of their lives and our job is to provide the platform for them to do it.   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By submitting an application to Cambridge Consultants, you confirm that the information provided in this application, together with any supporting documentation, is true, complete, and accurate to the best of your knowledge and belief. You understand that any false statement, misleading information, or material omission may render you liable to disqualification from the recruitment process, withdrawal of any offer of employment, or dismissal without notice if discovered following appointment. You acknowledge that the organisation reserves the right to verify the information supplied. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------