Principal Engineer – System (Tactical Datalink)

About the role

EDGE Group is seeking a Principal Engineer – System to lead the design and development of tactical datalink and C4I solutions. The role focuses on delivering large‑scale, interoperable defence systems for national and coalition programmes, including NATO‑standard Link‑16.

Key responsibilities

• Manage the Message Standards protocols team and design large‑scale C4I and tactical datalink (TDL) solutions.
• Develop Message Standards protocols for C4I systems, defining information‑exchange requirements and supporting user experience.
• Design interoperability capabilities across standards such as Link‑16, MIP, VMF, FFT, ADATP‑3, including data‑transfer protocol analysis.
• Support the full systems‑engineering lifecycle from concept through integration, verification, validation, and delivery, ensuring requirements traceability and decomposition.
• Contribute to system architecture development for command‑and‑control, tactical communications, or integrated mission systems; participate in design reviews, technical assessments, and trade studies.
• Coordinate with software, hardware, network, cybersecurity, and test engineering teams; maintain engineering documentation (SS/SSS, IRS/ICDs, integration plans, test procedures/reports) and support risk identification and stakeholder engagement.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 8 years of systems‑engineering experience in defence, aerospace, security, or other mission‑critical environments.
• Proven experience on defence development programmes or large‑scale integrated systems.
• Strong understanding of systems‑engineering methodologies and lifecycle processes.

Required skills

• Message Standards protocols (Link‑16, MIP, VMF, FFT, ADATP‑3).
• C4I system design and integration.
• Systems architecture and interoperability engineering.
• Requirements analysis, traceability, and decomposition.
• Engineering documentation (SS/SSS, IRS/ICDs, integration plans, test procedures).
• Collaboration with software, hardware, network, cybersecurity, and test engineering teams.