Principal Configuration & Change Control Engineer

Job Description:

Your Impact

Contribute to the next generation of defence capability.

As Principal Configuration and Change Control Engineer, you’ll be the technical authority driving configuration excellence across complex defence programmes. Working closely with the Lead Configuration Engineer, you’ll provide leadership, governance, and assurance, ensuring robust configuration and change control practices are embedded throughout the product lifecycle. You’ll advocate best practice and ensure programmes adhere to contractual, regulatory, and business requirements.

Please note that the role is hybrid (a minimum of 3 days per week on site, 2 days per week working from home) can be based out of either our Luton or Bristol site.

Your duties will involve:

• Provide expert guidance on configuration risks, non-conformances, concessions, waivers, and change impacts.
• Offer oversight of Configuration Items, baselines, structures, and lifecycle configuration strategies.
• Assure the quality and compliance of Configuration Management Plans, ensuring alignment with contractual, regulatory, and business requirements.
• Lead governance and assurance of change control activities, supporting key review boards and complex change decisions.
• Drive the effective use of configuration management tools, processes, and data, ensuring a single source of truth across programmes.
• Lead and support configuration audits, compliance assessments, and assurance activities with customers and regulatory bodies.
• Deliver configuration metrics, risk assessments, and insights to support programme and engineering decision-making.
• Mentor and develop Configuration Engineers, promoting continuous improvement and capability growth across the discipline.
• Act as a trusted advisor to engineering, programme, quality, safety, and leadership teams.

What you’ll bring:

Essential:

• Extensive experience in configuration and change control within defence, aerospace, or similarly regulated industries.
• Demonstrated authority in configuration governance, baseline management, and change control.
• Good experience assuring and reviewing Configuration Management Plans.
• Advanced user and subject-matter expert in TCU.
• Proven experience supporting regulatory, customer, and internal audits.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and provide authoritative technical direction.
• Experience working with classified and export-controlled information.

Desirable:

• Experience across multiple programme phases (development, production, in-service).
• Knowledge of airworthiness, safety-critical systems, or certification frameworks.
• Familiarity with other PLM/CM tools (e.g. Windchill, Teamcenter, Dimensions).
• Experience defining organisational CM policy or frameworks.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit:

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you’re looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge : Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future : Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters : Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance : All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning : Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend : Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks : Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working : Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part-time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

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Primary Location:

GB - Luton - Cap. Green 300

Additional Locations:

GB - Bristol - Coldharbour Lane

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hybrid Working:

Hybrid

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