Senior Mission System Architect – Payload
Added 8 Sept · still live
Likely
Sponsorship likelihood
This employer has issued visas recently
£89,520 / year
Salary
As advertised by the employer
£52,400
Going rate
Offer clears by 1.7×
This role may qualify for a Skilled Worker visa
SOC 2126 is an eligible occupation, but we are only 29% sure that is the right code. BAE Systems is a licensed sponsor, so if the code fits, the role should qualify. Check the occupation eligibility rules against what the job actually involves.
We pick the code from the advert's text, so it is our best guess, not the employer's. Each code it could be has its own likelihood:
- Likely 2126 (Aerospace engineers) · 29% match
- Likely 2124 (Electronics engineers) · 30% match
- Likely 2129 (Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified) · 26% match
Your salary route
New graduate or PhD holder? Pick one of the lower rates.
What each route needs for this job
| Occupation code | New entrant 70% of going rate | STEM PhD 80% of going rate | Relevant PhD 90% of going rate | Standard rate 100% of going rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2126 Aerospace engineers Most likely code | £36,700 Clears | £41,900 Clears | £47,200 Clears | £52,400 Clears |
2124 Electronics engineers Also possible | £36,400 Clears | £41,600 Clears | £46,800 Clears | £52,000 Clears |
2129 Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified Also possible | £33,400 Clears | £36,900 Clears | £41,500 Clears | £46,100 Clears |
We use the lowest threshold across the plausible codes. Likelihood is Possible at most when the pay clears only a lower rate, or only under a less likely code. A mark is for the top of the advertised pay. How the Home Office picks the code
About the role
Job Title: Senior Mission System Architect – Payload
Location: Portsmouth (Broad Oak) or Frimley, Filton, Dorchester, hybrid – 3 days on site – this role will require routine travel to other southern BAE sites within UK and occasionally internationally.
Salary: Up to £89, 520 dependent on experience
Who We Are
Join BAE Systems and you’ll be part of something bigger. As a valued member of our global colleague network, you’ll bring your unique skills and perspectives to help pioneer progress and protect what matters most. You’ll be trusted to play your part in delivering the advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions of tomorrow, shaping a safer future, for all of us.
From the depths of the ocean, to the far reaches of space, there’s no limit to where a career at BAE Systems could take you.
What You’ll Be Doing
As a Senior Mission System Architect (Payload), you will lead the design, integration and assurance of maritime mission system payloads, including sensors, effectors, ISR and autonomous capabilities. You will define modular, vendor-agnostic architectures that enable payloads to operate effectively across complex force-level environments. Working closely with customers, suppliers and programme teams, you will ensure solutions are interoperable, resilient and optimised for maritime operations. Your expertise will help shape future payload strategies, influence architectural direction and support the delivery of next-generation mission capabilities for domestic and export programmes.
Core Duties
Location: Portsmouth (Broad Oak) or Frimley, Filton, Dorchester, hybrid – 3 days on site – this role will require routine travel to other southern BAE sites within UK and occasionally internationally.
Salary: Up to £89, 520 dependent on experience
Who We Are
Join BAE Systems and you’ll be part of something bigger. As a valued member of our global colleague network, you’ll bring your unique skills and perspectives to help pioneer progress and protect what matters most. You’ll be trusted to play your part in delivering the advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions of tomorrow, shaping a safer future, for all of us.
From the depths of the ocean, to the far reaches of space, there’s no limit to where a career at BAE Systems could take you.
What You’ll Be Doing
As a Senior Mission System Architect (Payload), you will lead the design, integration and assurance of maritime mission system payloads, including sensors, effectors, ISR and autonomous capabilities. You will define modular, vendor-agnostic architectures that enable payloads to operate effectively across complex force-level environments. Working closely with customers, suppliers and programme teams, you will ensure solutions are interoperable, resilient and optimised for maritime operations. Your expertise will help shape future payload strategies, influence architectural direction and support the delivery of next-generation mission capabilities for domestic and export programmes.
Core Duties
- Lead architecture for sensors, effectors, ISR and mission payloads.
- Define payload integration standards, interfaces and design principles.
- Ensure interoperability across platforms, mission systems and off-board assets.
- Embed safety, survivability and assurance within payload architectures.
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- A degree in Engineering (or a related subject)
- Full membership of an appropriate engineering institution and be a Chartered Engineer (or actively working towards).
- Extensive experience in maritime payload integration and system-of-systems architecture.
- Deep knowledge of defence sensors, effectors, ISR and mission systems.
Within the dynamic and rapidly expanding Naval Ships Combat Systems business, you will form part of a highly skilled team of system architects charged with shaping the future of maritime mission systems. Working across domestic and international programmes alongside enterprise partners, in bringing to bear your specialist expertise, you will ensure that candidate solutions are innovative, future-force-ready, operationally relevant and coherent with customer and business needs.
Why BAE Systems?
Here you’ll build a career with purpose and limitless possibilities. With lifelong learning and meaningful work, this is a place where you can grow your career with confidence and be empowered to be your best. You’ll be recognised for your contribution and enjoy rewards tailored to what’s most important to you and your family, support for your financial and personal wellbeing, as well as a balanced lifestyle. In an environment embracing sustainable ways of working and with a strong sense of shared purpose, our supportive culture is a place you can feel you belong and proud of the difference you make.
A Place Where Everyone Can Thrive
We’re committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and supported. We know that a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences strengthens our teams and is vital to the work we do.
Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.
Closing Date:
22nd September 2026, interviews for this role will take place w/c12th October
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
#combatsystems
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
#combatsystems
This description is the source posting as it read when we added it. We are not affiliated with BAE Systems, so check their own site for the current details.
Where this offer sits in the market
Aerospace engineers (SOC 2126) · UK · ONS ASHE 2025 · basic pay- Offer £89,520
- Median £52,468
- Going rate £52,400
- Threshold £41,700
- New entrant £36,700–47,200
ONS publishes no quartiles for this occupation, so the shaded band is a rough guide.
Similar sponsored roles
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About sponsorship for this role
Does this job guarantee visa sponsorship?
Not necessarily. BAE Systems holds a sponsor licence, but sponsorship for a specific hire is always the employer's decision. Be upfront in your application that you'll require it.
What salary is needed for this role to be eligible?
The offer must clear both the general threshold and the SOC 2126 going rate of £52,400. New-entrant and shortage discounts can lower it.