Connectivity Specialist
Location: Waddington
Hours: Full-time 37 hours | Permanent | Flexible hours
Anticipated start date: September 2026
Draken believes in fair reward and recognition for our employees. As such, we offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package including up to 12% matching pension contributions, bonus incentives, discounted PMI, electric car scheme, tech vouchers, wellbeing programmes and much more.
About the Role
As a Connectivity Specialist, you will play a critical part in operating and maintaining Draken equipment embedded within Simulated‑Integrated Air Defence System teams. Working alongside the UK’s exercise control staff at RAF Waddington, you will directly support fast‑jet training and large‑force exercises, helping deliver world‑class operational readiness training in the Northeast of England.
This is a hands‑on operational and engineering role involving equipment preparation, maintenance, configuration, transportation, and live operation of threat‑replication emitters and surrogates. Your contribution will be essential to the safe, effective delivery of complex air training across UK ranges.
Key Responsibilities
- Act as Draken’s primary point of contact for system maintainability and capability delivery.
- Manage equipment status and inventory (including stores responsibilities).
- Maintain emitters, surrogates, and all supporting equipment.
- Conduct site surveys and prepare field locations.
- Travel to operational sites up to twice weekly (within ~70 miles of RAF Waddington).
- Support 2–3 annual detachments for Large Force Employment exercises in the Northeast.
- Set up and operate emitters and surrogates during exercises.
- Undertake Fire Marshal, First Aider, and Spill Responder duties (training provided).
- Ensure safe SHE practices during field operations.
- Test and support capability enhancements in line with Draken’s strategic roadmap.
- Contribute to the development of future capability and service offerings.
- Coordinate leave with colleagues to maintain service continuity during major exercises (2–3 per year), including supporting night‑flying periods (~2–3 weeks annually).
- Work confidently within an RAF base environment.
- Identify opportunities for continuous improvement and capability growth.
Essential Skills & Experience
- Strong capability and resource‑management skills
- Effective problem‑solving and decision‑making
- Team‑oriented mindset and resilience
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office
- Basic equipment fault‑finding, troubleshooting, and first‑line repair
- Ability to undertake manual handling and operate equipment
- Full driving licence (category TBC)
- Ability to obtain SC clearance
- Willingness to work outdoors and travel regularly (2 times per week)
- Flexibility for early starts and management of flexitime
- Availability to support key exercise periods
Desirable Skills & Experience
- Engineering foundation or technical background
- Experience with radar or electronic warfare systems
- Communications, networking, signals, connectivity, or C2 experience
- Flight test and evaluation support skills
- Industry networking and opportunity‑development experience
- Operational experience with tactical datalinks (operator or maintainer)
- Defence test & evaluation exposure
- UAV/RPAS ground control system experience
- Qualifications in electrical equipment maintenance (training available through Draken)
Our employee values
Draken is committed to eliminating unlawful and unfair discrimination and we celebrate the differences that a diverse workforce brings. A range of perspective and talent supports our values and drives our success, with a mix of voices generating better discussions, business decisions and outcomes for all.
At all our sites internationally, every member of the Draken team is accountable to ensure that we are all treated fairly and with respect.
We are also an Armed Forces friendly organisation, and as part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, welcome applications from veterans and services spouses and partners who met the criteria in our job specifications.
In line with our Disability Confident Commitments, we provide reasonable adjustments to facilitate our interview process, please liaise with us if any reasonable adjustments are required.
