Chief Product Engineer (ATRS and Conveyance)

Overview

The Chief Product Engineer – ATRS and Conveyance is the product line technical leader responsible for guiding cross-functional teams to deliver ATRS, conveyance, baggage handling, cargo conveyance, and integrated material-handling solutions “the right way” for product line customers, revenue project teams, operations, service, and external customers.

This role expands beyond Lead Systems Engineering to provide end-to-end product technical vision, product architecture ownership, option and platform stewardship, proposal and customer technical support, new and custom feature evaluation, and lifecycle execution across development, revenue programs, deployment, sustainment, and continuous product improvement.

The position serves as the technical design authority for integrated electro-mechanical, controls, software, and networked systems that interface with Rapiscan X-ray, CT, and ETD screening technologies. The role is based in Salfords, UK, and operates within a globally distributed engineering organization, collaborating closely with Product Management, Revenue Project Management, Engineering Project Management, R&D, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Service, and external partners.

Responsibilities

Product Line Technical Leadership & Design Authority

• Act as Chief Product Engineer and product line technical authority for ATRS, conveyance, baggage handling, cargo conveyance, and integrated material-handling systems.
• Own and steer the product technical vision, architecture, product structure, option strategy, and long-term roadmap inputs for ATRS and conveyance platforms.
• Guide cross-functional engineering, operations, service, supply chain, quality, and project teams toward technical decisions that balance NRE, material cost, schedule, technical risk, manufacturability, serviceability, lessons learned, and product line strategy.
• Define and maintain system architectures, functional decompositions, interface control documents, technical requirements, and design standards across mechanical, electrical, controls, software, and network domains.

Product Management & Platform Stewardship

• Partner with Product Line Management to refine product and option scope, evaluate new/custom feature requests, support product requirements definition, and provide feasibility assessments, BOEs, and technical risk inputs.
• Support sales and customer-facing documentation by providing technical explanations, design justification, compliance inputs, and technical review of product claims and proposed solutions.
• Identify and drive product line improvements, serviceability enhancements, reliability improvements, obsolescence responses, and cost-reduction opportunities.

Development Program Leadership

• Guide key technical decisions through concept, requirements definition, design, integration, verification, validation, certification support, production readiness, and program closeout.
• Work with Engineering Project Management to define work scope, support project planning, facilitate task execution, and ensure required program deliverables are complete.
• Serve as senior technical reviewer for product requirements, system architecture, CONOPS, hazard analyses, design reviews, verification plans, validation reports, and readiness reviews.

Revenue Program & Customer Support

• Support tender and proposal activity through compliance matrix review, identification of new work, technical solution definition, execution scope, and technical risk assessment.
• Review system configuration A3s, BOMs, site drawings, and customer-specific configurations to ensure alignment with product architecture and technical requirements.
• Support customer meetings as the technical lead and provide technical support for system build, FAT, delivery, installation, commissioning, SAT, and post-deployment issue resolution when required.

Integration, Controls & Automation

• Lead technical direction for automated conveyance and controls systems, including conveyors, diverters, merges, sortation, motion control, encoders, sensors, PLC-based controls, industrial networks, SCADA, HMI, barcode/RFID interfaces, and airport IT integration.
• Ensure robust integration between conveyance systems, Rapiscan screening technologies, third-party equipment, customer-supplied systems, and airport or cargo hub infrastructure.

Operations, Service, Quality & Sustainment

• Support product documentation, build procedures, test procedures, manufacturing readiness, supply chain inputs, quality issue resolution, and production transition activities.
• Provide technical leadership for deployed product support, field reliability issues, product and service improvements, ECR/ECO inputs, product updates, and lifecycle sustainment.
• Promote disciplined engineering practices, documentation quality, configuration control, lessons learned, and best-practice reuse across the product line.

Leadership & Governance

• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and direction to multi-disciplinary engineers and cross-functional teams without replacing the accountability of functional managers or project managers.
• Ensure communication, escalation, and decision-making discipline across globally distributed teams, including Salfords, UK and other Rapiscan engineering and operations sites.
• Uphold Rapiscan’s core values of Integrity, Innovation, Accountability, and Teamwork.

Essential

Qualifications

• 12–15+ years of progressive experience in complex electro-mechanical system development, product engineering leadership, or systems engineering within regulated or safety-critical environments.
• Demonstrated success leading the technical delivery and lifecycle stewardship of ATRS, conveyance, baggage handling, cargo handling, automated industrial systems, or comparable integrated platforms.
• Proven ability to act as product technical authority, system architect, or chief/lead engineer for large, integrated, multi-disciplinary products.
• Strong record of guiding cross-functional teams through technical trade-offs involving product scope, customer commitments, cost, schedule, technical risk, manufacturability, quality, and serviceability.
• Experience supporting product management, revenue project delivery, customer technical engagements, production transition, deployed product support, and continuous product improvement.
• Strong background in automated conveyor systems, PLC-based controls, industrial networking, system integration, machinery safety, EMC, and electro-mechanical design governance.

Desirable

• Direct experience with Automated Tray Return Systems (ATRS) for airport checkpoints.
• Experience working with global aviation and security agencies or certification bodies, including TSA, ECAC, STAC, CAAC, CBP, or equivalent authorities.
• Prior experience supporting large airport, checkpoint, cargo hub, or baggage handling deployments.
• Experience with PLM, requirements management, configuration control, Jira, Confluence, Agile PLM, or equivalent collaboration tools.
• Experience operating effectively within a globally distributed engineering organization, including UK-based engineering, manufacturing, service, and customer support teams.

Essential

Knowledge, Training and Qualifications if required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Science, preferably Systems, Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Industrial Automation, Controls, or a related discipline.
• Deep practical knowledge of systems engineering, product architecture, requirements definition, interface management, design review, verification and validation, and production transition.
• Ability to work from Salfords, UK and collaborate across global Rapiscan engineering, operations, product management, project management, service, and customer-facing teams.

Desired

• MEng, MSc, M.S., Chartered Engineer status, or equivalent advanced technical qualification.
• Formal training or experience in product lifecycle management, configuration management, risk management, machinery safety, EMC compliance, or regulated product development.