System Development Engineer

RAVEN Team, Royal Air Force • Leeming, England, United Kingdom

March 2022 - May 2023

Certificates: Linux+ ce Certification • Cisco Certified Network Professional (Enterprise) • Cisco Certified Specialist - Enterprise Advanced Infrastructure Implementation • Web Developer Bootcamp 2022 • Security+ ce Certification • Cisco Certified Specialist - Enterprise Core
Honours & Awards: Armed Forces Churchill Medal Award Finalists • Royal Air Force Station Innovation Award

System Development Engineer

System Development Engineer for the Raven secure deployable communications system, responsible for architecting, and implementing enhancements across the platform to improve capability, reliability, and security for UK Defence users. Combined broad technical expertise with hands-on delivery to develop and integrate new features, streamline operations, and continually evolve the system in line with emerging operational and cyber requirements.

Key Achievements/Projects:

• Developed and implemented a full automation system for deployed site build/configuration, reducing manual deployment time from 3 months to 5 days. Enabled junior engineers to independently manage the end-to-end process, freeing senior personnel for high-value work and directly supporting delivery across 7 operations and 5 testing exercises within a condensed timeframe.
• Awarded the RAF Innovation Award for designing, prototyping, and deploying (within 1 month) a first-of-type clandestine expeditionary UK MoD SECRET solution for non-technical personnel, overcoming bearer-agnostic connectivity challenges on a system not designed for field use. Outperformed industry timelines and remains UK Defence’s sole low-SWaP SECRET capability 2+ years later.
• Led a 6-person team to architect and deploy the communications backbone for the UK’s Air Policing mission, ensuring timely delivery of mission-critical digital infrastructure to meet NATO commitments.
• Implemented Windows and Linux server automation for reliable scaling and de-scaling of UK hub infrastructure, complementing deployed site automation and providing consistent, repeatable provisioning across the full system estate.
• Applied ITIL-aligned service management processes ahead of the system’s first live operations, establishing structured fault reporting and rectification workflows that were critical to operational success from day one.
• Developed and delivered targeted technical training for newly qualified engineers, bridging the gap between standard RAF training and the complexity of the Raven system. By building on fresh foundational knowledge rather than assuming experience, rapidly brought junior engineers to a level where they could independently support a system significantly beyond their initial training scope, directly expanding team capacity across live operations, exercises, and new feature delivery.