Senior/Principal Materials, Structures, and Thermal Engineer

Overview

In this role you will own structural and thermal design for advanced air vehicles, leading materials selection and coordinating supplier evaluations within a small, senior engineering team. You’ll drive from concept through design, manufacture and testing, applying first-principles and FEA to ensure safe, high-performance structures. You will interpret results, support design reviews, and contribute to roadmaps and standards, shaping next‑generation defence air vehicle technology.

Pay / Benefits

• Influence over the development of an advanced defence air vehicle
• Significant technical ownership in a senior team
• Long-term involvement in a funded multi-year programme
• Professional development opportunities
• Mentoring and equity participation

Responsibilities

• Lead materials selection for aerospace structures and components
• Develop and maintain materials property data and QA for manufactured parts
• Lead structural design from concept to detailed analysis and safety margins
• Develop structural models using hand calculations, first-principles methods and FEA
• Lead thermal design and analysis including heat transfer and thermal management
• Interpret analysis results against test data and support design reviews
• Present technical findings to diverse stakeholders
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring while contributing to roadmapping and quality/safety standards

Key requirements

• Degree or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science or related discipline
• Significant experience in materials, structures and/or thermal engineering in aerospace or high-reliability sectors
• Experience across full design lifecycle from concept to testing
• Proficiency with FEA tools (ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran or similar) and strong hand-calculation/first-principles analysis
• Practical experience in materials selection, properties characterization, supplier management and QA
• Experience in thermal analysis and heat transfer modelling including insulation and management trade-offs
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication and technical leadership skills
• Right to work in the UK and eligibility for UK SC clearance

• Analytical mindset
• Strong communication
• Technical leadership
• ANSYS
• Abaqus
• Nastran

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