Senior Reliability, Availability & Maintainability; RAM Engineer

Our Mission

At Vertical Aerospace, we are pioneering the way for electric aviation. The Valo, our eVTOL (electric, vertical, take-off and landing), 'zero emissions' aircraft will set a new safety standard for how we will navigate the sky.

We won't realise our mission following the same legacy processes and traditions our predecessors followed, instead, we want to 'redefine' aerospace best practices. We are growing quickly from a prototype business to a scaling SME, and the next few years will be critical to our success and delivering on our ambitious goals. Valo is targeting airliner-level safety certification in 2028 ahead of entering service with our airline and operator customers.

As a Senior Reliability, Availability & Maintainability (RAM) Engineer, you will sit within our Vehicle Functional Design team and take primary responsibility for driving the reliability activities at the aircraft level. Working in accordance with our Reliability Programme Plan, you will ensure the Valo meets or exceeds its reliability objectives from design through certification and into service. You will also work with our Operations team to scope and develop the availability & maintainability requirements needed to keep the Valo operating efficiently with minimal downtime.

A typical day might involve refining reliability models, collaborating with system design teams on reliability-critical components, or analysing test data to identify improvement opportunities. You may also engage with certification teams, suppliers and various operations engineers to ensure the RAM objectives align with programme goals and regulatory standards. Your ability to integrate reliability considerations across multiple disciplines will be crucial to your success in this role.

• Drive the overall reliability objectives for the Aircraft to align requirements, budgets, and deliverables.

• Collaborate with system engineers to build and refine reliability models, leveraging industry standards and in-house test data to validate and improve predictions.

• Work with maintainability teams to ensure the aircraft’s design allows for efficient inspection, servicing, and repair, balancing cost-effectiveness with operational uptime.

• Lead the aircraft-level reliability reviews, update the Reliability Programme Plan deliverables and manage the progress of reliability actions through the programme lifecycle.

• Partner with safety, airworthiness, and certification teams to ensure that reliability considerations meet or exceed SC-VTOL and regulatory requirements.

• Communicate reliability and maintainability specifications to systems teams & supplier. Review their FMEAs, test data, and reliability documentation, ensuring alignment with Valo targets.

• Contribute to reliability test planning (e.g. HALT/HASS) for critical systems. Support the Data Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action System (DRACAS) to capture failures, track root causes, and drive improvements.

• Monitor reliability performance during testing and initial in-service phases, championing corrective actions and design updates that enhance reliability and availability.

• A degree in Reliability Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field. Specialised training in reliability and maintainability is highly desirable.

• Demonstrable experience in reliability engineering, ideally in aerospace or other complex, safety-critical industries.

• Familiarity with reliability standards, reliability prediction tools and analysis methods (e.g. MIL-STD-785B, MIL-HDBK-217F, NPRD/EPRD, NSWC-11)

• Ability to scope, define and integrate maintainability requirements within an overall aircraft design, including knowledge of reliability-centred maintenance (RCM) and MSG-3 methods.

• Proficiency in reliability modelling, data analysis, and root cause investigations. Adept at translating quantitative findings into practical design recommendations.

• Strong communication skills and a track record of partnering with multidisciplinary teams (design, safety, certification and suppliers) to deliver on programme goals.

• Comfortable driving projects independently, proactively…