Principal Design and Certification Specialist

Principal Design and Certification Specialist

Date: 24 Jul 2026

Location: Gatwick, GB

Principal Design and Certification Specialist (5521)

Salary: Range £78,000 - £82,000 plus a market related supplement – subject to experience

Contract Type: Full Time Permanent

Security Level: SC

Location: Gatwick/Hybrid

Visa Restrictions: This position does not currently offer visa sponsorship

Closing Date: 10 Aug 2026

Interview Date:
From 24th Aug 2026

We are the UK's aviation and aerospace regulator and recognised as a world leader in its field. Our activities are diverse, enabling the aviation industry to meet the highest safety standards, and we pride ourselves on our ability to adapt to the constantly evolving aviation environment.

As a Principal Design and Certification Specialist you will co-ordinate a team of Design and Certification Specialists who act as Project Certification Managers (PCMs) to deliver certification, validation and continued airworthiness activities.

Reporting to the Design and Certification Manager responsible for the delivery of aircraft and propulsion projects, you will be accountable for the delivery and co-ordination of certification and validation projects, in-service performance / continued airworthiness of products, across the many domains including those relating to commercial air transport, Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), and innovation projects.

With a diverse scope, you will operate across the CAA providing resource to other capability areas, as outlined above. Delivering projects on-time, on cost and on quality. Engagement both internally and externally will be key in performing the role, and you will be expected to lead on future regulation initiatives whilst ensuring your team maintain an excellent understanding of future innovation projects and concepts.

Supporting the development of the team’s capability, you will expect to engage and advise on the maintaining and growing the capability and capacity of the certification team in line with the CAA’s strategy and business needs, working with the training department to deliver this.

• Promote a safety and learning culture that is risk based but also satisfies our basic statutory and international needs including compliance.
• Act in accordance with the CAA’s HR policies, applying our values and behaviours policies in their day to day role.
• Conduct Personal Development Conversations, including future personal development and progression opportunities.
• Approves leave for Specialists.
• Creating time to learn and develop.
• Ensure that all recommendations and decisions are proportionate to the needs and safety expectations of the sector and are consistent with extant regulatory policy (using objective risk assessment techniques as necessary).

• Manage and prioritise continued airworthiness activities, in relation to aerospace products for which the CAA has responsibility. Ensure in-service issues are adequately addressed to maintain the intended level of safety.
• Prioritise certification projects in relation to aerospace products. These may include submissions from both UK Design Organisations and those provided for validation under Bilateral arrangements. Finding compliance with airworthiness requirements and making recommendations for approval of type, product or change.
• Lead a team of Design and Certification Specialists acting as PCMs as required to the deliver project and continued airworthiness activities, and as agreed by the Design and Certification Manager.
• Support the development or improving existing airworthiness requirements and engage and contribute to the development of new ones to cover new technology, novel applications of existing technology, and novel proposals for compliance demonstration.
• Liaise with manufacturers of aerospace products to ensure delivery of regulatory compliance on aerospace products, making recommendations as appropriate to colleagues inside and outside CAA (including other Regulatory Agencies) to ensure continued airworthiness and safety…