Chief Design Engineer

Location: West Yorkshire

Our client, operating in the aerospace sector, is currently seeking a Chief Design Engineer to join their team on a permanent basis. This role carries the internal Chief Designer badge and is aimed at providing senior aerospace design authority for the flagship stratospheric UAS programme, while also supporting other ongoing and future customer programmes and internal productisation avenues.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead or heavily contribute to airframe and platform design for the flagship stratospheric UAS programme
Support aircraft configuration, layout, structures, mass properties, performance, and integration decisions
Contribute to other customer programmes and internal productisation routes where aerospace design input is needed
Work closely with technical teams across avionics, flight control, operations, software, productisation, and test
Provide senior design judgement during trade studies, design reviews, and technical decisions
Own or contribute to CAD, drawings, design rationale, configuration records, and engineering release packs
Support design-for-manufacture, maintainability, operations, and field support
Help resolve design issues during build, integration, ground test, and flight test

Job Requirements:

Strong aerospace engineering background
Experience designing aircraft, UAS, UAVs, air vehicles, or similar aerospace systems
Strong mechanical, structural, aerodynamic, and integration judgement

Experience with CAD, drawings, design documentation, and configuration control
Understanding of mass properties, airframe integration, manufacturing constraints, and system integration
Hands-on engineering mindset
Flexibility to help shape team processes and engineering culture during a growth/facilities transition

Desirable

Experience:

Experience with fixed-wing, VTOL, hybrid UAS, HAPS, or stratospheric platforms
Knowledge of lightweight structures, composites, advanced manufacturing, and rapid prototyping
Understanding of aerodynamic analysis, performance modelling, flight-test support, or flight data interpretation
Use of advanced simulation and optimisation tools
Familiarity with aviation safety, airworthiness, certification, or regulated design environments
Experience in building design processes, review discipline, and engineering standards in a growing team

Benefits:

Permanent role within a leading aerospace company
Opportunity to work on cutting-edge aerospace projects
Professional development and training opportunities
Supportive and collaborative work environment
Comprehensive employee benefits package
If you are a seasoned aerospace engineer with a passion for design and innovation, we would love to hear from you. Apply now to join our client's dynamic and talented team