Chief Design Engineer

Negotiable West Yorkshire, England

Permanent

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.