Architect

Safran Group; Cwmbran; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days holiday

Pension up to 10% salary sacrifice

Private medical cover

Cycle to work

Life Assurance 4x

Employee benefits platform

Hybrid/flexible working

Career development via Safran Uni

CSR and STEM activities

Job summary

Safran Seats in Wales seeks an Architect to develop concept designs through production-ready equipment for our product lines. You will support future product architectures and help position Safran Seats at the forefront of the market.

You will lead design packages, manage team activities, and ensure design quality, while coordinating with suppliers and internal stakeholders to meet cost and weight targets.

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent; experience leading design teams.
• Knowledge of Boeing/Airbus equipment specs is required.
• Proficient in CATIA V5 and Smarteam for design and data management.

Responsibilities

• Lead design packages and manage work within the team.
• Maintain engineering quality and integrity of work.
• Define cost and weight targets and seek improvements.
• Coordinate design reviews and ensure follow-up actions.
• Ensure integration of design elements with the product.

Skills

Design leadership

DFM knowledge

Project delivery

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

HNC/HND in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CATIA V5

Smarteam

Job description

Vacancy details

General information

Safran is an international high-technology group operating in the fields of aerospace (propulsion, equipment and interiors), space and defense. Its mission is to contribute sustainably to a safer world, where air transport becomes ever more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Present on every continent, the Group employs 110,000 people and generated €31.3 billion in revenue in 2025. Safran holds, either independently or through partnerships, leading global or European positions in its markets.

Safran was ranked second in the Aerospace & Defense sector in TIME magazine's "World's Best Companies 2025" ranking.

With more than one million seats installed across the fleets of the world's leading airlines, Safran Seats is one of the global leaders in passenger, crew, aircraft and helicopter seating, delivering innovative, high value-added solutions.

Reference

2025-169115

Position description

Domain

Research, design and development

Job field / Job profile

Architecture and systems engineering - System architecture

Job title

Architect

Employment type

Permanent

Professional category

Professional, Engineer & Manager

Part time / Full time

Full-time

Job description

Are you interested in working at the business end of Aerospace, where airline brand meets innovative passenger experience? Then your next opportunity could be with Safran Seats, an industry award winning, premium designer and manufacturer of First and Business Class seating and technology. Our passenger experience prides itself on innovation, customization, quality and industrial design.

At Safran Seats, we are unique within aerospace, as we interface with both the world's biggest airlines and airframers alike, with the largest seats portfolio of all seats suppliers. One day you could be liaising with one of the world's largest airframers, and the next, some of the biggest airline brands around the world!

In the UK, Safran Seats specialises solely in the First Class and Business Class seating markets for wide body aircraft, with industrial and engineering teams in Cwmbran and Newport, Wales and Brackley, England.

Job Summary:

To develop concept design solutions through to production ready equipment for introduction to the associated Product Lines. To support the development of the future product architectures that are meeting the market requirements and to place Safran Seats at the forefront of the market.

Key Responsibilities and Duties:

• To aid in the development of new product designs and to define product structure.
• To manage the conceptual development and maturity of product modules in Smarteam.
• To lead the design effort for packages of work or small programmes and to develop and manage packages of work within the team.
• To maintain the engineering quality and integrity of the work produced within their work package.
• Responsible for the design and detail modelling of a variety of suite components in order to meet the Product Line requirements.
• Cost and weight target definition and consolidation, whilst seeking opportunities for improvement.
• Communicate effectively and professionally with customers and suppliers, both internally and externally, and to manage data transfer.
• Organise and participate in Design Reviews throughout each phase of the Product Line development process. Ensure that all necessary follow up actions are taken.
• The selection and application of materials and processes appropriate to each concept design element and to provide assistance to other team members.
• Ensure the successful integration of each design element with the product as a whole.
• Follow and contribute to the development of the Best Practice guidelines as laid out in BMS and DEV documentation.
• Generate and/or revise specifications and derive associated requirements.
• Deliver the Technical elements in support of Bid Campaigns through to award, providing a strong foundation for future projects.
• Co-ordinate styling development and stakeholder alignment.
• Generation of change requests to deliver product improvements.

But what else? (benefits, specificities, etc.)

As a valued member of our team, these are just a few of the benefits you'll receive:

• 33 days holiday (including bank holidays)
• Industry leading pension scheme with salary sacrifice employer contributions up to 10%
• Private medical cover (to include Digital GP and rapid access Physio with no excess) with ability to upgrade level of benefit and cover family members.
• Access to salary sacrifice benefits scheme including cycle to work and Octopus EV Scheme
• 4 x Life Assurance
• Interactive benefits platform including wide range of discretionary benefits including technology, retail benefits, income protection.
• Enhanced family friendly policies and benefits (enhanced maternity and paternity leave) and employee assistance programme
• Annual share save schemes.
• Option for hybrid and flexible working arrangements
• Opportunities for career advancement and personal growth. Benefit from support through Safran University and our internal Training and Development Schools
• Get involved in our corporate social responsibility activities from sustainability initiatives, charity and fundraising, volunteering days, or supporting STEM activities at local schools and colleges nurturing the next generation of talent

Candidate skills & requirements

Knowledge, Experience, Training and Qualifications:

• Qualified to a minimum of a degree in a Mechanical Engineering field. Alternatively, a HNC/HND or an equivalent qualification in a Mechanical Engineering field, with a demonstrated knowledge / experience in managing design teams responsible for developing design concepts into a fully developed engineered product.
• Understanding of Boeing and Airbus specifications for equipment installation and certification.
• Experienced user of CATIA V5.
• Strong knowledge of design for manufacture processes.
• Knowledge of Smarteam.
• A proven track record of effective design and on time / cost delivery of projects.

We want Safran Seats to be a workplace where everyone feels valued, can be themselves and know they can reach their full potential. We embrace and celebrate our differences through various initiatives and support colleagues through a number of staff networks.

We are committed to building a workforce that is reflective of the diverse community we serve. We want to attract the best applications from people of all backgrounds and underrepresented groups because we strongly believe in adding value through diversity, inclusion. Our employees enable us to deliver services that are accessible and inclusive. As part of our commitment with Disability Confident Employers, we may offer a guaranteed interview to applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post. We strive to provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and employment. Let us know if you need support to showcase your talents or require any reasonable adjustments with your application.

Position location

Job location

Europe, UK, Wales

City (-ies)

Llantarnam Industrial Park NP44 3HQ Cwmbran