Engineering Project Lead - Aircraft Seating Programs

Acro Aircraft Seating Ltd; Crick; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Pension contributions up to 5%

Life assurance

Employee Assistance Programme

37.5 hours per week – 1 pm finish on a

Hybrid working (1 day a week working从

Job summary

Acro Aircraft Seating, a leading UK aerospace seats manufacturer, seeks an Engineering Project Lead to drive engineering in cross-functional IPTs from concept to production. You will own timing, budget, and technical delivery, coordinating design, CAE, test and certification across Catia V5 and PLM systems.

Reporting to the Principal EPL, you will lead a team of engineers, balance schedule and cost, and ensure safe, reliable seating solutions for major airlines and OEMs worldwide.

Qualifications

• Strong Mechanical Engineering or related degree.
• Leadership and direct or indirect management of a team of engineers.
• Structured project delivery experience with stage gates and on-time delivery.
• Catia V5 design engineering experience.
• Ability to operate under pressure and tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary engineering focal for all assigned projects within IPTs.
• Lead, coordinate, mentor and coach a team of engineers to meet technical and programme requirements.
• Prepare and manage resource plans to deliver work within budget constraints.
• Collaborate with Product Development to balance engineering excellence with schedule and cost priorities.
• Develop and maintain timing plans for engineering elements and support cross-functional plan execution.
• Utilise planning and problem-solving skills to ensure engineering tasks meet program requirements.
• Resolve schedule/resource conflicts and deliver technical solutions for evolving plans.
• Drive adherence to the Acro Stage Gate Process and deliverables.
• Manage technical requirements, variations, and spec compliance.
• Create and interrogate 3D/2D definitions using Catia V5 and PLM systems.
• Release accurate Bills of Materials to Operations by IPT deadlines.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Planning & prioritising

Communication

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Catia V5

PLM systems

Job description

Acro Aircraft Seating is one of the UK’s leading and fastest growing manufacturers of passenger seats for commercial airlines around the world. We are an agile, innovative business at the forefront of disrupting the aerospace market. Through modern methodologies, lean techniques, inspired innovation, and passion to be the best, Acro is positioning itself to be the world’s leading aircraft seating supplier.

Collaboration is one of Acro’s core values, by working together and applying our skills and expertise across Sales, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain and Operations, we find the solutions to our clients’ most complex challenges and how we deliver our promises today and tomorrow.

Job Description

The Engineering Project Lead’s (EPL) purpose is to lead the engineering aspects of our cross-functional Integrated Project Teams (IPT) to deliver fully engineered and certified seating programs to our customers and to internal stakeholders.

The EPL is accountable for the delivery and execution of the engineering program, On Time, In Full and On Budget, producing safe and reliable aircraft seating systems from concept through the full NPI process into production.

Working in a functional matrix structure, you will work closely with a cross-functional team of specialist engineers across Industrial Design, Engineering, Electrical integration, CAE, Test and Certification, ensuring work packages are coordinated and delivered effectively and efficiently to achieve the program objectives, while provided leadership to the overall program.

Reporting to the Principal EPL, you will collaborate effectively across the business, leveraging excellent communication and team-working skills.

Outside the organisation, you will be skilled in working with our suppliers, customer airlines and aircraft OEMs, leaning into emerging challenges within the program, to achieve success for Acro and our customers.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the primary engineering focal for all assigned projects and represent the engineering function in cross functional IPTs.
• Lead, coordinate, mentor and coach a team of engineers, ensuring clarity and alignment to the objectives to meet the technical, commercial and programme requirements.
• Resource planning and tracking to enable efficient and effective use of the functional resource group to deliver the assigned work packages, support the Program Management and Finance teams in managing resource within budget constraints.
• Collaboration and negotiation with the Principal Engineers in the Product Development team to achieve the optimum balance between achieving engineering excellence and schedule/budget priorities.
• Definition and maintenance of, and delivery to, timing plans for the engineering elements of the program. Support the programme manager and IPT in development and execution of the cross-functional programme plan.
• Utilising project planning and problem-solving skills to ensure that engineering tasks are delivered in line the overall program requirements.
• Resolving schedule and resource conflicts and developing technical solutions which deliver to evolving programme plans.
• Drive adherence to the Acro Stage Gate Process, and associated deliverables.
• Managing the technical requirements relevant to your project scope, tracking technical changes, Variation Orders and spec compliance.
• Interrogate and generate 3D and 2D product definition using Catia V5 and PLM systems.
• Ensure accurate Bill of Materials are released to the Operations team in accordance with IPT agreed deadlines.

Skills and experience required

• Strong Mechanical Engineering or related degree.
• Leadership and direct or indirect management of a team of engineers.
• Structured project delivery experience, ensuring adherence to stage gates and effective on time delivery.
• Strong capability in planning, organising, and prioritising - managing multiple and complex projects and resources efficiently.
• Design Engineering in Catia V5 (or equivalent).
• High levels of attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills.
• Ability to operate under pressure and tight deadlines.
• Flexible and adaptable – willing and able to respond positively to changing priorities.
• Communicating and influencing – able to create impact by communicating key messages clearly, succinctly and with confidence.
• Experience, knowledge and understanding of Aircraft Seating integration programs.
• High levels of commercial and technical insight.
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Pension contributions up to 5%
• Life assurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• 37.5 hours per week – 1 pm finish on a Friday
• Hybrid working (1 day a week working from home)
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

We really want to hear from you, so don’t miss your opportunity to join us! Once you apply, your CV will be held on our central database. Please do let us know if you do not wish for us to retain your details. If your application is successful, you will be contacted in due course.

Acro Aircraft Seating is an equal opportunities employer.

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