Lead UAV Design Engineer — Airframe & Systems

Matchtech; Havant; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Matchtech is seeking a Senior UAV Design Engineer to take technical ownership of unmanned aerial vehicle systems. You will drive the design lifecycle from concept to validation and low-volume production, while mentoring the engineering team and defining architecture direction.

The role demands hands-on mechanical design with hardware integration, balancing performance, weight, cost, and schedule in a fast-paced aerospace environment.

Qualifications

• Extensive hands-on UAV design experience.
• Ability to set design standards and technical direction.
• Strong capability in balancing performance, manufacturability, weight and cost.

Responsibilities

• Take design authority for UAV platforms across mechanical, electrical and systems workstreams.
• Mentor and review junior/mid-level engineers and guide their development.
• Own key design decisions and trade-offs for performance and schedule.
• Design and own high-performance UAV airframes, payload structures and assemblies using Fusion 360.
• Produce production-ready CAD models and drawings, maintaining team design standards.

Skills

UAV design

Mechanical design

Systems integration

Technical leadership

Mentorship

Fusion 360

Tools

Fusion 360

Job description

Matchtech is seeking a Senior UAV Design Engineer to take technical ownership of unmanned aerial vehicle systems. You will drive the design lifecycle from concept to validation and low-volume production, while mentoring the engineering team and defining architecture direction.

The role demands hands-on mechanical design with hardware integration, balancing performance, weight, cost, and schedule in a fast-paced aerospace environment.