Materials, Structures, and Thermal Engineer

Gattaca; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Gattaca is seeking a Senior/Principal Materials, Structures & Thermal Engineer to lead materials and structural design for advanced defence aerospace projects. You will direct material selection, structural sizing, and thermal analysis across conceptual to detailed design stages.

You will mentor engineers, collaborate with suppliers, and ensure quality, safety and security requirements are met while influencing the technical roadmap and project direction.

Qualifications

• Degree in Aerospace, Mechanical or Materials Engineering with strong propulsion/structures focus.
• Extensive experience in materials, structures and/or thermal engineering in aerospace/defence.
• Proven track record leading projects and mentoring engineers; Chartered status preferred.
• Experience with FEA tools (ANSYS/Abaqus/Nastran) and thermal modelling.
• Able to obtain UK Security Clearance; strong communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead material selection for aerospace structures with trade-offs on performance and cost.
• Develop material databases and oversee supplier qualification.
• Lead structural design activities from concept to detailed design and sizing.
• Perform stress analysis and margin of safety assessments; create analytical/FEA models.
• Lead thermal modelling and analysis across the vehicle; relate to tests.
• Participate in design reviews, studies and architecture decisions; mentor others.

Skills

Aerospace engineering

Materials engineering

Thermal engineering

Leadership

Communication

Education

Degree in Aerospace Engineering or related

Tools

ANSYS

Abaqus

Nastran

Thermal Desktop

Python

Job description

Senior/Principal Materials, Structures & Thermal Engineer

Advanced Defence Aerospace Programme

About the Opportunity

We are working with an innovative and well-funded engineering organisation operating within the advanced defence aerospace sector, developing next-generation high-speed aerial systems for national security applications.

This is a rare opportunity to join a highly experienced engineering team at an early stage of a major development programme. With funding secured and a clear technical roadmap established, the team is progressing a new flight vehicle through concept development, design, analysis, manufacture and testing.

As a senior member of the engineering team, you will have direct influence over technical decisions, programme direction and product performance. The environment offers significant autonomy, close collaboration with technical leadership, and the chance to help shape both the product and engineering culture from the ground up.

The successful candidate will lead activities across materials engineering, structural design and thermal analysis, supporting the development of cutting-edge aerospace systems designed for challenging operational environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead material selection activities for aerospace structures and components.
• Balance performance, manufacturability, cost and supply-chain considerations.
• Develop and maintain material property databases to support engineering decisions.
• Work closely with suppliers on sourcing, evaluation and material qualification.
• Define and oversee quality assurance processes for materials and manufactured components.
• Lead structural design activities from initial concepts through detailed design.
• Perform structural sizing, stress analysis and margin of safety assessments.
• Develop analytical models ranging from first-principles calculations to advanced finite element analysis (FEA).
• Support design reviews, trade studies and architecture decisions.
• Validate structural performance against design requirements and test data.

Thermal Engineering

• Lead thermal modelling and analysis activities across the vehicle.
• Assess heat transfer, insulation strategies and thermal management approaches.
• Develop thermal models to support both conceptual and detailed design decisions.
• Correlate analysis with test results and operational requirements.
• Contribute to the development of robust thermal protection solutions.
• Present technical findings to senior stakeholders.
• Mentor and support less experienced engineers.
• Contribute to future technology roadmaps and product development strategy.
• Ensure engineering work meets quality, safety and security requirements.
• Support multidisciplinary design reviews and programme milestones.
• Degree (or higher qualification) in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related discipline.
• Significant industry experience in materials, structures and/or thermal engineering within aerospace, defence, space, advanced manufacturing or another high-integrity engineering sector.
• Strong understanding of the full engineering lifecycle, from concept development through detailed analysis and validation.
• Experience using FEA tools such as ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran or equivalent.
• Expertise in structural analysis, material selection and engineering substantiation.
• Thermal analysis experience, including heat transfer modelling and thermal management.
• Strong first-principles engineering skills and analytical problem-solving ability.
• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Right to work in the UK.
• Eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).
• Thermal analysis software experience (Thermal Desktop, ANSYS Thermal or similar).
• Knowledge of Design for Manufacture (DFM) principles.
• Programming or scripting experience using Python, MATLAB or similar tools.
• Experience with composite structures and advanced manufacturing techniques.
• Background within defence, aerospace, space, autonomous systems or high-growth engineering environments.
• Chartered Engineer status or working towards professional registration.
• Previous experience leading projects or mentoring engineers.

What We're Looking For

We are seeking an engineer who thrives in a fast-paced, technically challenging environment and enjoys taking ownership of complex engineering problems. You'll be comfortable working within a small, high-performing team where collaboration, initiative and technical excellence are highly valued.

This role would particularly suit individuals looking to make a tangible impact on the development of next-generation defence aerospace technologies, while playing a key role in shaping an ambitious and rapidly growing engineering organisation.

Key business area:

Advanced Defence Aerospace | Flight Vehicles | High-Speed Systems | Structural, Materials & Thermal Engineering | Research & Development | National Security Applications.