Science and Technology Lead - Enduring Atmospheric Platforms

Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA); Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave

Hybrid working (60% in office / 40% at

Learning and development opportunities

Enhanced family leave

24/7 employee assistance programme

Volunteer days

5% defined contribution pension (Smart

Cycle to Work scheme

Kings X, London office

Job summary

ARIA is seeking an experienced Science and Technology Lead to catalyse breakthroughs across the Enduring Atmospheric Platforms programme and related opportunities. You will sit with the Programme Director and Programme Specialist, contributing to design, approval, and delivery from inception to project completion.

Your impact will extend across the portfolio as you surface insights, guide cross‑programme collaboration, and help ARIA translate scientific advances into funded, impact‑driven

Qualifications

• Experience developing commercially viable, multidisciplinary high-tech systems at the edge of what’s possible.
• Strong applied physics understanding is essential.
• Experience with uncrewed airborne platforms development and testing is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Shape and deliver a bold R&D programme aimed at high altitude platforms for regional broadband connectivity.
• Review proposals, grant applications, milestones, and keep close to what creators build and test.
• Lead technical discussions in meetings, workshops, and formal reviews with depth and direction.
• Provide evidence-based technical insight to guide decisions and sharpen programme strategy.
• Communicate complex scientific ideas to stakeholders including government, funders, and ecosystem players.
• Identify emerging trends and surface promising technologies across the programme and its space.
• Co-author papers and technical reviews that articulate the programme’s ambition and vision.
• Collaborate with Creator teams to track milestones and drive project delivery across the portfolio.
• Maintain deep understanding of past programmes to help new Directors build on lessons learned.

Skills

Systems engineering mindset

Applied physics

UAV systems engineering

Stakeholder communication

Education

Scientific qualification (PhD preferred)

Job description

Description

£70,000, £90,000, £105,000 (offers will be calibrated on benchmarked experience levels and assessment against our selection criteria)

Discretionary

Kings X, London; Tues - Thurs (3 days) at HQ, Monday + Friday, anywhere

Full-time

Permanent

20.09.26

About ARIA

ARIA is a new R&D funding agency built to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible.

From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world‑class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on.

Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK’s future generations? Whether that’s a life‑changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role.

If you want to help make breakthroughs like these possible, come and build ARIA with us.

Learn more here.

Role Summary

As an ARIA Science and Technology Lead, you will have the rare chance to catalyse breakthroughs that could change the world. You'll sit alongside Programme Director Rico Chandra and their Programme Specialist, Caitlin Kubala, on ARIA's Enduring Atmospheric Platforms programme. You’ll be exposed to every aspect of the programme's technical management from design through approval, project selection, and delivery.

Your impact will extend beyond a single programme; you will play a key role in strengthening the wider Adaptive Machines opportunity space, with a deep, evolving understanding of programmes and projects over time. As Programme Directors join the opportunity space and new programmes are launched, you will surface insights that build on existing ARIA-funded technologies, accelerate discovery, and turn past lessons into future breakthroughs, maximising impact across the portfolio.

We’re looking for an adaptable technical professional who’s strongly motivated by the opportunity to catalyse a technological step change. You’ll be working in a bold, talented, and agile team, funding projects (‘Creators’) across the entire R&D ecosystem, from startups to universities, in the pursuit of groundbreaking advancements that will shape the future of science and technology.

Meet Rico Chandra

Rico Chandra is a member of ARIA’s second cohort of Programme Directors. Rico is an entrepreneur and competitive cross‑country paraglider pilot with a PhD in physics. He has co‑founded hardware startups, worked on several DARPA Programs, advised governments on technology innovation, and worked in Venture Capital.

“I’m definitely more of a hardware than software person. I’m looking for a partner to lead this exciting programme with high EQ and a broad technical reach, especially in areas like UAV systems engineering, regulation related to flight testing, applied physics, non‑terrestrial communications, and the software relevant to this ambitious programme. Join me for what may be the most exciting years of your career.”

Rico Chandra, Programme Director

What You'll Do

The scope of the role will evolve as ARIA continues to grow, but will broadly involve the following:

Technical Programme Advisory and Support

• Act as the technical lead, with the Programme Director and their Programme Specialist, to shape and deliver a bold programme of research aimed at delivering high altitude platforms that can reliably and cost effectively provide regional broadband connectivity.
• Review project proposals, grant applications, assess technical milestones, and stay close to the ground on what’s being built and tested by Creator teams.
• Plan, lead, and contribute to technical discussions in project meetings, workshops, and formal reviews, bringing depth, challenge, and direction to every interaction.
• Provide evidence‑based technical insight to the Programme Director and the ARIA team to support high‑quality decisions and sharpen the programme’s strategic direction.
• Confidently communicate complex scientific ideas surrounding the programme to stakeholders, from government and funders to key players across the ecosystem.
• Identify emerging trends and surface the most promising technologies, people, and ideas across the programme and its surrounding opportunity space.
• Co‑author white papers, open calls, and technical reviews that articulate the ambition of the programme and set a clear, compelling vision for external communities.
• Work closely with the Programme Specialist and Creator teams to drive project delivery, tracking against ambitious technical milestones, benchmarking progress against the state of the art, and spotting opportunities for research cross‑pollination to sustain momentum.
• Provide continuity to the opportunity space, and maintain a deep understanding of past and present programmes, and Creator projects, to help new Programme Directors build on what has worked, avoid what hasn’t, and leverage existing technologies and insights.

Connecting the Programme to the Ecosystem

• Represent the programme, often on behalf of the Programme Director, at events, workshops and talks.
• Support the broader opportunity space by identifying and developing innovative ways to expand it, bringing in new ideas, talent, and opportunities that deliver long‑term value beyond the immediate needs of one programme.
• Build trusted relationships with world‑class researchers, labs, and founders working at the forefront of the programme’s focus area, as well as the broader opportunity space.
• Work closely with ARIA’s Activation Partners to ensure Creator teams can access the right tools, platforms, and networks to accelerate translation and achieve impact beyond ARIA’s direct reach.

Define and Cultivate ARIA’s Technical Culture

• Collaborate across ARIA on funding models, budgets, tooling, and operational mechanisms to support effective, flexible funding and programme delivery.
• Contribute as a member of ARIA’s team of Science and Technology Leads, sharing best practices and learnings between programmes to strengthen ARIA’s overall portfolio of work.
• Identify opportunities to expand the opportunity space and build the connective tissue between adjacent spaces.
• Help build and sustain ARIA’s scientific and operational culture.

Who You Are

Essential Criteria

• You have first‑hand exposure to developing commercially viable, multidisciplinary high tech systems at the edge of what’s technologically possible in the domains of aerospace, energy, communication, or lasers.
• You think and communicate with a systems engineering mindset, feel comfortable assessing projects on the basis of gantt charts and quarterly reports.
• You have a strong applied physics understanding.
• You have worked on uncrewed airborne platforms development and testing.
• You excel in grasping and navigating diverse technical projects.
• You excel at translating complex technical concepts and timelines to diverse stakeholders, effectively bridging gaps between diverse teams and perspectives.
• You are willing to ask questions and can rapidly learn and adapt to new scientific areas, comprehending key components of new technical disciplines.
• You can uncover non‑obvious opportunities and risks, connecting teams, ideas, and research threads in novel ways that drive adoption and translation.
• Highly adaptable, you are okay with uncertainty and a fast‑paced environment.
• You comprehend and articulate complex concepts clearly and with conviction, think and communicate with structure, and interrogate ideas effectively.

Desirable Criteria

• You have worked in milestone‑driven, high‑risk/high‑reward, ARPA‑like R&D organisations.
• You have strong demonstrable experience of engineering trade‑space analysis in the aerospace sector.
• You have experience with space launch, and satellites, their sensors, payloads, and communications systems.
• A proven track record in leading and/or driving market entry for disruptive technologies, with a strong network across commercial partners and industry channels relevant to the programme.
• You have worked in industry, in an organisation with exceptionally ambitious technological development (including cutting edge hardware development)
• You have successfully performed technical assignments that require unconventional or novel approaches.
• You are skilled in identifying technical bottlenecks, risk analysis and resolution, tracking technical milestones, and reporting on complex technical projects.
• You have a strong working knowledge of the UK R&D ecosystem.

Qualifications

You have a Scientific qualification, with a preference for PhD or other deeper technical experience, in one of the listed areas of interest, or similar; systems engineering or applied physics.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
• Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
• Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave arrangements
• A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
• 2 days of paid volunteer days
• 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• An excellent office location in Kings X, London

Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests are intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.

ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility. You can read our policy here. Our research and development activity will abide by the 3Rs principle. You can read about those here.