Senior Composites Engineer

Vertical Aerospace; Bristol; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Vertical Aerospace is seeking a Composite Materials Engineer to lead the development of advanced materials for their pioneering eVTOL aircraft. The successful candidate will work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure quality and performance standards are met. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge aerospace technology in a rapidly growing company committed to redefining best practices within the industry.

Benefits

26 days holiday plus bank holidays

5 extra days to buy or sell

Additional 4% of salary for extra benefits

Company performance-based bonus

Company Share Scheme open to all employees

Breakfast provided daily

Qualifications

• Experience in materials science, particularly in composites and advanced manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience with material characteristics and process parameters.
• Relevant certifications in materials and aerospace standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership on materials for eVTOL aircraft development.
• Drive qualification efforts for composite components, including writing test plans and specifications.
• Support design failure mode and effect analysis and other engineering tasks.

Skills

Technical Qualification

Material and Process Selection

Quality Assurance

Communication Skills

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science

Job description

Our Mission

At Vertical Aerospace, we are pioneering the way for electric aviation. The VX4, our eVTOL (electric, vertical, take-off and landing), ‘zero emissions’ aircraft will set a new safety standard for how we will navigate the sky.

We won’t realise our mission following the same legacy processes and traditions our predecessors followed, instead, we want to ‘redefine’ aerospace best practices.

We are growing quickly from a prototype business to a scaling SME, and the next few years will be critical to our success and delivering on our ambitious goals of having the VX4 in service by 2030.

What to expect

As a Composite Materials Engineer you will be responsible for providing technical leadership on the development, characterization, and implementation of advanced materials and manufacturing processes for our eVTOL aircraft. You will be responsible for various design efforts, including qualification, process development, and characterization of structural composite materials as required for aircraft certification. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in materials science, with a focus on composites and advanced manufacturing techniques.

As part of the M&P team, you will work closely with Methods & Tool, Airframe, Manufacturing, Quality and PLM teams to support all aspects of design, manufacturing, and quality assurance. Additional responsibilities will include hands-on concept development, authoring material and process specifications, and characterizing degradation modes to establish the safety and performance requirements for aerospace applications.

What you'll do

Technical Qualification:

• Provide engineering and certification expertise for the material and processes qualification effort of composite components.

• Drive qualification and certification efforts by writing test plans, reports, and specifications and establish statistically based material allowables.

Roadmap to Certification:

• Support activities related to material selection.

• Assist in defining the test pyramid and generating materials and design allowables.

• Engage with the PLM Team for the generation and management of the VX4 database.

• Research new technology proposals and provide recommendations for rapid concept evaluation.

• Support structural analysis efforts in static, dynamics, and damage tolerance assessments.

Other tasks:

• Provide fatigue and damage tolerance materials engineering subject matter expertise for the development of advanced composite and structural applications.

• Support various program needs, which include design failure mode and effect analysis, substantiation and acceptance of non-conformances, root cause analysis, and corrective action analysis.

• Document best practices, including authoring technical memos and presentations, to effectively share lessons learned in an evolving environment.

What you'll bring

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field. (Ph.D./ M.Sc. preferred)

• Significant experience in aerospace engineering, with a focus on materials and processes.

• Relevant certifications in materials and processes, quality assurance, or aerospace standards.

• Experience with material and process selection is a must, including demonstrated experience with identifying key material characteristics and process parameters.

• Strong understanding of material and process qualification, with robust hands-on experience in the engineering, design, and development of advanced aerospace parts.

• Proven track record in managing and generating documentation for material qualification and certification procedures.

• Experience as Certification Verification Engineer on structural materials is desirable.

• Highly driven individual with the ability to probe and challenge assumptions, high degree of self-reliance with the ability to lead a small team of experienced engineers in a fast paced decision-making environment.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to liaise effectively with the core team and external stakeholders.

• Flexibility to adapt to changing project needs and priorities.

• Strong verbal communication and writing skills are essential.

What can you expect from us?

We're on a mission. Where others see limits, we see opportunity, and we work at pace. Working at Vertical isn't your average role but for those seeking a challenge, a flexible, supportive organisation and an incredible team; working here is an opportunity to do the best work of your career.

Our approach promotes ingenuity and courage, while our environment builds success through diligence in safety and being open in the way we work. The only way we're going to assure the next chapter of aviation history is by working as a team, relentlessly, towards our goal.

Our benefits

Our people matter - we're not going anywhere without them. Which is why our company benefits go beyond the essentials.

• 26 days holiday, plus bank holiday

• 5 extra days per year to buy (or sell)

• 5 extra days holiday when you get married or enter a civil partnership

• Additional 4% of your salary to spend on extra benefits

• Award-winning digital health and wellbeing service (Help@Hand)

• Company performance based bonus - rewarding company and individual performance

• Company Share Scheme - open to every Vertical employee

• Company Pension Scheme - 5% and we match it

• Breakfast on us, every day

We may just be the hardest job you've ever had, but we're confident it will be the most rewarding. Join the team today and help us shape the future of Advanced Air Mobility.

Disclaimer Statement

We encourage you to apply even if you may not have all the experience listed in the advert. We recognise that talent comes in various forms and we are committed to providing opportunities that create an environment of growth, diversity, and inclusion for everyone. As part of our desire to review and make our processes fair, we may ask you questions related to these aspects during the application process. For more information on how we will use your data, see our Legal section.