Senior Flight Physics Engineer

AALTO; Farnborough; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Rewarding Excellence incentive plan

25 days holiday

Private medical insurance

Dental & optical cash back

Pension plan

Income protection

Life assurance

Discounted salary sacrifice

Employee assistance programme

Perkbox discounts

Job summary

AALTO in Farnborough is seeking a Senior Flight Physics Engineer to shape performance, stability, controllability and safe operation of the Zephyr HAPS platform. You will work across aerodynamics, flight dynamics, flight control laws, and simulation to deliver robust, certifiable solutions for a leading high-altitude autonomous aircraft.

This senior role requires experience at the interface of analysis, design, software, test and certification, partnering with software, avionics, systems and

Qualifications

• Degree or Master’s in Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Control Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or a closely related discipline.
• Significant experience in flight dynamics, stability and control, flight control systems or GNC within aerospace or autonomous platforms.
• Strong understanding of aircraft stability, flight dynamics, aerodynamics and control theory.

Responsibilities

• Lead derivation and management of flight physics, flight control and system-level requirements with clear traceability.
• Define and refine flight control laws and GNC architectures for autonomous high-altitude flight operations.
• Plan and analyze flight tests for envelope expansion, stability and control validation and mission continuity.

Skills

Flight dynamics

Stability & control

GNC

MATLAB

Simulink

Education

Degree/Master’s in Aerospace/Control Engineering

Tools

MATLAB

Simulink

Job description

Hours: 37 – Hybrid
AALTO, a global leader in Stratospace. Based in Farnborough, AALTO is an Airbus subsidiary that manufactures, operates, and delivers services with its solar-powered, stratospheric platform: Zephyr.

Location: Farnborough
Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent
Hours: 37 – Hybrid
AALTO, a global leader in Stratospace. Based in Farnborough, AALTO is an Airbus subsidiary that manufactures, operates, and delivers services with its solar-powered, stratospheric platform: Zephyr.

Zephyr’s persistence enables continuous flight for months at a time. Its current flight-time record of over 67 days in the stratosphere. From above 60,000+ft, or 20km above ground, AALTO can deliver several applications including direct-to-device connectivity and high-resolution Earth observation.

AALTO operates in a new operational layer between most of air traffic and low-Earth orbit, Stratospace. This is where high-altitude platforms led by Zephyr deliver services to commercial and government partners. We can help monitor environments, observe borders, track natural disasters and connect unconnected communities.

Join us as we create a new domain of aerospace: Stratospace. You’ll be part of a highly-skilled, innovative and passionate group of people – Team AALTO. Together, we can Unlock Stratospace.

About The Role

As a Senior Flight Physics Engineer, you will take a leading role in shaping the performance, stability, controllability and safe operation of the Zephyr HAPS platform. Working across aerodynamics, flight dynamics, flight control laws, flight loads and simulation, you will turn complex engineering challenges into robust, certifiable solutions that support the continued evolution of an innovative, high-altitude autonomous aircraft.

This is a senior opportunity for an experienced aerospace engineer who is confident operating at the interface of analysis, design, software, flight test and certification. You will support the development and validation of flight physics capability for Zephyr, with particular focus on stability and control, flight control systems, guidance, navigation and control, flight dynamics modelling and flight test evidence.

You will work closely with software, avionics, systems, test and wider engineering teams to define requirements, mature architectures, assess performance and support safe flight test progression. The role suits someone who enjoys technical ownership, thrives in a fast-moving environment and can bring both deep subject matter expertise and practical engineering judgement to a highly collaborative team.

Responsibilities To Include

As part of the Flight Physics team, you will be expected to provide senior-level technical contribution and practical engineering support across activities including:

• Lead the derivation, review and management of flight physics, flight control and system-level requirements, ensuring clear traceability from stakeholder needs through to verification evidence.
• Define, develop and refine flight control laws, automation algorithms and GNC architectures for autonomous high-altitude flight operations.
• Identify failure modes, assess handling qualities and develop robust contingency strategies that protect aircraft safety and mission continuity.
• Translate complex engineering intent into high-quality software and system requirements that are precise, testable and suitable for implementation by software and avionics teams.
• Manage interface and allocation requirements across onboard systems, ensuring flight physics assumptions and constraints are clearly understood across disciplines.
• Plan, support and analyse flight tests required for envelope expansion, stability and control validation, performance assessment and safe progression of test campaigns.
• Build, maintain and run flight dynamics simulation models, including MATLAB and Simulink-based analysis, to support design decisions, verification activity and flight test readiness.
• Analyse flight test telemetry and simulation outputs to identify trends, validate models, resolve anomalies and recommend practical engineering actions.
• Provide technical leadership within defined work packages, actively driving deliverables, managing technical risk and supporting delivery to agreed quality, cost and schedule targets.
• Collaborate with internal subject matter experts and wider engineering stakeholders, and support overseas flight trials when required.

Skills And Knowledge Required

• Degree or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Control Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or a closely related discipline.
• Significant experience in flight dynamics, stability and control, flight control systems or GNC within aerospace, aviation, autonomous aircraft, UAV, HAPS or a comparable safety-critical environment.
• Strong technical understanding of aircraft stability, flight dynamics, aerodynamics, control theory and flight control law development.
• Proficiency with MATLAB, Simulink and associated modelling, simulation and analysis toolsets.
• Experience defining requirements, supporting verification activity and producing clear technical documentation for complex engineering systems.
• Ability to interpret flight test data and telemetry, extract meaningful engineering insight and communicate recommendations that support safe test progression.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams, influencing decisions through sound engineering judgement and clear communication.
• Comfortable taking ownership of technical work packages, balancing analytical rigour with practical delivery in a fast-paced engineering environment.
• Willingness to support flight campaigns and, where required, deploy overseas for flight test or engineering activities.

In Addition To An Attractive Market-aligned Salary, We Offer

• Rewarding Excellence: Benefit from our short-term incentive plan that rewards your hard work and dedication.
• Enjoy Your Time Off: Benefit from 25 days of holiday to relax and recharge.
• Stay Healthy: We’ve got your health covered with private medical insurance, along with dental and optical cash back.
• Secure Your Future: Take advantage of our personal pension plan to ensure a comfortable retirement.
• Peace of Mind: Our income protection and life assurance schemes are there to support you when you need it most.
• Getting around: Drive the latest vehicles with our discounted salary sacrifice scheme.
• We Care About You: Our employee assistance programme is always available to provide the support you need.
• Perks Galore: Enjoy a range of employee discounts via Perkbox, from household goods to travel!

Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?

At AALTO, we take pride in building and offering an exceptional work environment that values your well-being and rewards your dedication. We believe in recognising your hard work and commitment, which is why we provide a fantastic bonus scheme that rewards your contributions. Additionally, we understand the importance of financial security and support your future with a competitive pension plan. When you join us, you become part of a workplace that not only encourages your professional growth but also cares about your personal fulfilment and financial stability.

AALTO is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status or pregnancy and maternity.