Senior UAV Concept Engineer – Fast-Iterate Aerial Systems

Saab AB; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave

Workplace pension with 8% company

Private medical insurance

Death in service insurance

Up to 5% share matching

Job summary

Saab UK, part of Saab AB, is seeking a Senior UAV Concept Engineer for Bedford. You will own UAV concepts from requirements to flight-tested designs, leading multiple studies and iterating quickly.

This role requires 5+ years in aircraft/UAV design, experience with flight-test data, and familiarity with OpenVSP, AVL and XFLR5, plus Python for automation. You will calibrate sizing methods using test data and help advance our conceptual design tools.

Qualifications

• Typically, 5+ years in aircraft or UAV design, including at least one design you sized that was then built and flown.
• Hands-on use of flight-test or test data to calibrate design models.
• Concept-design tools such as OpenVSP, AVL or XFLR5, and strong Python for automation and data processing.

Responsibilities

• Own UAV concepts end to end, from requirements and CONOPS to a closed design point, build and flight test, running several studies in parallel.
• Lead conceptual sizing and trade studies: constraint analysis, weight closure, aerodynamics, propulsion, mission and energy sizing, and stability and control.
• Plan and analyse bench, wind-tunnel and flight tests, and use flight logs and test data to calibrate our sizing methods and models.
• Develop the team's Python-based concept-design tools and methods.

Skills

UAV design

Flight-test data

Python automation

OpenVSP

AVL

XFLR5

SC clearance

ULog/MAVLink

VTOL configurations

CFD / Aerodynamics

Education

Bachelor's or higher in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

OpenVSP

AVL

XFLR5

Matlab/Simulink

Job description

Saab UK, part of Saab AB, is seeking a Senior UAV Concept Engineer for Bedford. You will own UAV concepts from requirements to flight-tested designs, leading multiple studies and iterating quickly.

This role requires 5+ years in aircraft/UAV design, experience with flight-test data, and familiarity with OpenVSP, AVL and XFLR5, plus Python for automation. You will calibrate sizing methods using test data and help advance our conceptual design tools.