Senior UAV Design Engineer

Saab UK; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave

Pension scheme

Private medical insurance

Group income protection

Death in service insurance

Share matching scheme

Enhanced parental leave

Job summary

Saab UK, Bedford-based, is seeking a Senior UAV Concept Engineer to own UAV concepts end-to-end, from requirements and CONOPS to a closed design point, build, and flight test. You will run multiple concept studies, calibrate sizing methods with test data, and advance tools used by the team.

You will lead sizing, trade studies, and tests, while developing Python-based design tools and mentoring junior engineers in a fast-iterating, evidence-based environment.

Qualifications

• Typically 5+ years in aircraft or UAV design with at least one built and flown.
• Hands-on use of flight-test or test data to calibrate design models.
• Depth across the conceptual design loop: aerodynamics, weights, propulsion, mission performance, stability and control.
• Concept-design tools such as OpenVSP, AVL or XFLR5, and strong Python for automation and data processing.
• Sound judgement on fidelity and uncertainty; ability to communicate assumptions clearly.
• Ability to gain SC clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own UAV concepts end to end, from requirements to flight-tested design point.
• Lead conceptual sizing and trade studies: weight closure, aerodynamics, propulsion, mission sizing.
• Plan and analyse bench, wind-tunnel and flight tests, calibrating sizing methods with data.
• Develop Python-based concept-design tools and methods.

Skills

5+ years UAV design

flight-test data calibration

conceptual design loop

OpenVSP

AVL

XFLR5

Python

SC clearance

Tools

OpenVSP

AVL

XFLR5

Python

Job description

Introduction:

Saab UK is part of Scandinavia's largest defence company, bringing together the best of Swedish and British innovation. Saab offers world-leading solutions and services in defence, aviation, space, and civil security to keep people and society safe. Our UK presence has been growing at pace, meaning we can offer a wide range of opportunities for personal fulfilment and career growth. We currently employ over 600 people across eight sites in the UK, and our specialisations include software engineering, underwater robotics, radars, AI, and armed forces training.

The Role:

This role is part of our Blue Bear business unit in Bedford.

As Senior UAV Concept Engineer, you will be the technical owner of new UAV concepts. You will turn customer requirements and CONOPS into sized, analysed and flight-tested air vehicles, and run several concept studies at once. This role is central to our conceptual design loop, by early exploring design trade space and rapidly iterating through geometry, aerodynamics, weights, propulsion, mission and stability.

A defining part of this role is closing the loop between analysis and reality. You will lead the use of bench-test and flight-test data to calibrate our sizing methods and models, so each design iteration is grounded in evidence. You will also strengthen the tools and methods the whole team uses and help develop junior engineers.

Working as part of the Concepts Engineering team, you will bring a proactive, collaborative approach and a passion for fast iteration, sound engineering judgement and building tools and methods that make the whole team faster.

Key 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.

Qualifications and skills:

Essential:

• 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 and correct design models.
• Depth across the conceptual design loop: aerodynamics, weights, propulsion, mission performance, and stability and control.
• Concept-design tools such as OpenVSP, AVL or XFLR5, and strong Python for automation and data processing.
• Sound judgement on fidelity, clear communication of assumptions and uncertainty.
• Ability to gain SC clearance.

Desirable:

• PX4 or ArduPilot, SITL/HITL simulation, and processing autopilot logs (ULog, MAVLink).
• VTOL, hybrid or unconventional configurations.
• Electric, hybrid-electric or small gas-turbine propulsion integration.
• Mid- to high-fidelity aerodynamics (panel methods or CFD), surrogate modelling and optimisation.
• Defence, safety-critical or regulated environments

Saab UK Company Benefits:

• 30 days annual leave
• Workplace pension scheme with 8% company contribution
• Private medical insurance
• Group income protection scheme
• Death in service insurance
• Up to 5% share matching scheme
• Company enhanced Maternity/Adoption & Paternity leave.
• + Much more