UAV Concept Architect for Rapid Design & Validation

SAAB; Luton; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Saab UK is seeking a UAV Concept Engineer to turn requirements and CONOPS into sized, analysed air vehicle concepts through rapid, iterative trade studies. You will synthesize flight-test data to refine models and drive propulsion/energy integration within a multidisciplinary team.

Join Saab UK to work on early-stage design capability, developing fast, defensible estimates and tools that accelerate design decisions while maintaining safety-critical standards and regulatory awareness.

Qualifications

• Hands-on aircraft sizing and concept-design tooling experience.
• Ability to synthesise flight-test/telemetry data to calibrate models.
• Strong Python scripting for automation and tools development.
• Experience with design-of-experiments and trade studies.

Responsibilities

• Perform aircraft conceptual sizing and constraint analysis to define feasible design points.
• Develop and morph parametric air vehicle geometry and drive it through the analysis loop.
• Produce core conceptual outputs: drag polars, lift curves, weight breakdowns, mission energy.
• Run trade studies and design-space exploration for rapid iteration.
• Synthesize flight-test/bench-test data to validate and improve models.
• Select and shape propulsion concepts and integrate them into performance analysis.
• Maintain and build the concept-design toolchain and automation.
• Capture design risk and feed into programme risk register.

Skills

Aircraft sizing

Conceptual design tooling

Flight-test data synthesis

Python scripting

Design-of-experiments

Stability & control analysis

multidisciplinary teamwork

Tools

OpenVSP

RCAIDE

AVL

XFLR5

Datcom

PX4

ArduPilot

SITL/HITL

FlightStream

Job description

Saab UK is seeking a UAV Concept Engineer to turn requirements and CONOPS into sized, analysed air vehicle concepts through rapid, iterative trade studies. You will synthesize flight-test data to refine models and drive propulsion/energy integration within a multidisciplinary team.

Join Saab UK to work on early-stage design capability, developing fast, defensible estimates and tools that accelerate design decisions while maintaining safety-critical standards and regulatory awareness.