UAV Concept Design Engineer — Rapid Trade Studies

Saab AB; Leigh; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave

Workplace pension 8%

Private medical insurance

Group income protection

Death in service insurance

Job summary

Saab UK in Bedford is seeking a UAV Design Engineer with aircraft sizing ownership to turn requirements into sized, analysable air vehicle concepts through rapid, iterative trade studies.

You will work within Saab UK’s Blue Bear unit, applying hands-on design, data-validation, and propulsion integration to deliver viable concepts while using OpenVSP, RCAIDE, AVL, and PX4/SITL tools. This role requires collaboration across a small multidisciplinary team.

Qualifications

• Aircraft sizing, concept-design tooling, and synthesis of flight-test data to improve models.
• Conceptual design and sizing, constraint analysis, weight and mission/energy sizing.
• Scripting and analysis using Python or similar for rapid iteration.

Responsibilities

• Perform aircraft conceptual sizing and constraint analysis to define feasible design points.
• Develop parametric air vehicle geometry and drive the analysis loop for rapid iteration.
• Synthesize flight-test and telemetry data to validate and calibrate models.
• Select and shape propulsion concepts and integrate into mission analyses.
• Maintain and improve the concept-design toolchain and automation.

Skills

Aircraft sizing

Trade studies

Python scripting

Flight dynamics

Team collaboration

Defence/ safety-critical experience

PX4 / ArduPilot experience

Tools

OpenVSP

RCAIDE

AVL

XFLR5

Datcom

FlightStream CFD

Job description

Saab UK in Bedford is seeking a UAV Design Engineer with aircraft sizing ownership to turn requirements into sized, analysable air vehicle concepts through rapid, iterative trade studies.

You will work within Saab UK’s Blue Bear unit, applying hands-on design, data-validation, and propulsion integration to deliver viable concepts while using OpenVSP, RCAIDE, AVL, and PX4/SITL tools. This role requires collaboration across a small multidisciplinary team.