UAV Concept Engineer

Saab UK; Bedford; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Saab UK is seeking a UAV Concept Engineer to strengthen our early-stage design capability, turning requirements and CONOPS into sized, analysed air vehicle concepts through rapid trade studies.

You will synthesize flight-test data to calibrate models and feed improvements back into sizing methods, while working within a multidisciplinary Concepts team to enable fast, iterative design decisions.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience in aircraft sizing, concept-design tooling, and synthesis of flight-test data.
• Experience in UAV conceptual design, sizing, constraint analysis, weight and mission/energy sizing.
• Familiarity with OpenVSP, RCAIDE, AVL, XFLR5, Datcom or equivalent tools.
• Solid applied aerodynamics knowledge, drag build-up, lift curves, drag polars.
• Experience synthesising flight logs/telemetry/test data to validate models.
• Proficient in Python for automation and data processing.
• Understanding of the full conceptual design loop: geometry, aerodynamics, weights, propulsion, mission performance, stability & control.
• Ability to work iteratively with fast, defensible estimates and communicate assumptions clearly.
• Strong problem-solving and proactive approach to improve methods.
• Able to collaborate across a small multidisciplinary team.
• Structural analysis, FEA, airframe structural sizing.
• Stability & control analysis, flight dynamics modelling, handling qualities.
• Design-of-experiments for subsystems.
• Propulsion sizing and integration of electric, hybrid-electric or gas turbine systems.
• Experience with PX4 / ArduPilot, SITL/HITL simulation, and processing autopilot flight logs (ULog, MAVLink).
• CAD and geometry handling; exporting/meshing surfaces for higher-fidelity aero.
• Mid- to high-fidelity aero exposure (panel methods such as FlightStream, or RANS CFD).
• Experience working in safety-critical, regulated or defence environments.
• Ability to gain SC Clearance.

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 the core conceptual outputs each iteration: drag polars, lift curves, weight breakdowns, mission energy/endurance.
• Run trade studies and design-space exploration to make optimisation and sensitivity studies fast.
• Synthesise flight-test and bench-test data and use it to validate, calibrate and improve conceptual models.
• Select and shape propulsion system concepts and integrate them into mission and energy-network performance analysis.
• Maintain, improve and where appropriate build the concept-design toolchain and automation.
• Capture and communicate design risk and feed it into the programme risk register.

Skills

Aircraft sizing experience

Concept-design tooling

Flight-test data synthesis

OpenVSP

RCAIDE

AVL

XFLR5

Datcom

Python scripting

Automation and tooling

Design-space exploration

SITL/HITL simulation

MAVLink/ULog experience

Tools

OpenVSP

RCAIDE

AVL

XFLR5

Datcom

FlightStream

Panel CFD

Job description

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:

Blue Bear is a leading autonomy and unmanned systems company.

We are seeking a UAV Concept Engineer to strengthen our early-stage design capability: turning requirements and CONOPS into sized, analysed and testable air vehicle concepts through rapid, iterative trade studies. 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 synthesise data from bench and flight testing, flight logs, telemetry and measured performance and feed it back to correct and improve our conceptual models, sizing methods and surrogates, so each design iteration is grounded in real evidence.

Working as part of the Concepts 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:

Perform aircraft conceptual sizing and constraint analysis (wing loading vs thrust/power-to-weight, weight closure, mission/energy sizing) to define feasible design points for new UAV concepts.

Develop and morph parametric air vehicle geometry and Outer Mould Line and drive it through the analysis loop, regenerating a concept from a defined parameter set.

Produce the core conceptual outputs each iteration: drag polars, lift curves, weight breakdowns, mission energy/endurance, static margin, trim and control authority.

Run trade studies and design-space exploration to make optimisation and sensitivity studies fast enough to explore many designs.

Synthesise flight-test and bench-test data (flight logs, telemetry, measured aero/propulsion performance) and use it to validate, calibrate and improve conceptual models and sizing methods.

Select and shape propulsion system concepts and integrate them into mission and energy-network performance analysis.

Maintain, improve and where appropriate build the concept-design toolchain and automation that underpins rapid iteration (geometry, aero, mission, surrogate and data-processing tools).

Capture and communicate design risk, where the design is immature or sensitive and feed it into the programme risk register.

Qualifications and skills:

We are specifically looking for someone with hands-on experience in aircraft sizing, concept-design tooling, and the synthesis of flight-test data to improve models

Demonstrable experience in aircraft / UAV conceptual design and sizing, constraint analysis, weight and mission/energy sizing, and closing a design point.

Hands‑on experience with conceptual and preliminary design tools such as OpenVSP, RCAIDE, AVL, XFLR5, Datcom or equivalent in‑house tools.

Sound applied aerodynamics knowledge, drag build‑up, lift curves, drag polars and the ability to generate and interpret them for design decisions.

Experience synthesising flight logs / telemetry / test data and using it to validate and improve analytical models (model calibration, correlation to test).

Strong scripting and analysis skills in Python (or similar) for automation, data processing and building/using design tools.

Working understanding of the full conceptual design loop: geometry, aerodynamics, weights, propulsion, mission performance and stability & control, and how the disciplines couple.

Ability to work iteratively, favouring fast, defensible estimates over slow precision at the conceptual stage, and to communicate assumptions and uncertainty clearly.

Strong problem‑solving skills, sound engineering judgement, and a proactive approach to improving methods and tools.

Ability to work collaboratively across a small, multidisciplinary engineering team.

Structural analysis, FEA, airframe structural sizing.

Stability & control analysis, flight dynamics modelling, and handling‑qualities assessment.

Design‑of‑experiments for sub systems.

Propulsion sizing and integration of electric, hybrid‑electric or gas turbine systems.

Experience with PX4 / ArduPilot, SITL/HITL simulation, and processing autopilot flight logs (ULog, MAVLink).

CAD and geometry handling; exporting/meshing surfaces for higher‑fidelity aero (panel/CFD).

Mid‑to high‑fidelity aero exposure (panel methods such as FlightStream, or RANS CFD) for validating key design points.

Experience working in safety‑critical, regulated or defence environments.

Ability to gain SC Clearance.