UAV Concept & Sizing Engineer – Rapid Iteration

Saab AB; Ideford; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; 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 maternity/paternity leave

Job summary

Saab UK in Bedford is seeking a UAV Design Engineer to own conceptual sizing and analysis for new air vehicle concepts. You will turn requirements into sized, analysed designs and iterate through trade studies with rapid geometry and performance assessment.

You will work hands-on with OpenVSP, RCAIDE, AVL and similar tools, while integrating flight-test data to calibrate models. Collaboration across a small engineering team and potential SC clearance are part of the role.

Qualifications

• Experience with conceptual/preliminary design tools (OpenVSP, RCAIDE, AVL, XFLR5, Datcom or equivalents).
• Strong scripting and analysis skills in Python (or similar).
• Ability to work across a small, multidisciplinary engineering team.
• Experience with PX4 / ArduPilot, SITL/HITL simulation, and processing autopilot flight logs (ULog, MAVLink).
• Sound applied aerodynamics knowledge.
• Experience with data validation, model calibration and comparing flight data to analytical models.

Responsibilities

• Perform aircraft conceptual sizing and constraint analysis to define feasible design points for new UAV concepts.
• Develop parametric air vehicle geometry and Outer Mould Line and drive it through the analysis loop.
• Run trade studies and design-space exploration.
• Synthesize flight-test and bench-test data to validate and improve conceptual models.
• Maintain, improve and build the concept-design toolchain and automation that underpins rapid iteration.

Job description

Saab UK in Bedford is seeking a UAV Design Engineer to own conceptual sizing and analysis for new air vehicle concepts. You will turn requirements into sized, analysed designs and iterate through trade studies with rapid geometry and performance assessment.

You will work hands-on with OpenVSP, RCAIDE, AVL and similar tools, while integrating flight-test data to calibrate models. Collaboration across a small engineering team and potential SC clearance are part of the role.