UAV Structural Analysis Engineer – Lightweight Airframes

Defy Aerospace; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

High technical ownership

Work across the full design lifecycle

Small, sharp engineering team

Job summary

An innovative aerospace company in Milton Keynes seeks a Structural Analysis Engineer to focus on advanced UAV airframes. Responsibilities include defining load cases, conducting FEA, and supporting structural integrity assessments. The role requires a degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering and strong knowledge of aircraft structures, as well as hands-on experience with FEA tools like ANSYS and Abaqus. Ideal candidates will have exposure to UAVs and early-stage aerospace programmes, as well as an understanding of composite structures.

Qualifications

• Degree in Aerospace / Mechanical Engineering or similar.
• Strong fundamentals in aircraft structures.
• Hands‑on experience with FEA tools (ANSYS, Abaqus, NASTRAN, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Define and analyse airframe load cases.
• Perform global and local FEA on wings and joints.
• Conduct stress, deflection, and buckling analysis.

Skills

Strong fundamentals in aircraft structures

Hands‑on experience with FEA tools

Understanding of composite structures

Comfortable working with CAD geometry

Able to think beyond tools

Education

Degree in Aerospace / Mechanical Engineering

Tools

ANSYS

Abaqus

NASTRAN

Job description

An innovative aerospace company in Milton Keynes seeks a Structural Analysis Engineer to focus on advanced UAV airframes. Responsibilities include defining load cases, conducting FEA, and supporting structural integrity assessments. The role requires a degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering and strong knowledge of aircraft structures, as well as hands-on experience with FEA tools like ANSYS and Abaqus. Ideal candidates will have exposure to UAVs and early-stage aerospace programmes, as well as an understanding of composite structures.