Aircraft Engineer jobs in United Kingdom

At Vertical Aerospace, we are pioneering the way for electric aviation. The VX4, our eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing), ‘zero emissions’ aircraft will set a new safety standard for how we navigate the sky.

We won’t realise our mission by following the same legacy processes and traditions as our predecessors—instead, we are redefining aerospace best practices.

We are evolving rapidly from a prototype business to a scaling SME. The next few years are critical as we strive to bring the VX4 into service by 2030.

What to Expect

As an Advanced Battery Stress Engineer, you will be part of the Energy Storage System (ESS) team based at our Bristol facility. You will be responsible for ensuring the structural performance of our battery packs, a key component in our fully electric propulsion system.

Your work will involve developing and applying Finite Element Models (FEM), validating regulatory and internal requirements, planning and defining verification activities, and contributing to the development of best-in-class structural simulation methodologies.

You will be expected to take full ownership of critical structural attributes or load cases, seeing them through from requirement definition to test-based verification—enabling faster and more informed design decisions.

What You’ll Do

• Take ownership of a set of structural attributes or load cases, ensuring the ESS design meets them through simulation and physical testing.

• Build and refine Finite Element Models to support and validate mechanical designs.

• Develop verification plans and define corresponding physical test campaigns.

• Support DFMEA activities through clear definition and validation of structural risks and mitigations.

• Create and develop advanced simulation tools and processes tailored for materials used in ESS, including composites, polymers, adhesives, and metals.

• Drive the Materials & Processes area for the ESS, including FEM methods and experimental validation across all product hierarchy levels.

• Contribute to the planning and execution of structural workstreams, reporting at both technical and program milestones.

What You’ll Bring

• A degree in engineering or a relevant technical field.

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in structural analysis, with a strong emphasis on stress engineering.

• Proven background in delivering designs for energy storage systems or complex electro-mechanical components.

• Proficiency in industry-standard FEM tools.

• Robust hand-calculation skills for validation and rapid design iteration.

• Experience in requirements decomposition, verification, and validation.

• Strong cross-functional communication skills, with experience working alongside Mechanical Design, Electrical, Systems, Thermal, and Manufacturing Engineers.

• Ability to manage short- and long-term engineering workstreams efficiently.

Desirable

• Experience with aerospace certification and qualification processes, especially related to Materials & Processes.

• Proficiency with tools such as Altair Hyperworks, Simlab, Simsolid, or ANSYS Workbench/Mechanical.

• Familiarity with detailed vibration, fatigue, or explicit simulation techniques.

• Programming foundations in Python or C++.

• Understanding of typical HV battery load cases and associated FEM methodologies.

• End-to-end product development experience—from concept to production and in-service support.

• Familiarity with DFMEA and tools such as APIS IQ.

• Experience using requirements management platforms like DOORS or JAMA.

What can you expect from us?

We're on a mission. Where others see limits, we see opportunity, and we work at pace. Working at Vertical isn't your average role but for those seeking a challenge, a flexible, supportive organisation and an incredible team; working here is an opportunity to do the best work of your career.

Our approach promotes ingenuity and courage, while our environment builds success through diligence in safety and being open in the way we work. The only way we're going to assure the next chapter of aviation history is by working as a team, relentlessly, towards our goal.

Our benefits

Our people matter - we're not going anywhere without them. Which is why our company benefits go beyond the essentials.

• 26 days holiday, plus bank holiday

• 5 extra days per year to buy (or sell)

• 5 extra days holiday when you get married or enter a civil partnership

• Additional 4% of your salary to spend on extra benefits

• Award-winning digital health and wellbeing service (Help@Hand)

• Company performance based bonus - rewarding company and individual performance

• Company Share Scheme - open to every Vertical employee

• Company Pension Scheme - 5% and we match it

• Breakfast on us, every day

We may just be the hardest job you've ever had, but we're confident it will be the most rewarding. Join the team today and help us shape the future of Advanced Air Mobility.

Disclaimer Statement

We encourage you to apply even if you may not have all the experience listed in the advert. We recognise that talent comes in various forms and we are committed to providing opportunities that create an environment of growth, diversity, and inclusion for everyone. As part of our desire to review and make our processes fair, we may ask you questions related to these aspects during the application process. For more information on how we will use your data, see our Legal section.