Senior V&V Engineering Manager

Vertical Aerospace; Bristol (VA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days holiday, plus bank holiday

5 extra days per year to buy (or sell)

Company performance-based bonus

Company Pension Scheme - 5% and we match it

Breakfast on us, every day

Job summary

An innovative aviation company based in Virginia seeks a Verification & Validation Engineer to lead efforts in high-voltage power systems for their electric aircraft. The ideal candidate holds a degree in engineering and has extensive experience in safety-critical systems. Responsibilities include developing verification plans, managing HIL test environments, and leading a team of engineers. Benefits include 26 days holiday, performance-based bonuses, and contributions to a pension scheme.

Qualifications

• Significant experience on safety-critical systems in aerospace, automotive, or energy.
• Proven team management experience.
• Experience with defining and executing verification plans.

Responsibilities

• Own the verification & validation strategy for BMS and high-voltage power systems.
• Run automated HIL test environments.
• Lead and develop a team of V&V engineers.

Skills

Verification & validation of safety-critical systems

Team management

Understanding of ARP4754

Requirements tools (DOORS, Jama)

Education

Degree in electrical, systems, aerospace, or computer engineering

Job description

Our Mission

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

We won't realise our mission following the same legacy processes and traditions our predecessors followed, instead, we want to 'redefine' aerospace best practices. We are growing quickly from a prototype business to a scaling SME, and the next few years will be critical to our success and delivering on our ambitious goals. Valo is targeting airliner‑level safety certification in 2028 ahead of entering service with our airline and operator customers.

This role sits within the Power & BMS department who are responsible for delivering safe, certifiable high‑voltage power systems for the Valo aircraft, including batteries, power distribution, and energy management.

You will define how we validate and verify our battery and power systems at item level (hardware + software) ensuring we generate the right evidence to meet certification standards. You will manage the HIL Testing with emphasis on what needs to be verified, how it is verified, and how we demonstrate compliance.

What you’ll do

• Own the verification & validation strategy for BMS and high‑voltage power systems
• Run automated HIL test environments, from SIL to full system integration
• Define item‑level verification approaches across hardware and software
• Develop and maintain verification plans aligned to ARP4754 and certification requirements
• Ensure clear traceability from requirements to test evidence
• Oversee the use of HIL and other test environments to validate system behaviour
• Review and present compliance evidence to support certification activities
• Lead and develop a team of V&V engineers, setting standards for rigour and quality
• Work cross‑functionally with systems, hardware, and software teams to ensure effective verification

What you’ll bring

• A degree in electrical, systems, aerospace, or computer engineering
• Significant experience on safety‑critical systems in aerospace, automotive, or energy
• Strong experience in verification & validation of safety‑critical systems
• Good understanding of ARP4754 and certification‑driven development
• Experience defining and executing verification plans and compliance evidence
• Background working at item or subsystem level (hardware + software)
• Proven team management experience
• Experience with requirements tools (DOORS, Jama) or MBSE environments

Nice to have

• Experience working with or overseeing test environments (HIL, rig‑based, or similar)
• Experience with Battery Management Systems (BMS) or high‑voltage systems
• Familiarity with HIL environments (usage, not necessarily development)
• Knowledge of standards such as DO-160, DO-178C, DO-254

Our benefits

• 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

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.