Senior/Principal Materials, Structures, and Thermal Engineer

Our client, an innovative early-stage company in the defence and security sector, is seeking a Senior/Principal Materials, Structures and Thermal Engineer to support the development of advanced air vehicles. This permanent role offers the opportunity to join a small, senior engineering team delivering a multi-year programme from initial concept through design, manufacture and testing.
Working with technical leadership, the successful engineer will take ownership of structural and thermal design across the vehicle, lead materials selection and contribute to key technical decisions. The role will suit an experienced aerospace, UAV, drone or high-reliability engineering professional who enjoys autonomy, complex technical challenges and working in a fast-moving environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead materials selection for aerospace structures and components, balancing performance, manufacturability, cost and availability
Develop and maintain materials property data, coordinate supplier technical evaluations and oversee quality assurance for manufactured parts
Lead structural design from concept architecture through to detailed analysis, sizing and margin of safety assessments
Develop structural models using hand calculations, first-principles methods and Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
Lead thermal design and analysis, including heat transfer modelling, temperature estimation, insulation and thermal management studies
Interpret thermal and structural analysis results against test data and support design reviews and trade studies
Present technical findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders, including investors and commercial partners
Provide technical leadership and mentoring while contributing to roadmapping, product development and relevant quality, safety and security standards

Job Requirements:

Degree or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science or a related discipline
Significant experience in materials, structures and/or thermal engineering within aerospace, UAV, drone, defence or another high-reliability sector
Experience across the full design lifecycle, from concept architecting through to detailed structural analysis and testing
Proficiency with FEA tools such as ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran or similar, alongside strong hand-calculation and first-principles analysis skills
Practical experience in materials selection, properties characterisation, supplier management and quality assurance
Experience in thermal analysis and heat transfer modelling, including thermal insulation and management trade-offs
Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication and technical leadership skills, with the ability to work effectively in a lean team
Right to work in the UK and eligibility to obtain UK Security Check (SC) clearance, with no existing clearance required

Desirable Skills and Experience:

Experience with thermal analysis software such as Thermal Desktop, ANSYS Thermal or similar
Understanding of design for manufacture, joining methods, composite materials and/or additive manufacturing
Familiarity with Python, MATLAB or similar scripting tools for analysis automation
Experience in a defence, government or start-up environment
Chartered Engineer status or progress towards chartership
Experience mentoring or leading small technical teams

Personal Attributes:

Collaborative, self-motivated and comfortable working with a high degree of autonomy
Pragmatic and resourceful, with the ability to balance engineering rigour and delivery pace
Confident communicating complex technical information to varied audiences
Committed to high standards of integrity, discretion and technical quality

Benefits:

Opportunity to influence the development of an advanced defence air vehicle from the ground up
Significant technical ownership within a senior, close-knit engineering team
Long-term involvement in a funded, multi-year development programme
Opportunities for professional development, mentoring and equity participation
If you are an experienced Materials, Structures and Thermal Engineer seeking an influential role in aerospace, UAV, drone or defence engineering, apply now to contribute to the development of next-generation air vehicle technology
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed