Overview
As Senior Programme Manager – Certification, you will lead Zephyr’s end-to-end certification programme, ensuring on-time delivery within budget and regulatory bounds. You will chair governance, align stakeholders, and drive readiness to move from certification into service, interfacing with the UK CAA and other authorities. The role sits at senior level with hands-on capability to resolve complex certification, technical, and programme challenges. This is a chance to shape certification strategy for a high-altitude platform operating between conventional air traffic and space. You will work in a cross-functional, impact-focused environment to enable safe, compliant operations at scale.
Pay / Benefits
- private medical insurance
- dental and optical cash back
- 25 days of holiday
- personal pension plan
- income protection
- life assurance
Responsibilities
- Own and implement the Certification Programme Plan with milestones, dependencies, and baselines
- Develop an integrated schedule spanning design, analysis, test, manufacturing readiness, certification and entry into service
- Chair governance forums, manage risk, close actions and align stakeholders
- Lead liaison with UK CAA and other aviation authorities for certification activities
- Define certification strategies, plans, reviews and approvals from development through execution
- Guide Certification Basis, Means of Compliance, Special Conditions, and authority agreements
- Ensure certification artefacts are complete, credible, traceable and ready for authority review
- Lead critical certification discussions and resolve issues at senior levels
- Coordinate cross-functional teams to assemble compliance evidence across engineering, airworthiness, quality, manufacturing, operations, cybersecurity and support
- Close the Compliance Checklist, maintain traceability, and oversee ground/flight test activities
- Ensure robust, auditable certification packages and readiness for manufacture, operation and support
- Manage relationships with internal teams, suppliers, partners, customers and certification authorities
- Plan and prioritise resources across certification workstreams with functional leaders
- Report on performance, status, risks, decisions and recovery actions to senior leadership
- Coordinate transition from certification to entry into service and support post-certification activities
Key requirements
- Degree in Aerospace, Aeronautical, Mechanical Engineering
- Extensive experience in aircraft design, certification, airworthiness and aerospace programmes in civil or military environments
- Proven track record leading or playing a senior hands-on role in a major certification programme with civil or military authority
- Strong knowledge of Certification Planning, Basis development, Means of Compliance, conformity and authority engagement
- Working knowledge of Part 21, airworthiness and certification requirements and type certification processes
- Familiarity with ARP4754A, ARP4761, DO-178C and DO-254
- Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders
- Strong programme management skills (governance, reporting, change control, schedule, budget, risk); PMP/APM/PRINCE2 desirable
- Excellent communication, negotiation and regulatory stakeholder management
- Fluent in English (written and verbal)
- leadership
- stakeholder management
- clear communication
- Certification planning
- Means of Compliance
- Certification Basis
Senior Programme Manager – Certification in Farnborough employer: AALTO HAPS
AALTO is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in Farnborough where innovation meets aerospace excellence. As part of Team AALTO, you'll enjoy a culture that values collaboration and creativity, alongside comprehensive benefits such as private medical insurance, generous holiday allowances, and a personal pension plan. With opportunities for professional growth and a commitment to employee well-being, AALTO is dedicated to unlocking your potential while you contribute to pioneering advancements in Stratospace.
