Composite Structures Cell Lead

Location: Farnborough

Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent

Hours: 37

AALTO, a global leader in Stratospace. Based in Farnborough, AALTO is an Airbus subsidiary that manufactures, operates, and delivers services with its solar-powered, stratospheric platform: Zephyr.

Zephyr’s persistence enables continuous flight for months at a time. Its current flight-time record of over 67 days in the stratosphere. From above 60,000+ft, or 20km above ground, AALTO can deliver several applications including direct-to-device connectivity and high-resolution Earth observation.

AALTO operates in a new operational layer between most of air traffic and low-Earth orbit, Stratospace. This is where high-altitude platforms led by Zephyr deliver services to commercial and government partners. We can help monitor environments, observe borders, track natural disasters and connect unconnected communities.

Join us as we create a new domain of aerospace: Stratospace. You’ll be part of a highly-skilled, innovative and passionate group of people – Team AALTO. Together, we can Unlock Stratospace.

About The Role

As a Composite Structures Cell Lead, you will combine hands-on composite manufacturing expertise with front-line leadership to ensure the safe, efficient, and compliant delivery of aircraft structures. Working within a high-performance aerospace manufacturing environment, you'll lead a small team of technicians while remaining actively involved in the build process, spending approximately 80% of your time undertaking hands‑on production activities.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced aerospace or composite manufacturing professional looking to take the next step into a leadership role while remaining close to the product and technology.

Responsibilities to include:

Lead Daily Production Delivery

• Coordinate and execute manufacturing and assembly activities against the production plan.
• Drive daily build progress and ensure production milestones are achieved safely and on schedule.
• Monitor build status, identify risks, and proactively escalating technical, quality, resource, or schedule challenges.
• Support production recovery plans and minimise disruption to workflow.
• Ensure effective communication and shift handovers across the production team.

Hands-On Composite Manufacturing

• Manufacture and assemble composite aircraft structures, sub-assemblies, and primary structural components.
• Trim, fit, form, shape, and finish composite parts to engineering specifications.
• Perform adhesive preparation, bonding, and assembly activities.
• Conduct post-bond inspections and dimensional verification using calibrated equipment.
• Interpret engineering drawings, manufacturing instructions, and technical documentation.
• Support fault diagnosis, root cause analysis, and corrective action implementation.
• Maintain accurate production and traceability records.

Lead and Develop Your Team

• Provide day‑to‑day technical leadership, coaching, and supervision to a team of Composite Structures Technicians.
• Allocate work based on production priorities and individual capability.
• Monitor progress and maintain accountability for delivery against plan.
• Support onboarding, training, mentoring, and ongoing capability development.
• Foster a positive team culture focused on quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Drive Quality, Safety & Compliance

• Ensure all work is completed in accordance with approved processes, engineering requirements, and aerospace quality standards.
• Champion a right‑first‑time and zero‑defect culture.
• Support non‑conformance investigations and corrective action activities.
• Ensure compliance with:
  • AS9100 quality requirements
  • Human Factors principles
  • FOD prevention
  • Tool Control procedures
  • COSHH regulations
  • ESD‑controlled environment requirements
• Maintain audit readiness and full production traceability.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, quality, and operational efficiency.
• Support Lean Manufacturing initiatives and process improvement activities.
• Participate in root cause investigations and sustainable corrective action implementation.
• Use production performance data and shop‑floor observations to drive operational excellence.

Skills and Knowledge Required

• Hands‑on experience within composite manufacturing, aerospace structures, or aircraft production environments.
• Experience leading, coordinating, or supervising small technical teams.
• Strong ability to interpret engineering drawings and controlled manufacturing processes.
• Practical experience of composite assembly and adhesive bonding techniques.
• Experience using calibrated measuring equipment for dimensional verification.
• Knowledge of ESD‑controlled working environments.
• Strong problem‑solving and decision‑making capability.
• Ability to prioritise effectively in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Good Microsoft Office skills.

Essential Qualifications

• Aerospace or Engineering Full Apprenticeship.
• NVQ Level 3 in Aerospace Engineering, Composite Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline.

In addition to an attractive market‑aligned salary, we offer:

• Rewarding Excellence: Benefit from our short‑term incentive plan that rewards your hard work and dedication.
• Enjoy Your Time Off: Benefit from 25 days of holiday to relax and recharge.
• Stay Healthy: We’ve got your health covered with private medical insurance, along with dental and optical cash back.
• Secure Your Future: Take advantage of our personal pension plan to ensure a comfortable retirement.
• Peace of Mind: Our income protection and life assurance schemes are there to support you when you need it most.
• Getting around: Drive the latest vehicles with our discounted salary sacrifice scheme.
• We Care About You: Our employee assistance programme is always available to provide the support you need.
• Perks Galore: Enjoy a range of employee discounts via Perkbox, from household goods to travel!