Principal Design and Certification Specialist (Oversight)

Salary: Range £78,000 - £82,000 plus a market related supplement – subject to experience

Contract Type: Full Time Permanent

Security Level: SC

Visa Restrictions: This position does not currently offer visa sponsorship.

Location: Gatwick/Hybrid – expectation of min of 2 days a week in office / onsite as part of Oversight activities

We are the UK's aviation and aerospace regulator and recognised as a world leader in its field. Our activities are diverse, enabling the aviation industry to meet the highest safety standards, and we pride ourselves on our ability to adapt to the constantly evolving aviation environment.

The Role

As a Principal Design & Certification Specialist you will co-ordinate a team of Design and Certification Specialists to deliver the CAA’s oversight of initial and continued airworthiness activities. Reporting to the Design and Certification Manager for Oversight and Equipment, you will be accountable for the delivery and coordination of our oversight programme, certification projects, in-service performance / continued airworthiness of type products, across the many domains including those relating to commercial air transport, Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), space flight and innovation projects.

With a diverse scope, you will operate across the CAA providing resource to other capability areas, as outlined above. Delivering projects on-time, on cost and on quality. Engagement both internally and externally will be key in performing the role, and you will be expected to lead on future regulation initiatives whilst ensuring your team maintain an excellent understanding of future innovation projects and concepts.

Supporting the development of the team’s capability, you will expect to engage and advise on the maintaining and growing the capability and capacity of the certification team in line with the CAA’s strategy and business needs, working with the training department to deliver this.

Summary of Role accountabilities: A comprehensive job description is available on request.

Design and Certification Accountabilities

• Manage and prioritise continued airworthiness (CAW) and urgent in-service activities.
• Review applications and prioritise projects across the team.
• Directly and indirectly lead a team of Specialists to deliver and support project activities to time, cost and quality.
• Identify training needs and ensure authorisations are adequately developed, established, and maintained for all members of the team.
• Support the development or improving existing airworthiness requirements.
• Ensure delivery of regulatory compliance on aerospace products.
• With the CAW team ensure aerospace products in-service defects, including MORs, are investigated to maintain safety standards.
• Take direct airworthiness safety intervention measures where necessary including in-service difficulties and incidents.
• Engage in future research or contribute into areas of significant airworthiness concern.
• Liaise and co-ordinate with other regulators and accident investigation bodies in relation to accidents and events, and their ICAO Annex 13 investigations.
• Support international co-operation and foster relationships with other regulators on Initial Airworthiness regulation and industry standards.

Approved Organisation Oversight Activities

• Support activities relating to organisational oversight, in accordance with internal procedures and policies.
• Use risk based best practice to direct a team of airworthiness safety professionals to ensure that they focus their efforts in those areas that can have the greatest impact on safe outcomes.
• Ensure proportionality, standardisation and consistency of approach in all tasks that we undertake.
• Take proportionate and timely action on organisations and individuals where their poor safety standards and performance are deemed unacceptable.
• Ensure that oversight of design organisations and entities follow PBO Principles, are risk based, proportionate and wherever possible transparent.
• Ensure that the team can provide timely expert technical assistance, guidance and advice both internally and externally on all Initial and Continued Airworthiness matters.
• Support Specialists as required to deliver oversight and continued airworthiness activities.
• Deliver outcome focused oversight which takes into account the statutory compliance obligations, risk and performance with a safety outcome focus. Escalate risks to the appropriate level within the CAA.

About You: Essential Criteria

• Proven aerospace experience, preferably working for an approved aerospace organisation, or regulatory organisation, with the ability to lead and support an experienced team of Specialists, guiding, challenging, and influencing technical decisions on multiple projects.
• The ability to demonstrate the leadership qualities required to lead critical reviews and to make timely and proportionate decisions to support the team.
• You will be able to demonstrate comprehensive regulatory knowledge and experience within Safety or Compliance Management gained within industry, or expert and detailed knowledge of the functioning of aviation regulation gained through relevant experience.
• The desire to continually develop experience through management training, project involvement and specific training, supported by a development plan, with the flexibility to contribute, as required, within other areas of the Design and Certification team.
• A proven level of team leadership experience gained through managing teams of experienced people and demonstrating good management techniques such as support, assertiveness, remote team management and encouragement of good wellbeing practices.
• Proven ability to monitor, guide and manage technical decisions on a range of major safety issues.
• An engineering degree, equivalent qualification or demonstrated industry experience.
• Demonstrable experience in leading a team, supporting, coaching, mentoring, and providing guidance with certification activities.
• Operate in various cultural business environments at varying levels of seniority.
• Using experience to make sound judgments.
• Resilience to work at pace and on various matters with the appropriate level of input.
• Able to understand specialist issues and modulate technical views to account for wider business and political considerations.
• Confidence to challenge information, propositions, or assumptions, at a deep technical nature and across a range of disciplines.
• Confidence to escalate issues as they arise.
• Confident to communicate at all levels, to conduct technical conversation and engage with all internal and external stakeholders.
• Attention to detail and thorough report writing and delivery of information to support outputs.
• Able to demonstrate your knowledge of certification in one or more of the relevant technical Panels with sufficient experiences to have achieved a level of Certification Signatory or Compliance Verification Engineer (CVE) within Industry, or expert and detailed knowledge of the functioning of aviation regulation gained through relevant experience within an Airworthiness Authority.

1. Propulsion / Propulsive Systems – including electric/hybrid drive systems

2. Software

3. Flight Test / Aerodynamics

4. Performance

5. Structure and Materials

6. Hydro – Mechanical systems – including flight controls

7. Electrical systems

8. Avionic systems

9. Power plant installations / fuel systems

10. Cabin Safety / Environment Control Systems / Icing

12. General Airworthiness / Project Certification Management

13. Continued Airworthiness

15. Human Factors

16. Design assurance and safety assessment

Additional Security Information: For many appointments within the CAA, these roles require access to operationally sensitive infrastructure and/or Nationally Protected information. For these roles the post holders must undergo National Security Vetting and achieve the appropriate level of clearance. If you do not meet these requirements, we may not be able to accept your application. To be vetted we will usually expect a reasonable period of residency in the UK so that meaningful checks can be undertaken. For this role this will need to be 5 years.

Relocation & Property: The CAA will be relocating from Aviation House (Our Gatwick Office) to new premises in a few years’ time. Our move is driven by strategic, operational, and environmental considerations. We will be moving to a new local home, up to a 15-mile radius of Aviation House, to minimise disruption for our valued colleagues and customers. We are now working with colleagues and visitors to understand what we need in our new office before we start our property search. We will sell Aviation House and land, vacate the site, and move to new premises, but we do not expect to move before 2028.

Inclusive Recruitment: We are passionate about diversity and ensuring all are included at the CAA. We are an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. As a member of the Disability Confident scheme, applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a role with us will be guaranteed an interview. We use fair and inclusive selection approaches to hire the best person for the job based on merit alone. If you require an adjustment for any reason, please let us know.

Use of Artificial Intelligence by candidates in the CAA recruitment process: We recognise that many of our candidates find Artificial Intelligence to be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be rejected on that basis.

Working With Us: We are on a journey towards being increasingly adaptable, where our colleagues collaborate as part of cross-functional teams. This approach ensures we never stop learning together. It also means that you may become involved in activities that take you out of your day-to-day role, providing you with opportunities to develop and grow your career with us.

We have embraced hybrid working and offer flexible working patterns, being open to having a conversation about what works for you. We know where and when we work is important in achieving a work-life balance. We offer a range of excellent benefits such as flexible working arrangements, free onsite gym at Gatwick, discounted gym membership for London, 28 days annual leave, additional 5 days leave purchase scheme, a generous pension scheme and much more!

Our Values: Do The Right Thing, Never Stop Learning, Build Collaborative Relationships, Respect Everyone.

Closing Date: 20th Feb 2026

Interview Date: 3rd and 4th March 2026 in person, Gatwick

The CAA values high ethical standards and personal integrity among employees. If invited for interview you will be asked to complete a declaration of interest.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.