Senior UAV Design Engineer in Havant

LiveLink Aerospace is seeking a skilled and passionate Senior UAV Design Engineer with 4 to 5 years of dedicated experience in the unmanned aerial vehicle field. In this role, you will own the lifecycle of our UAV systems - from initial concept and prototyping through to integration, validation, and low-volume production. You will blend cutting-edge mechanical design with hands-on hardware integration, working in a fast-paced environment to build, test, and refine the next generation of aerospace technology.

Important Requirements:

• Security Clearance: Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain UK Security Clearance (SC). This typically requires having lived in the UK for the last 5 years and holding a valid passport.

Key Responsibilities:

• Mechanical & Structural Design: Design high-performance UAV airframes, payload structures, and mechanical assemblies using Fusion 360. Develop detailed CAD models and production-ready technical drawings.
• Component Specification: Select and specify optimal UAV components, including propulsion systems, motors, ESCs, batteries, telemetry modules, sensors, and flight controllers.
• Rapid Prototyping: Design and rapidly iterate prototypes utilising 3D printing, sheet metal, laser CNC, and other advanced manufacturing methods to optimise performance and manufacturability.
• Manufacturing & Documentation: Produce comprehensive assembly drawings, Bills of Materials (BOMs), and detailed build instructions to ensure seamless knowledge transfer and traceability for production teams.
• Systems Integration & Testing: Perform hands-on integration, wiring, and soldering of electronics. Configure, tune, and troubleshoot flight stacks running Betaflight and ArduCopter firmware.
• Field Operations & Validation: Conduct field testing and flight validation. Debug UAV performance issues under real-world conditions, identifying root causes to drive iterative design improvements.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with RF and software engineers to ensure hardware accommodates system requirements, and collaborate with production teams to transition prototypes into scalable, low-volume manufacturing workflows.
• Vendor Management: Coordinate with external suppliers and manufacturers for prototype fabrication and low-volume production runs.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise:

• Technical Design & Manufacturing: Advanced proficiency in parametric CAD (Fusion 360) and technical drawing creation. Deep understanding of UAV architecture, system integration, and weight/balance optimization. Hands-on experience with additive manufacturing (3D printing), sheet metal design/fabrication, laser cutting, and CNC bending machinery. Strong practical skills in electronics assembly, routing, and precision soldering.
• Flight Systems & Testing: Proven experience configuring and tuning ArduCopter and Betaflight flight stacks. Excellent field troubleshooting, debugging, and data-logging analysis skills. GVC (General Visual Line of Sight Certificate) certification for operating multirotor and fixed-wing UAV platforms is highly desirable.
• Professional Attributes: A proactive problem-solver who thrives in rapid development cycles. Strong collaborative communication skills for working alongside multidisciplinary engineering teams. Excellent organisational skills for managing BOMs, suppliers, and technical documentation.