Principal Product Safety Engineer

Join an organisation at the forefront of next-generation aviation, developing a pioneering electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that is redefining urban air mobility. This is a rare opportunity to take ownership of the entire product safety function at a pivotal stage of the programme, with a clear pathway into leading the Product Safety team as the business grows.

As the Principal Product Safety Engineer, you will be the recognised technical authority for aircraft safety, leading the development of the complete safety case from early Functional Hazard Assessment through to System Safety Assessment and certification. Working directly with engineering and certification teams, you will shape the aircraft architecture, influence critical design decisions and represent the programme with certification authorities including GCAA, FAA and EASA.

This is a genuinely hands-on role where your expertise will have a direct impact on achieving type certification for one of the industry's most exciting aircraft programmes.

You will take ownership of aircraft and system safety activities across the full development lifecycle, ensuring compliance with SC-VTOL, GCAA CAR 21, EASA Part 21 and the FAA powered-lift certification framework. Working closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams, you will develop robust safety arguments for innovative technologies including distributed electric propulsion, fly-by-wire flight controls and high-voltage energy storage, where established certification guidance is still evolving.

Beyond the technical challenge, this role offers a defined progression into leadership, giving you the opportunity to establish safety methodologies, mentor future engineers and build the Product Safety function from the ground up.

You’ll personally deliver the complete aircraft safety assessment suite, including Functional Hazard Assessments (FHA), Preliminary and System Safety Assessments (PSSA/SSA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), FMEA/FMES, Common Cause Analysis, Zonal Safety Analysis and Particular Risk Analysis. Working across systems, software, hardware and flight test teams, you’ll ensure safety requirements are effectively allocated, verified and embedded throughout the aircraft design.

You’ll develop and maintain the programme safety case, manage hazard logs, configure safety analysis tools and produce certification-ready evidence that is fully traceable to the design baseline. You’ll also play a key role in integrating cyber security considerations into the safety process, ensuring security-related threats are appropriately addressed within the overall aircraft safety framework.

As the programme evolves, you’ll become the technical leader for Product Safety, developing standards, mentoring engineers, supporting recruitment and helping establish a high-performing safety organisation.

We’re seeking an experienced aircraft safety engineer with extensive hands-on experience delivering safety assessments on civil aircraft certification programmes. You will bring:

• Around 10+ years' experience in aircraft or system safety engineering.
• Expert knowledge of ARP4754A/B and ARP4761/ARP4761A.
• Proven experience delivering FHA, PSSA, SSA, FTA, FMEA/FMES, Common Cause Analysis and DAL allocation.
• Strong understanding of certification requirements including SC-VTOL, CS/Part 21 or equivalent aircraft-level safety regulations.
• Knowledge of DO-178C, DO-254 and DO-160 within the wider development assurance framework.
• Experience working with certification authorities and supporting compliance activities.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence engineering teams and senior stakeholders.

Experience within eVTOL, rotorcraft, electric propulsion or advanced air mobility programmes would be highly advantageous, as would familiarity with:

• High-voltage or battery safety.
• DO-326A/ED-202A cyber-security integration.
• Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) or Model-Based Safety Analysis (MBSA).
• CVE approval or equivalent delegated authority.
• Team leadership, mentoring or technical management experience.

This is an opportunity to join an ambitious aircraft programme at a stage where your expertise will directly shape both the product and the future safety organisation. You’ll enjoy genuine technical ownership, work on one of the most challenging certification programmes in aerospace, collaborate with internationally recognised authorities, and have a clearly defined pathway into a Head of Product Safety position as the business continues to expand. This is far more than a technical role—it’s an opportunity to define the future of safety within a pioneering aerospace programme.