Regulatory Operations Lead (Aero & Robotics)

We are seeking a Regulatory Operations Lead to act as the bridge between regulation, operational reality and air vehicle and robotics delivery in a fast-growing unmanned aircraft systems company. You will be the operational and regulatory voice embedded within the Aero and Robotics Product teams, ensuring engineering outputs translate into a system that is authorised, evidenced and scalable. In the short term, you will convert engineering designs into the process assets needed for new Operational Authorisations and drive requirements and verification activities so products are demonstrably safe and compliant for pilot operations. Over time, you will support the scaling of UK flight operations through change management, document control and staffing and rostering design aligned with growth plans.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the operational customer for Aero and Robotics teams, defining workflows, edge cases, abnormal scenarios and what ready-for-operations means.
• Lead new and amended Operational Authorisations for UK operations, liaising with regulators and internal stakeholders.
• Translate engineering outputs into operational processes, procedures, training impacts, competence expectations, emergency handling, maintenance interfaces and operational limitations.
• Convert operational mitigations and limitations into clear, testable requirements for engineering development and integration.
• Define verification strategies with engineering, including ground and flight tests, simulations, rehearsals and operational scenario exercises.
• Implement and maintain change control and document management systems for operational processes.
• Advise on staffing, rostering and operational structure to support scalable UK flight operations.

What Success Looks Like

• Operational authorisations delivered with credible evidence and clear submissions.
• Engineering designs are operationally safe by design, reducing late-stage blockers.
• Operational limitations and mitigations are captured as requirements and verified with traceable evidence.
• Change management and document control scale with system evolution.
• UK flight operations scaling plans are executable and actionable.

Requirements

• Five to ten years plus experience in regulated aviation or unmanned aerial systems environments with approvals, assurance and evidence experience.
• Demonstrable experience developing operational approvals or safety/assurance cases with regulators or designated bodies.
• Strong knowledge of UAS operational risk and safety methods (e.g. SORA) and how engineering decisions map to operational mitigations.
• Ability to translate engineering/system behaviour into operational procedures, limitations, training impacts and verification needs.
• Proven track record driving requirements and verification with traceability and configuration control in safety-critical contexts.
• Confident self-starter able to create direction in ambiguous regulatory environments.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management across Engineering, Operations, Customer teams and external authorities.
• Right to work in the UK with willingness to travel nationally and occasional on-call support.
• Experience with BVLOS approvals, complex airspace integration or multi-stakeholder operational trials.
• Familiarity with airworthiness and continued airworthiness interfaces (defect management, limitations, maintenance procedures).
• Experience building repeatable mobilisation and acceptance processes for new sites or operating areas.
• Exposure to NOC or operations control concepts and operational scenario exercising.

Why Join

• Competitive salary and equity.
• Pension and paid leave.
• Equipment provided.
• Training and professional development budget including regulatory programmes.
• Hybrid working with travel to sites as required.
• Opportunity to shape the future of UK drone operations.