Regulatory Operations Lead – UAS, Aero & Robotics

This company designs the aircraft, builds the supporting systems, runs the flight operations, and works directly with the aviation authority to make advanced uncrewed aircraft operations possible in the UK.

We are looking for the person who can sit between engineering, operations, and regulation and make all three work together. Someone who can take aero and robotics design decisions and turn them into an operational system that can be authorised, evidenced, and scaled.

If you have ever been frustrated that engineering teams build excellent systems that are difficult to approve, or that operational constraints are discovered too late in the design process, this role exists to fix that.

What you will actually be doing

• You will act as the operational and regulatory customer for the Aero and Robotics engineering teams.
• Turn operational and regulatory constraints into clear, testable engineering requirements.
• Translate engineering design into the operational artefacts needed for Operational Authorisations.
• Define how systems must be tested, demonstrated, and evidenced before they are deployed.
• Work directly with the aviation authority to drive new and amended approvals for UK operations.
• Build change control and document management that keeps pace with hardware and system evolution.
• Lay the operational foundations that allow UK flight operations to scale safely and predictably.

Over time, strong performance in this role can grow into Regional Operations Director, with accountability for UK operational delivery, staffing, rostering, operational control, training frameworks, and regulator relationships.

What success looks like in the first 12 to 18 months

• UK Operational Authorisations progress smoothly with credible submissions and supporting evidence.
• Engineering changes are operationally safe by design rather than creating late approval blockers.
• Operational mitigations and limitations are captured as requirements and verified through test and demonstration.
• Change management scales effectively with aircraft and system evolution.
• A realistic and executable plan exists for scaling UK flight operations when triggers are met.

You will thrive here if you

• Have built or supported Operational Authorisations or safety cases in aviation or UAS.
• Understand SORA or similar risk methods and how engineering decisions map to operational mitigations.
• Can translate system behaviour into procedures, limitations, training impacts, and verification plans.
• Have driven requirements and verification in safety critical environments with strong traceability and configuration control.
• Are comfortable creating direction where regulation is still evolving.
• Enjoy working closely with engineering teams to make systems that are both excellent and approvable.
• Experience with BVLOS approvals, airworthiness interfaces, operational control concepts, or complex airspace integration is highly advantageous.

Why this role is rare

Most aviation roles sit in compliance. Most engineering roles sit in design. Most operations roles sit in delivery. This role sits across all three and ensures what is built can actually be flown, approved, and scaled. You will not be maintaining a system. You will be shaping how engineering becomes real world operations.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and equity.
• Pension and paid leave.
• Training and professional development budget, including regulatory programmes.
• Equipment provided.
• Hybrid working with travel to operational sites as required.