Senior Flight Test Instrumentation Engineer

Our Mission

At Vertical Aerospace, we are pioneering the way for electric aviation. The VX4, our eVTOL (electric, vertical, take-off and landing), ‘zero emissions’ aircraft will set a new safety standard for how we will navigate the sky. We won’t realise our mission following the same legacy processes and traditions our predecessors followed; instead, we want to ‘redefine’ aerospace best practices. We are growing quickly from a prototype business to a scaling SME, and the next few years will be critical to our success and delivering on our ambitious goals of having the VX4 in service by 2030.

What to expect

As a Senior FTI Engineer, you will be required to assist in the requirements gathering, system architecture design, equipment assessment and procurement, commissioning, fault finding and flight test support of FTI systems on aircraft, as well as support to various ground test rig instrumentation systems.

What you'll do

• Liaison with all engineering and operation teams within VA to develop FTI system requirements
• Creation of FTI system Calibration, Verification and Validation test plans
• Creation of FTI system architectures, and building of ICD’s to enable detailed design implementation
• Project management and planning of the FTI system design and delivery to build
• Responsibility for the budget and programme delivery for instrumentation work packages
• Selection of FTI equipment and sensors to meet performance and system requirements
• Liaison and management of external equipment and services providers, including strain gauge installation services
• Commissioning of FTI installations, including system test and confirmation of sensor operation
• On aircraft calibration of FTI sensors or parameters and recording of calibration data
• Development, maintenance and configuration change of FTI software
• Fault finding to component level of sensors, aircraft wiring and data acquisition equipment
• Ensuring all appropriate aircraft and test rig paperwork or recordings are completed and maintained (job cards, tech logs, tech library, ERP system entries… etc)

What you'll bring

• Knowledge of Uncertainty and Calibration analysis techniques
• Knowledge of implementation of instrumentation in a high EMI environment – especially accelerometers for vibration
• Past working with Curtiss Wright KAM500, Lord Microstrain and / or Dewesoft / Dewetron data acquisition units or similar
• In depth experience of designing strain gauge installations on structures and components, and reliable connection to Data Acquisition Unit’s
• Good knowledge of various sensors, comprising, accelerometers, thermocouples, potentiometers and aircraft data bus tappings
• Exceptionally good attention to detail and can operate to challenging deadlines without compromising standards, safety, or quality
• Have previous experience in the production of electrical schematics and technical assembly drawings, and working with electrical design teams
• Experience of working in an EASA Part 21J DOA environment
• CAD experience, ideally in the 3DX / CATIA environment
• Can work autonomously and safely
• Happy to travel between Bristol and Flight Test facility and any other test location and stay away for short periods if required
• Be able to support longer term deployments for customer demonstrations, and remote / overseas flight trials
• Can demonstrate a flexible and proactive attitude to carrying out responsibilities and always willing to lend a hand throughout the business if required
• Will apply previous experience, skills & knowledge to maintain Health, Safety and Environmental considerations and suggest improvements to procedures wherever possible
• Should have good interpersonal communication skills and be willing to engage with different disciplines, teams and individuals to carry out duties within our growing team
• Have a full UK driving license

What can you expect from us?

We're on a mission. Where others see limits, we see opportunity, and we work at pace. Working at Vertical isn't your average role but for those seeking a challenge, a flexible, supportive organisation and an incredible team; working here is an opportunity to do the best work of your career. Our approach promotes ingenuity and courage, while our environment builds success through diligence in safety and being open in the way we work. The only way we're going to assure the next chapter of aviation history is by working as a team, relentlessly, towards our goal.

Our benefits

Our people matter - we're not going anywhere without them. Which is why our company benefits go beyond the essentials:

• 26 days holiday, plus bank holiday
• 5 extra days per year to buy (or sell)
• 5 extra days holiday when you get married or enter a civil partnership
• Additional 4% of your salary to spend on extra benefits
• Award-winning digital health and wellbeing service
• Company Share Scheme - open to every Vertical employee
• Company Pension Scheme - 5% and we match it
• Breakfast on us, every day

We may just be the hardest job you've ever had, but we're confident it will be the most rewarding. Join the team today and help us shape the future of Advanced Air Mobility.

Disclaimer Statement

We encourage you to apply even if you may not have all the experience listed in the advert. We recognise that talent comes in various forms and we are committed to providing opportunities that create an environment of growth, diversity, and inclusion for everyone. As part of our desire to review and make our processes fair, we may ask you questions related to these aspects during the application process. For more information on how we will use your data, see our Legal section.