Senior Reliability, Availability & Maintainability (RAM) Engineer in Bristol

Our Mission

At Vertical Aerospace, we are pioneering the way for electric aviation. The Valo, our eVTOL (electric, vertical, take‑off and landing), "zero emissions" aircraft will set a new safety standard for how we navigate the sky. We won’t follow legacy processes; instead, we want to "redefine" aerospace best practices. Growing quickly from a prototype business to a scaling SME, the next few years will be critical to our success and to delivering our ambitious goals. Valo is targeting airliner‑level safety certification in 2028 ahead of entering service with our airline and operator customers.

What To Expect

As a Senior Reliability, Availability & Maintainability (RAM) Engineer, you will sit within our Vehicle Functional Design team and take primary responsibility for driving the reliability activities at the aircraft level. Working in accordance with our Reliability Programme Plan, you will ensure the Valo meets or exceeds its reliability objectives from design through certification and into service. You will also work with our Operations team to scope and develop the availability & maintainability requirements needed to keep the Valo operating efficiently with minimal downtime. A typical day might involve refining reliability models, collaborating with system design teams on reliability‑critical components, analysing test data to identify improvement opportunities, and engaging with certification teams, suppliers and various operations engineers to ensure the RAM objectives align with programme goals and regulatory standards. Your ability to integrate reliability considerations across multiple disciplines will be crucial to your success in this role.

What You’ll Do

• Drive the overall reliability objectives for the Aircraft to align requirements, budgets, and deliverables.
• Collaborate with system engineers to build and refine reliability models, leveraging industry standards and in‑house test data to validate and improve predictions.
• Work with maintainability teams to ensure the aircraft’s design allows for efficient inspection, servicing, and repair, balancing cost‑effectiveness with operational uptime.
• Lead the aircraft‑level reliability reviews, update the Reliability Programme Plan deliverables, and manage the progress of reliability actions through the programme lifecycle.
• Partner with safety, airworthiness and certification teams to ensure that reliability considerations meet or exceed SC‑VTOL and regulatory requirements.
• Communicate reliability and maintainability specifications to systems teams and suppliers.
• Review their FMEAs, test data and reliability documentation, ensuring alignment with Valo targets.
• Contribute to reliability test planning (e.g. HALT/HASS) for critical systems.
• Support the Data Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action System (DRACAS) to capture failures, track root causes and drive improvements.
• Monitor reliability performance during testing and initial in‑service phases, championing corrective actions and design updates that enhance reliability and availability.

What You’ll Bring

• A degree in Reliability Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering or a related field.
• Specialised training in reliability and maintainability is highly desirable.
• Demonstrable experience in reliability engineering, ideally in aerospace or other complex, safety‑critical industries.
• Familiarity with reliability standards, reliability prediction tools and analysis methods (e.g. MIL‑STD‑785B, MIL‑HDBK‑217F, NPRD/EPRD, NSWC‑11).
• Ability to scope, define and integrate maintainability requirements within an overall aircraft design, including knowledge of reliability‑centred maintenance (RCM) and MSG‑3 methods.
• Proficiency in reliability modelling, data analysis and root‑cause investigations.
• Adept at translating quantitative findings into practical design recommendations.
• Strong communication skills and a track record of partnering with multidisciplinary teams (design, safety, certification and suppliers) to deliver on programme goals.
• Comfortable driving projects independently, proactively identifying issues and implementing improvements to meet demanding programme milestones.

Preferable Skills / Experience

• Experience with eVTOL or new aerospace concepts.
• Familiarity with reliability handbooks (e.g. MIL‑HDBK‑217F, NPRD/EPRD).
• Familiarity with Maintainability and Maintenance Planning (e.g., MSG‑3, Def Stan 00‑40, Def Stan 00‑41).

What can you expect from us?

We work at pace, operating beyond an average role environment and provide a flexible, supportive organisation and an incredible team. Our approach promotes ingenuity and courage, builds success through diligent safety and open working practices, and we relentlessly pursue our mission together.

Our Benefits

• 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 (Help@Hand)
• Company performance‑based bonus – rewarding company and individual performance
• 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.