Senior Reliability Engineer in Crawley

Location: Flexible hybrid working split across either LHR – Hangar, The VHQ - Crawley, WFH

Hours: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: Wednesday, 11th February 2026

At Virgin Atlantic Airways, we believe that everyone can take on the world, and it’s our vision to become the most loved travel company. As we embark on the next exciting stage of our journey, we’re harnessing our spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation to challenge the status quo and continuously improve the way we operate.

As a Senior Reliability Engineer, you will play a critical role in protecting and enhancing the reliability, availability and on-time performance of the Virgin Atlantic fleet, second only to safety. You will lead complex reliability investigations, shaping fleet performance priorities and influence decision-making with senior stakeholders across Engineering, Operations and Maintenance.

You will be responsible for developing predictive reliability approaches using AI and apply advanced analytics to support improved aircraft performance and maintenance optimisation.

Day to day, as a Senior Reliability Engineer, you will:

• Lead reliability analysis for one or more aircraft fleet types.
• Conduct complex reliability investigations and drive effective, sustainable corrective actions.
• Proactively identify emerging reliability trends and risks, working with SMEs to implement containment and long-term improvement actions.
• Drive cross-functional reliability initiatives, ensuring effective collaboration with engineering, operations and maintenance programme teams.
• Produce clear, insightful reliability and performance reporting for senior engineering and operational stakeholders.
• Conduct the review of the maintenance programme, completing non-routine analysis and supporting maintenance optimisation.
• Support aircraft entry into service, fleet changes and aircraft returns as required.
• Support and mentor other Reliability Engineers, promoting technical excellence and data driven decision making.
• Ensure continued compliance with CAA regulations while maintaining fleet availability and performance.

About you:

We are looking for an experienced engineer with extensive experience in airline reliability and performance engineering. You will be comfortable operating as a senior technical authority, influencing across teams and using data to drive decisions.

You will likely:

• Hold a relevant engineering degree (Aeronautical Engineering or equivalent), or have an aircraft maintenance technician qualification, or have proven experience in a similar role.
• Have a strong working knowledge of aircraft systems and engines, gained within an airline or OEM environment.
• Have a solid understanding of CAA, EASA and other National Airworthiness Authority Regulations and experience of Part M/CAMO and ETOPS.
• Possess a good understanding of maintenance programmes, including MSG-3 methodology and the maintenance optimisation process.
• Demonstrate advanced analytical capability, with strong skills in data manipulation, analysis and presentation.
• Have experience in developing smart reliability metrics and translating complex data into clear, actionable insight.
• Have strong communication skills and the ability to influence decisions at senior levels.
• Be capable of leading projects and driving cross functional initiatives.

It would be great if you also have:

• The ability to champion the use of data science applications such as machine learning and AI predictive modelling to identify trends, risks and root causes.
• The ability to ensure all AI/ML applications align with aviation regulatory and compliance requirements.
• Detailed understanding of the application of AI, machine learning or advanced analytics tools in a regulated aviation environment.
• Knowledge of aircraft health monitoring or reliability tools used by Boeing and or Airbus.
• Experience in the application of structured investigation methodologies such as Six Sigma (or similar).
• Previous experience mentoring or coaching engineers.

Be yourself – Our differences make us stronger. Our customers come from all walks of life and so do our colleagues. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds. At Virgin Atlantic, we believe everyone can take on the world, no matter your age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion or beliefs. We celebrate difference and everything that makes our colleagues unique by upholding an inclusive environment in which we can all thrive.

To make your journey with us accessible and individual to you, we encourage you to let us know if you’d like a little extra help with your application or if you have any individual requirements at any stage along your recruitment journey. We are here to support you, so please reach out to our team.

Our recipe for Leadership: At Virgin Atlantic, our leaders empower teams to thrive through collaboration, innovation and excellence. Our Leadership Recipe brings together the 20 core ingredients that define what it means to lead with us, driving our mission to be the most loved travel company while delivering sustainable profit.