Head of Flight Physics

Overview

As Head of Flight Physics, you lead Zephyr Flight Physics activities across aerodynamics, flight dynamics, and aero loads to design, verify, and certify the aircraft. You manage a small team and collaborate with Meteorology SMEs and wider Airbus groups to capture environmental limits and validate models. You define simulations and robust control laws for onboard automation, ensuring compliant development and effective flight test processes. You guide the creation of engineering data packs and flight clearance content, enabling safe, advanced autonomous flight in Stratospace.

Pay / Benefits

• 25 days holiday
• private medical insurance
• dental and optical cash back
• personal pension plan
• income protection and life assurance
• employee discounts via Perkbox

Responsibilities

• Develop aeroelastic, flight dynamics, and aero loads models with cross-functional SMEs
• Manage and develop the Flight Physics Team
• Collaborate with Meteorology SMEs to capture environmental conditions and limits
• Define and run computer simulations (MATLAB & Simulink, CFD)
• Define robust contingency control laws for safe flight
• Define control laws and architecture for onboard automation systems
• Ensure software requirements are correctly implemented and compliant
• Establish qualification and verification methods throughout development including flight test
• Produce engineering design data packs, flight clearance reports, and flight manual content

Key requirements

• Engineering or Physics based degree with proven experience
• Experience with unmanned autonomous air systems
• Familiar with Flight Physics role within a wider Aerospace Company
• Familiar with Flight Control Clearance processes with a Certifying Authority
• Demonstrable ability to translate system requirements into complete designs
• Algorithm architecture and detailed design documentation skills

• leadership and people management
• cross-functional collaboration
• clear communication and documentation
• MATLAB
• Simulink
• CFD