Senior Aeronautical Engineer - Aircraft Design & Flight Dynamics

Senior Aeronautical Engineer - Aircraft Design & Flight Dynamics

TEKEVER

Caldas da Rainha, Portugal

Mission:

Lead the design and development of next-generation UAVs by providing senior expertise in aircraft design, flight dynamics, and stability. Drive clean-sheet aircraft development across the full product lifecycle—from concept and sizing through detailed design, flight testing, and certification readiness—while acting as a technical reference, shaping design decisions, solving complex engineering challenges, and mentoring the team through your experience and technical leadership.

What will be your responsibilities:

• End-to-End Aircraft Design: Play a pivotal role in the conceptual, preliminary, and detailed aerodynamic design of new UAV configurations, collaborating on architectural decisions and trade-offs;
• Flight Dynamics Expertise: Provide senior-level technical insights for stability, control, and flight dynamics analysis, helping to ensure our airframes are inherently stable and controllable;
• Simulation & Modeling: Guide the development, tuning, and validation of high-fidelity 6-DOF flight simulation models and support System Identification (SysID) flight test campaigns;
• Cross-Functional Integration: Work closely with the Structures, Propulsion, and Avionics teams to resolve system-level design challenges and push the product toward a successful market release;
• Mentorship: Act as a technical sounding board for the engineering team, helping to refine our methodologies and unlock new technical solutions.

Profile and requirements:

• Degree in Aerospace, Aeronautical, Mechanical Engineering or similar (Master’s preferred);
• 5+ years of direct industry experience in aircraft design and flight dynamics;
• Proven track record of contributing to an aircraft program (manned or UAV) through the complete lifecycle—from conceptual design to manufacturing, flight testing, and released product;
• Deep expertise in Flight Dynamics, Stability & Control (handling qualities, stability derivatives, 6-DOF equations of motion);
• Strong background in mission modelling and flight performance analysis for aircraft sizing and optimization;
• Proven ability to define, trace, and validate technical requirements in alignment with relevant aerospace industry standards and regulations;
• Proficiency with flight simulation environments (JSBSim, Simulink, or similar);
• Language Requirements: English mandatory|Portuguese preferred.