About this role
LiveLink Aerospace is seeking a skilled and passionate Senior UAV Design Engineer with 4 to 5 years of dedicated experience in the unmanned aerial vehicle field. In this role, you will own the lifecycle of our UAV systems - from initial concept and prototyping through to integration, validation, and low-volume production. You will blend cutting-edge mechanical design with hands-on hardware integration, working in a fast-paced environment to build, test, and refine the next generation of aerospace technology. Important Requirements: Security Clearance: Due to the nature of our projects and the sensitive data we handle, candidates must be able to obtain and maintain UK Security Clearance (SC) . This typically requires having lived in the UK for the last 5 years and holding a valid passport. Mechanical & Structural Design: Design high-performance UAV airframes, payload structures, and mechanical assemblies using Fusion 360. Develop detailed CAD models and production-ready technical drawings. Component Specification: Select and specify optimal UAV components, including propulsion systems, motors, ESCs, batteries, telemetry modules, sensors, and flight controllers. Rapid Prototyping: Design and rapidly iterate prototypes utilising 3D printing, sheet metal, laser CNC, and other advanced manufacturing methods to optimise performance and manufacturability. Manufacturing & Documentation: Produce comprehensive assembly drawings, Bills of Materials (BOMs), and detailed build instructions to ensure seamless knowledge transfer and traceability for production teams. Systems Integration & Testing: Perform hands-on integration, wiring, and soldering of electronics. Configure, tune, and troubleshoot flight stacks running Betaflight and ArduCopter firmware. Field Operations & Validation: Conduct field testing and flight validation. Debug UAV performance issues under real-world conditions, identifying root causes to drive iterative design improvements. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with RF and software engineers to ensure hardware accommodates system requirements, and collaborate with production teams to transition prototypes into scalable, low-volume manufacturing workflows. Vendor Management: Coordinate with external suppliers and manufacturers for prototype fabrication and low-volume production runs.