Lead Aviation Certification Specialist

Frazer-Nash Consultancy Limited; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consultancy firm in the UK is seeking a Lead Aviation Certification Specialist to support military aviation certification. This role requires over 10 years of experience in platform certification or airworthiness and aims to enhance the technical delivery across diverse aerospace projects. Candidates will lead a talented team, mentor junior engineers, and work in a flexible hybrid environment that encourages personal development and offers numerous benefits, including a competitive salary, a generous holiday allowance, and comprehensive health coverage.

Benefits

Competitive salary with yearly reviews

25 days holiday + opportunity to buy 5 days

Flexible working options

Enhanced parental benefits

Company pension scheme

Professional development support

Private healthcare membership

Cycle to work scheme

Season rail ticket loan

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience leading engineering teams.
• Chartered Engineer with relevant accreditation.
• Significant technical experience in platform certification.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering expertise to multi-discipline aerospace engineers.
• Lead technical delivery on projects across the aerospace spectrum.
• Develop project delivery portfolios and mentor junior engineers.

Skills

Platform certification expertise

Leadership experience

Safety assurance understanding

EASA compliance knowledge

Customer-focused attitude

Education

Degree in a relevant engineering discipline

Tools

DE&S Air Engineering Toolkit

Job description

Title

Lead Aviation Certification Specialist

Salary range

£55,000 to £70,000 per annum depending on experience

Location

Burton, Bristol, Gloucester, Plymouth, or Portsmouth.

Working Pattern

We operate a flexible hybrid working pattern at Frazer‑Nash, with time split between the office, client sites, and working from home.

Closing date

1st December 2025 (early application encouraged)

Overview

Frazer‑Nash provides Aviation Certification and safety assurance services to the UK Military Defence sector, and we are looking for a Certification Specialist, a leader with specialist skills, to support the development and delivery of this service. The successful candidate will provide engineering expertise to our large team of multi‑discipline aerospace engineers across a variety of crewed and uncrewed fixed and rotary‑wing air systems. Our Safety Assurance team aims to support our clients in providing the UK with airworthy, safe, sustainable military capability through the application of a systems engineering approach to engineering technical services across the MoD in the aerospace domain, and into other domains.

Our clients look for support in initial platform certification and certification of type design changes, type airworthiness, continuing airworthiness and technical delivery of projects. This would suit an engineer with deep previous experience working within Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Project Teams, Delivery Teams or the military Front‑Line Commands, on the delivery of platforms or equipment. Civil experience in certification will also be welcomed. The role represents an opportunity to join an expanding team to lead the technical delivery on projects across the aerospace spectrum within defence. You will develop a portfolio of project deliveries, hone your consultancy skills and help develop more junior engineers and graduates. As part of Frazer‑Nash you may also have opportunities to work outside defence aerospace or gain civil experience to widen your skillset further.

Essential Requirements

• Is a deep practitioner or expert in platform certification or airworthiness.
• Has 10+ years’ experience of leading engineering teams.
• Is a Chartered Engineer (C Eng) (with RAeS, IMechE or IET).
• Has demonstrable significant technical experience of working in a platform certification environment including tackling specialist work in either structures, propulsion or software assurance. This experience should include elements of the following:
• Safety work within a Platform Delivery Team or similar.
• Certification requirements and compliance.
• Working with EASA CS or Defence Standard 00-970.
• Requirements management.
• Safety and assurance of a platform.
• Knowledge / experience of MAA Regulatory Publications and the Military Air System Certification Process.
• Crafting artefacts (such as Military Certification Review Items, Certification Logs or Type Airworthiness Safety Assessments).
• Shows a customer‑focused attitude.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the different air safety aspects of an air system’s life cycle.

Desirable Requirements

• Holds a degree in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Specialist Training and Experience in Structures, Propulsion or Software welcomed.
• Has Defence‑facing Experience:
• Experience working within a Delivery Team or DE&S.
• Knowledge / experience of using the DE&S Airworthiness Team’s Air Engineering Toolkit.
• Frontline Engineering Experience on a Squadron or similar.
• Working for a civilian company on defence platforms or modifications.
• Test, acceptance or trials experience for platforms or UAS.
• Has previous/current experience as an engineering consultant.

Clearance and Vetting Requirements

Due to the nature of the work that Frazer‑Nash Consultancy undertakes, candidates will be required to undergo pre‑employment screening and must be able to satisfy clearance criteria for UK National Security Vetting.

Benefits

• Competitive salary with yearly reviews
• 25 days holiday + opportunity to buy 5 days
• A company that has its heart in the right place and a welcoming work culture
• Happy to talk flexible working
• Enhanced parental benefits
• Company pension scheme
• Targeted professional development
• Life assurance
• Private healthcare membership
• Bonus scheme linked into company performance
• Paid membership fees to a professional institution
• Support in attaining professional membership
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season rail ticket loan
• And further optional benefits you can tailor to your personal requirements