Principal Manufacturing Engineer

Principal Manufacturing Engineer Our Mission At Vertical Aerospace, we are pioneering the way for electric aviation. The Valo, our eVTOL (electric, vertical, take-off and landing), 'zero emissions' aircraft will set a new safety standard for how we will navigate the sky. We won't realise our mission following the same legacy processes and traditions our predecessors followed, instead, we want to 'redefine' aerospace best practices. We are growing quickly from a prototype business to a scaling SME, and the next few years will be critical to our success and delivering on our ambitious goals. Valo is targeting airliner-level safety certification in 2028 ahead of entering service with our airline and operator customers. What to Expect Reporting to the Head of Aircraft Manufacturing Engineering and part of the broader Manufacturing and Operations team. The team owns the development and delivery of the procedures, methods, and processes that govern how the operational functions should work. This includes ensuring compliance with POA (Production Organisation Approval) and AS9100 obligations, while also optimising efficiency through the use of digital toolsets. As the Principal Manufacturing Engineer, you’ll bring deep expertise in process assurance and governance to shape how we work across the manufacturing engineering function. You’ll define and maintain the procedures and frameworks that enable our teams to meet POA and AS9100 requirements, while also supporting scalable and efficient ways of working. Collaborating closely with teams across operations — including production and quality— leveraging the benefit of digital tools, you’ll help ensure our engineering lifecycle is robust, from early concept through to full-rate production. - What You’ll Do - Provide subject matter expertise in the development and continuous improvement of engineering processes across the full lifecycle — from concept through to scaled production - Identify, define, and maintain robust governance approaches that support engineering and operational excellence - Evaluate how processes impact other functions, ensuring alignment across teams and promoting shared accountability - Lead assurance activities to verify that design proving evidence is complete, documented appropriately, and endorsed at the right level - Align process development with digital tools and systems to enhance control, traceability, and efficient execution - Capture and share domain knowledge to strengthen internal capabilities and build process maturity across teams - Provide technical guidance and mentorship to engineers, supporting the leadership team in managing specialist governance-related workstreams What You’ll Bring - Deep experience in process development, governance, and assurance within aerospace or a similarly regulated industry - Strong understanding of AS9100 and POA requirements, and how they shape compliant and efficient ways of working - First-hand experience in manufacturing engineering, combined with a clear view of how engineering processes connect to wider business needs - A technical mindset, with the ability to see how governance activities support the success of the overall product or programme - Familiarity with digital tools such as PLM, ERP, and MES, and how they enable better control, optimisation, and traceability of processes - Comfortable engaging with external governing bodies such as the CAA, BSI, or IAQG to support audits, reviews, and continuous improvement - Able to lead through influence, guiding cross-functional teams and embedding best practices without direct line authority - Confident working across disciplines, sharing knowledge, and building capability in others #LI-LG1 What can you expect from us? We're on a mission. Where others see limits, we see opportunity, and we work at pace. Working at Vertical isn't your average role but for those seeking a challenge, a flexible, supportive organisation and an incredible team; ... (truncated, view full listing at source)