Junior Aircraft 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

As we move from development to aircraft build, our Manufacturing Engineering team is designing the production system that will bring our aircraft to life at scale.

As a Graduate Manufacturing Engineer, you’ll be based at our Kemble Flight Test Centre, working hands-on within the Manufacturing Engineering team and reporting to the Head of Manufacturing Engineering.

This role puts you at the centre of our transition from development to build; shaping our pre-production aircraft line before full-rate manufacturing begins.

You won’t be observing from the side-lines. You’ll be directly involved in:

• Designing the layout of the aircraft production line

• Supporting tooling installation and readiness for first build

• Improving material flow and logistics

• Solving real build challenges as aircraft move through the line

You’ll see first-hand how factory decisions affect safety, quality, and cycle time.

What You’ll Do

You’ll support the industrialisation of our aircraft by:

• Assisting in the design and optimisation of production line layouts

• Creating and updating factory layouts using CAD tools

• Supporting tooling definition, installation and validation

• Developing material presentation and logistics solutions to enable smooth aircraft assembly

• Analysing build flow and identifying bottlenecks

• Supporting cycle time improvement initiatives

• Coordinating cross-functional readiness for key build milestones

• Contributing to small capital and facilities improvement projects

This is practical, hands-on manufacturing engineering in a live aerospace environment — building the factory that builds the future of aviation.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of your first year, you’ll have developed:

• First-hand experience of aircraft industrialisation

• A deep understanding of aerospace production system design

• Exposure to facilities planning, tooling integration and material flow optimisation

• Practical application of lean and structured problem-solving principles

• Experience working cross-functionally with operations, supply chain and quality

You’ll gain the kind of industrial exposure many engineers don’t see until much later in their careers.

What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for graduates who are:

• Degree-qualified in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain or a related discipline

• Interested in production system design and industrialisation

• Structured thinkers who enjoy solving practical problems

• Comfortable working on-site in a fast-paced build environment

• Confident collaborating with engineers, operators and leadership

• Curious, resilient and motivated by seeing tangible results

• Experience with CAD tools (CATIA beneficial) is helpful, but not essential.

• We care more about your mindset than your polish.

#LI-AH1

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; working here is an opportunity to do the best work of your career.

Our approach promotes ingenuity and courage, while our environment builds success through diligence in safety and being open in the way we work. The only way we're going to assure the next chapter of aviation history is by working as a team, relentlessly, towards our goal. 

Our benefits

Our people matter - we're not going anywhere without them. Which is why our company benefits go beyond the essentials.

• 26 days holiday, plus bank holiday

• 5 extra days per year to buy (or sell)

• 5 extra days holiday when you get married or enter a civil partnership

• Additional 4% of your salary to spend on extra benefits

• Award-winning digital health and wellbeing service (Help@Hand)

• Company performance based bonus - rewarding company and individual performance

• Company Share Scheme - open to every Vertical employee

• Company Pension Scheme - 5% and we match it

• Breakfast on us, every day

We may just be the hardest job you've ever had, but we're confident it will be the most rewarding. Join the team today and help us shape the future of Advanced Air Mobility.

Disclaimer Statement

We encourage you to apply even if you may not have all the experience listed in the advert. We recognise that talent comes in various forms and we are committed to providing opportunities that create an environment of growth, diversity, and inclusion for everyone. As part of our desire to review and make our processes fair, we may ask you questions related to these aspects during the application process. For more information on how we will use your data, see our Legal section.