Stress Engineer

Department: Engineering Delivery & Design Organisation

Location: Bristol Office

Employment Type: FullTime

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 a Stress Engineer, you’ll support the structural substantiation of the full airframe, contributing across fuselage, wing, and pylon structures. Reporting to the Principal Stress Engineer you’ll work on analysis from early trade studies through to detailed certification support, helping to demonstrate compliance through high-quality calculations and finite element modelling. You’ll operate in a fast-evolving development environment where inputs may not be fully defined, requiring sound engineering judgement and the ability to make balanced assumptions while maintaining safety and certification intent. You’ll collaborate closely with design, test, and manufacturing teams to ensure structural integrity is built into the aircraft from concept to flight.

What You’ll Do

• Perform hand calculations and finite element analysis to substantiate metallic and composite airframe structures

• Develop and maintain FEM models using tools such as HyperWorks to support trade studies, detailed design, and certification activities

• Support structural sizing and optimisation in collaboration with design engineers

• Contribute to test definition and correlation activities to validate analytical models

• Generate clear, traceable analysis reports to support compliance documentation

• Participate in multi-disciplinary design reviews, providing structural insight and challenge where needed

• Support manufacturing and build teams with timely structural assessments and resolution of technical queries

What You’ll Bring

• Experience performing structural analysis of aerospace structures using both hand calculations and FEM

• Practical experience with FEM tools such as HyperWorks

• Understanding of metallic and composite structural behaviour

• Familiarity with airworthiness requirements and methods of demonstrating compliance

• Ability to produce clear, well-structured technical reports suitable for certification evidence

• Comfortable working with evolving requirements, applying sound engineering judgement where inputs are not yet fully defined

• A proactive mindset, with the ability to develop or adapt analytical approaches to solve novel structural challenges and drive mass optimisation

• Strong problem-solving skills and the confidence to work across engineering disciplines

• A degree in aerospace, mechanical, or a related engineering discipline

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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.