Aviation Lead

Job title: Aviation Lead

Location: Maidenhead

Salary: £60-£80k dependant on experience

The Malloy Aeronautics Team:

Malloy Aeronautics Limited specializes in the development of heavy lift unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) for both civilian and military uses. Located just southwest of Maidenhead, our operations are notable for their focus on in-house design and manufacturing. This vertical integration means we control the production of most aircraft components on-site, enhancing our ability to innovate and maintain high standards across all stages of development.

Why Malloy Aeronautics?

Our company benefits from a streamlined process where engineering teams are involved in the entire lifecycle of our UAVs — from initial design through to production. This setup not only speeds up the development process but also improves the efficiency and effectiveness of our product launches. We value professionals who have a background in both research and development (R&D) and design for manufacture, as their expertise is crucial to our rapid and precise product development cycle.

Please be aware that many roles working for Malloy Aeronautics will be subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors including your nationality, any previous nationalities you have held, and your place of birth may limit those roles you can perform for the organisation.

What you will be doing:

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Aviation Lead for our aviation operations, to ensure compliance with both Military Aviation Authority (MAA) and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations. This role is critical in driving our operational excellence, regulatory adherence, and strategic growth in the drone sector. The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of our aviation operations, from safety management to regulatory affairs, and will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our aviation strategies.

Responsibilities will include

• Liaise with regulatory bodies, including the MAA and CAA, to ensure continuous compliance and to address any regulatory changes
• Oversee the safety management system to ensure the highest standards of safety in all drone operations
• Provide steer into regulators on new enabling policies and authorisations relevant to the company’s strategy
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineering, product development, and business development, to align aviation operations with company goals
• Identify routes to the operational authorisation and certification of new platforms, with new technologies, in new use cases
• Gain approvals for trial specific operations
• Attend trails around the world as and when required
• Lead incident investigations if required
• Own the aviation interface between Malloy and its parent company BAE Systems
• Facilitate audits from external regulators and other commercial entities as may be required
• Provide internal audit of flight operations against company operational authorisation

Your skills and experiences:

Essential

• Experience working with regulators on new approvals and on the maintenance of existing approvals
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a relevant engineering discipline a related field
• Extensive hand-on flight line experience in aviation operations
• In-depth knowledge of MAA and CAA regulations and standards
• Strong understanding of safety management systems (SMS) and risk management practices in aviation
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Experience with unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and drone technology

Desirable

• MAA S2 and CAA Specific category authorisations experience, particularly BVLOS

Personal Attributes 

• Ability to work well in a team
• Enthusiasm for their work and self-motivated
• Ability to hold Security Clearance – 5 years residence in the UK
• Due to our location and the requirement for occasional travel a UK driving licence is required.

Our Benefits Include:

• Company contributed Share Incentive Plan.
• Three-Day Long Weekend Every Fortnight
• Company Pension Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme 24 Hour Helpline
• Free lunch provided on working Fridays
• Free On-Site Parking
• Casual Dress