UAS Mechanical Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: Fareham, SouthEast PO16, United Kingdom; full-time onsite role

Company

hirify.global develops autonomous systems and uncrewed aircraft across air, land, and sea, with engineering and R&D in New Zealand and manufacturing scale-up in the UK.

What you will do

• Develop and refine mechanical architecture, airframes, structures, mechanisms, payloads, and propulsion integration for large uncrewed aircraft weighing 200 kg and above.
• Perform and supervise mechanical assembly, strip-down, inspections, maintenance, and fault diagnosis.
• Set up test rigs, instrumentation, sensors, and data acquisition systems to verify structural performance.
• Analyse structural test results and flight telemetry for performance, fatigue, and reliability.
• Investigate manufacturing faults, resolve design issues, and recommend corrective actions.
• Support compliance with UK CAA and MAA requirements, including the CAA Specific Category S2 framework and DAOS, while collaborating with engineering, manufacturing, procurement, and technical teams.

Requirements

• Degree, HND, or equivalent qualification in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Proven experience designing, integrating, and testing mechanical systems for aerospace, automotive, or other complex platforms.
• Hands-on experience with mechanical assembly, maintenance, inspections, and fault diagnosis.
• Experience with load cells, strain gauges, vibration sensors, thermocouples, and data acquisition systems.
• Ability to analyse engineering or flight-test data using MATLAB, Python, or equivalent software.
• Awareness of UK MAA regulations, DAOS requirements, CAA Specific Category operations, and safety management frameworks.
• Strong troubleshooting, technical documentation, communication, and teamwork skills.
• Applicants must be eligible for Security Check (SC) clearance as a minimum; nationality or previous nationalities may affect eligibility for some roles.

Nice to have

• Experience with composite materials, manufacturing processes, and structural repairs.
• Knowledge of heavy UAS propulsion systems, including internal combustion engines, turbines, or hybrid-electric architectures.
• Familiarity with engine diagnostics, propeller-engine matching, dynamometer testing, or powerplant test cells.

Culture & Benefits

• Hands-on work across the full product lifecycle, from design and integration through testing, verification, and flight trials.
• Collaboration with international engineering teams and manufacturing partners.
• Culture focused on open collaboration, adaptability, ownership, knowledge sharing, and practical problem-solving.
• Opportunity to contribute to autonomous aircraft technology with real-world applications.