Senior Certification Manager

Job description

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 2029 ahead of entering service with our airline and operator customers. What to expect As our Senior Project Certification Manager, you’ll lead the certification programme from the early stages of design all the way through to type certification. You will be the key liaison between engineering, suppliers, and regulatory authorities globally. Reporting to our Head of Airworthiness, you will play a key part in our certification efforts as we seek to certify the novel Valo design. What you'll do - Defining the certification basis and means of compliance, negotiating with civil aviation authorities - Leading development of certification plans, test proposals, verification/validation (V&V) strategy, and inspection & qualification campaigns. - Ensuring compliance in all technical domains (software, hardware, structural, systems, interiors, propulsion) with industry standards and regulations. - Managing physical inspections, flight tests, environmental tests and other verification activities. - Overseeing configuration management, design changes, and maintaining traceability of certification requirements. - Leading and mentoring a team of certification, compliance, and technical specialists. - Proactively identifying risks, resolving threats to schedule, and could-be obstacles to certification. - Collaborating with suppliers to ensure their parts, processes and documentation satisfy certification requirements. - Supporting continued airworthiness post-certification and managing modifications or changes. What you'll bring - 10+ years of experience in aircraft type certification or major modification/STC/major regulatory engagements in aerospace, preferably with highly regulated domains. - Strong foundation in regulatory/airworthiness standards (e.g. equivalent to CS/FAR Part 23/25/27/29 or their global analogues), software & hardware compliance standards (DO-178C / DO-254), environmental qualification (DO-160 or equivalent), and systems safety & reliability (ARP4754A, ARP4761 or equivalents). - Proven experience in interacting with aviation authorities internationally, negotiating technical requirements/methods of compliance, and delivering projects through audit or authority review. - Leadership & management experience: building teams, mentoring engineers, managing cross-disciplinary stakeholder interfaces. - Strong project planning, risk management, configuration control, and problem-solving skills. - Excellent communication: able to translate complex technical/certification issues into program-level strategy and reports. - Adaptability, bias for action, and able to thrive in fast-paced aerospace R&D / certification environment. 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.