Structural Design Lead

Job Description:

Salary: £53k to £60k

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Your impact

Are you an experienced professional engineer with a passion for delivering technical excellence?

Your impact

Working as Structural Design Lead within our Helicopter Division, you will act as a role model within the business to promote an ownership and responsibility culture. You will have the pride of seeing your structural designs on our product ranges, grow from a 3D concept through to installation and flight and play a pivotal part in the continued growth in our capability for the future.

As part of the Structures Team you will be responsible for developing structural design solutions in collaboration with other engineering departments and key stakeholders, for our wide product range encompassing conventional helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air systems.

Our Structures team supports both the UK and Italian geographies so although based in the UK there is the opportunity to work on our full product range.

For the awareness of internal candidates: this is a JFF level 6 role.

This position requires a minimum 3 days per week on site.

What you’ll do as a Structural Design Lead:

• Provide design / development / supportability of product and or processes to ensure successful delivery of activities for aircraft contract delivery and in service support
• Make recommendations to improve policies and processes within the engineering frameworks
• Approve and own work package plans associated with the allocation and deployment of team members and workload with suitable milestones to enable effective engineering and product reporting
• Risk Analysis and Budget management
• Direct the team on technical specialism, domain expertise, engineering process and tool use
• Resolve complex multidisciplinary issues raised from within and outside of engineering
• Promote a culture of best practice
• Inspire, promote and communicate safe behaviours to ensure that team members understand and adhere to their safety responsibilities

What we need from you:

• Apprenticeship/HNC/HND/First degree level as a minimum or equivalent level of experience in aerospace engineering.
• HND or equivalent level of knowledge of aircraft design principles, assembly techniques, manufacturing processes, basic mechanics and materials science.
• Expert level of knowledge of sheet metal fabrication design.
• Expert level of knowledge of machining design.
• Expert level of knowledge of composites design.
• Expert level of knowledge of aerospace fasteners & types of structural joints.
• Experienced level of knowledge of aircraft design regulations eg MAA, EASA or FAA.
• Experienced level of knowledge of types of aircraft loading, typical structural analysis failure criteria, material allowables, finite element analysis process, interpretation of stress plots, load paths, design features that generate peak stresses, design failure mitigation techniques and of design considerations for fatigue & damage tolerance in rotorcraft structures.

Advantageous in this role are:

• Ability to use the CATIA V5 design package and ENOVIA VPM part management system to derive aircraft design context and produce structural designs and associated drawings to issue standard OR equivalent systems.
• Eligibility for registration as an Incorporated or Chartered Engineer with the engineering Council. Membership of a relevant engineering institution.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit:

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!

Primary Location:

GB - Yeovil - Lysander Rd

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hybrid Working:

Hybrid