Skip to main content
Engineer at Virgin Atlantic

Senior Engineer – Design & Development (Structures)

location_onLondon Heathrow
Permanent
Up to £79,571 Depending on experience
17-07-2025
Salary: Up to £79,571 depending on experience, plus amazing benefits
Contract: Permanent
Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Mon - Fri 09:00 - 17:30
Location: The Hangar, LHR
Closing date:  17th July 2025
At Virgin Atlantic Airways, we believe that everyone can take on the world, and it's our vision to become the most loved travel company. As we embark on this next exciting stage of our journey, we’re harnessing our spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation to challenge the status quo. We have one of the cleanest and greenest fleets in the sky, from Airbus A350s and A330neos to the Boeing 787s.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a Design and Development Engineer to join Virgin Atlantic’s (VAA) Engineering Department, focusing specifically on the provision of Structures technical & design expertise in support of the VAA Aircraft Fleet. 
Your daily responsibilities will include providing immediate structures specialist technical support in response to operational issues, incidents & AOG situations, defining and approving structural repair documentation to ensure safety and compliance while also minimising disruption to the operation. 

Repair solutions are defined to meet the stringent requirements of VAA’s CAA Part 21 Design Approval procedures. 

To minimise disruption to our busy Flying Schedule, you will be part of the team that provides 24 hours a day, 365 days a year structures technical support to the VAA Operation & Hangar, defining innovative repair solutions in a fast-paced operational environment. 

Operating under CAA Part CAMO requirements, you will be responsible for the technical management of long-term aircraft fleet structural reliability to ensure all current and future safety, airworthiness and compliance requirements meet Regulatory Authority standards. 

Review & investigate own fleet experience through maintenance feedback, delays and AOG incidents to prevent recurrence. Develop maintenance policies to ensure optimum safety & reliability whilst controlling & reducing costs.

Provide technical expertise and structural approval in support of aircraft acquisition and return & to other departments within VAA. 

Guide and assist departments responsible for negotiating contracts for the repair and overhaul of major components. 

Assess significant Air Safety Reports/Incidents, investigate and implement corrective action as necessary, in a controlled and timely manner. 
To succeed in this position, you will hold an engineering degree/HND in a field relevant to aviation or a CAA B1 Licence (or equivalent). Direct experience managing aircraft structural airworthiness and/or repair in an airline or manufacturer’s design / structure repair department is a key requirement of this role. 

A detailed and analytical person, you will use your own initiative. Whilst in this role, conveying key business information will be prevalent, and therefore you will have strong verbal and written interpersonal skills. 

Adaptable and flexible, with the skill to adapt and respond to changing work demands whilst working under demanding situations. 

Ability to make clear and unambiguous decisions and communicate those to all levels in situations of acute pressure is vital to the success of this role. Does the above sound like you? If so, we would love to hear from you! 
At Virgin Atlantic, our leaders empower teams to thrive through collaboration, innovation, and excellence. Explore our Leadership Recipe and discover the 20 core ingredients that define what it means to lead with us, driving our mission to be the most loved travel company and achieve sustainable profit. Want to learn more? Click here
Our customers come from all walks of life and so do our colleagues. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds. At Virgin Atlantic, we believe everyone can take on the world - no matter your age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, or beliefs. We celebrate difference and everything that makes our colleagues unique by upholding an inclusive environment in which we can all thrive. So that everyone at Virgin Atlantic can be themselves and know they belong.

To make your journey with us accessible and individual to you, we encourage you to let us know if you’d like a little extra help with your application, or if you have any individual requirements at any stage along your recruitment journey. We are here to support you, so please reach out to our team, ([email protected]) feeling confident that we’ve got your individual considerations covered.