Deputy Chief Engineer

The Deputy Chief Engineer for Aircraft Integration is a premier technical leadership role responsible for whole-aircraft convergence across SkyDrive’s commercial eVTOL platform. Reporting directly to the Head of Vehicle Development, you will serve as the primary engineering authority ensuring that all complex sub-systems—composite airframes, high-voltage battery architecture, distributed electric propulsion (DEP), fly-by-wire flight controls, and avionics—synthesize into an ultra-lightweight, safe, and certifiable aircraft.

Unlike siloed discipline leads, your mission is whole-aircraft synthesis. You will lead the cross-functional resolution of critical aerospace trade-offs: balancing payload and range against thermal limits, acoustics, aeroelastic loads, weight margins, and system safety. You will establish aircraft-level engineering governance, own the vehicle technical baseline, and guide the platform from detailed design through full-scale flight testing and Type Certification (TC).

What You’ll Do

1. Whole-Aircraft Synthesis & Technical Governance

• Own the integrated aircraft-level technical baseline across all program gates—from preliminary design to full-scale prototype build, flight test, and commercial Type Certification (TC).

• Establish aircraft-level engineering governance, technical risk registers, and decision-making frameworks for baseline design changes and configuration control.

• Drive multidisciplinary trade studies (e.g., hover/cruise power efficiency vs. thermal dissipation vs. acoustic footprint vs. battery mass) to maximize commercial payload and range performance.

2. Cross-Disciplinary Integration & Technical Loop Convergence

• Direct cross-functional alignment across all core vehicle physics and system domains:

  • Flight Physics & Handling Qualities: Aerodynamics, stability and control, handling qualities in hover/transition/wing-borne flight, and flight control law integration.

  • Loads & Dynamics: Convergence of static/dynamic load loops, aeroelasticity, rotor-induced vibration, and dynamic landing loads.

  • Mass Properties: Enforce strict aircraft empty weight, CG envelope tracking, and growth allowance management.

  • Electric Powertrain & Thermal Integration: High-voltage DC distribution, thermal management systems, battery packaging, and motor/inverter interface synthesis.