Airworthiness Assurance Officer

Role Description and Responsibilities:

The Airworthiness Assurance Officer is a senior role within MBDA responsible for providing independent, evidence-based assurance of the effectiveness of airworthiness governance, regulatory compliance and design assurance arrangements across the company’s products, programmes and engineering activities.

The role operates at an executive level, providing strategic oversight and professional challenge to ensure that airworthiness obligations are effectively discharged within the DAOS arrangements.

The post-holder exercises significant professional autonomy in assessing complex technical, regulatory and organisational risks; identifying systemic weaknesses; determining appropriate assurance interventions; and influencing senior management decisions where airworthiness, safety, regulatory compliance or organisational reputation may be compromised.

The role is line managed by the VP for Technical Excellence Assurance UK, who also hold the role of Head of UK Airworthiness Office, but operates alongside an extended UK team comprising: SVP Technical Excellence, The Head Product Safety, UK Quality Assurance and the UK Engineering Director.

The role requires the integration of extensive specialist airworthiness knowledge, strategic risk judgement, organisational influence and independent professional integrity. It operates across engineering, design, safety, programme delivery and business governance, with the ability to challenge established practices and escalate material concerns to the appropriate accountable authority.

Key accountabilities and responsibilities of the role in support of the office of air-worthiness for air-launched weapons include:

• Advising on the preparation and maintenance of the UK DAOS exposition and support to its acceptance

• Ensuring the exposition consistency with UK company internal processes

• Supporting the assurance of SQEP within MBDA UK

• Leading on the adoption of improvements aimed at streamlining acceptance of missile modifications in the context of air-worthiness

• Collaborating and supporting on negotiations on type approval of new classes of weapons and weapons deployed from un-manned platforms

Key accountabilities and responsibilities of the role in support of MBDA UK product safety assurance include:

• The monitoring and adoption of emerging standards into the company BMS

• Adaptation of MBDA process and policies to new MBDA project types for example: provision of sub-systems to primes; partnering in development of new weapons; weaponization of non-military platforms (e.g., drones); MBDA as design authority but out-sourced manufacture, and transfer of design or manufacturing authority to other parties.

• Identification and application of lessons learned from on-going development and embedding improvements into training and process

• Working with external companies to maximise coherence or processes in the areas of safety and airworthiness, particularly for international collaborative programmes

Size and scope of role

Accountability: This role is responsible for providing independent assurance of airworthiness governance, DAOS compliance and Design Management System effectiveness. The role will identify and escalate material risks, systemic weaknesses and regulatory non-compliance to executive leadership

Knowledge: Requires extensive specialist knowledge of UK MAA regulations, DAOS, Design Organisation Expositions and airworthiness assurance, combined with broad understanding of defence engineering, safety and programme delivery

Problem Solving: Involvement in the resolution of complex, non-routine airworthiness issues involving regulatory ambiguity, incomplete technical evidence and competing business priorities. Applies independent judgement to identify systemic risks, determine assurance requirements and recommend proportional corrective action

Influence: Influences executive leadership, company product process owners, engineering authorities, customers and regulators, through authoritative advice and independent challenge.

Impact: Influences organisational airworthiness integrity, DAOS approval confidence, programme continuity, contractual performance and corporate reputation. Development of overall capability. Provides assurance that material risks are identified, escalated and effectively managed. Design and deployment of strategy to build and enhance airworthiness capability across the business.

Leadership: Provides senior technical leadership in airworthiness assurance, setting professional standards, shaping assurance strategy and collaborating with key stakeholders on establishing the principles, priorities and expectations that guide engineering and programme decision making. Acts as a recognised authority and trusted advisor, providing expert direction, constructive challenge and thought leadership across organisational boundaries, without direct line management responsibility

Complexity: Operates across complex defence programmes, multiple technical disciplines and regulatory interfaces. Integrates technical, safety, commercial and programme considerations to make defensible assurance judgements in an environment of uncertainty and competing priorities

Person specification

Experience required:

• Significant senior experience in military aviation, defence engineering, airworthiness, safety assurance or a comparable regulated environment.

• Extensive experience working within a Design Organisation, DAOS, MAA or equivalent regulatory framework.

• Proven experience providing independent assurance, audit, governance or compliance oversight at organisational or programme level.

• Experience advising senior engineering, programme and executive stakeholders on material technical and regulatory risks.

• Experience managing complex findings, corrective actions, investigations and systemic improvement.

• Experience working across multiple programmes, technical disciplines and organisational boundaries.

• Experience engaging with regulators, customers, government stakeholders and senior external partners.

Judgement and Decision-Making:

• Demonstrates sound, independent and evidence-based judgement in complex and uncertain circumstances.

• Able to distinguish between technical issues, airworthiness risks and systemic organisational weaknesses.

• Makes proportionate decisions about assurance scope, escalation, corrective action and risk treatment.

• Maintains professional independence when faced with programme, commercial, cost or schedule pressures.

• Able to make clear recommendations where evidence is incomplete, conflicting or subject to interpretation.

Personal Attributes:

• High level of integrity, objectivity and professional independence.

• Strong commitment to airworthiness, safety and regulatory compliance.

• Calm, credible and decisive when dealing with high-consequence issues.

• Politically aware, while remaining principled and evidence-led.

• Collaborative and able to build trust across engineering, programme, commercial and operational communities.

• Resilient when managing challenge, disagreement or competing priorities.

• Curious, analytical and committed to continuous learning.

• Able to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgement when handling sensitive information.

• Comfortable operating at executive level while retaining sufficient technical depth to challenge specialists.

About Us

What we do matters. Because defence matters.

As a leading company in the defence industry we support our nations by delivering essential military capabilities, both for today and the future.

We are proud to be an award-winning employer and are proud of the growing diversity of our workforce. Our people are the ones who drive our constant innovation and deliver against challenging targets.

Whatever your background, we welcome your application to MBDA UK and look forward to speaking with you soon.