Aeronautical/Aircraft Design Engineer

Our business has some projects that are scheduled to begin later this year and one of our key customers is steadily increasing their need for our support. So, we need to increase our team size and are looking for an energetic, creative person that likes to take on new challenges.

What is the job like?

As I write this advertisement, I am looking out 1 of the office windows, watching the Learjet taxi up to park in front of the office. There is an Embraer 190 in the background and an Airbus taking off. My view out the other window is looking directly into a hangar where there are 2 Cessna 208's parked.

Yesterday I was working on a job to install long range fuel tanks and 3m long sensors on the wing-tips of an aircraft. The day before that, I was working on a job to install a different engine type on an AS350 Eurocopter.

The nature of the work is very broad, ranging from Boeing 747’s to powered parachutes. We have worked with 450 customers (60 regular customers) including airlines, Royal Flying Doctors, Special Mission Operations, Maintenance Organizations and many more. Some interesting jobs include the following:-

• Work with stretchers and harnesses that are used with helicopter hoists to perform rescue operations. This includes review of safety vests, harnesses and slings to check they work appropriately; getting strapped into stretchers; testing old style latches from various manufacturers to see how they can accidentally unclip and potentially drop a person hanging from it; comparing them to new style latches that have rectified the problem; working through the various aspects of the regulations relating to approving them for use on an aircraft; etc.
• Airline support
• Major interior equipment and configuration changes for commercial passenger aircraft (including galleys, partitions and cabin layouts)
• Avionics, EFIS, SATCOM, ICS, transponder and other Electrical/Instrument/Radio system upgrades
• Special mission radio and navigation installations

Our team is a diverse group of experienced, passionate and knowledgeable aeronautical and avionics engineers with over a century of combined industry experience. We have held CASA authorization to approve designs for more than 20 years. Over this time we have approved approximately 20,000 designs on more than 350 different aircraft types.

What do we need?

The following criteria are essential:-

• B.Eng Aerospace/Aeronautical (or Mechanical if the applicant has experience working with aircraft).
  or
  A minimum qualification of Certificate III and experience related to Aircraft Maintenance (e.g. LAME) and experience providing Technical Support.
• Good interest in aircraft.
• Excellent English (Australian) communication skills, both written and verbal and the ability to work with people that have a broad variety of skill-sets.
• Practical, hands-on experience is essential, so you can visualize how a design will work and how the work can actually be done on the aircraft. Be sure to highlight this in your application.
• Demonstrated ability to grasp technical concepts quickly, research relevant technical data and come up with recommendations. This includes good troubleshooting skills and ability to identify the root cause of a problem and/or key aspects of a design.
• Ability to concurrently manage a number of jobs, effectively manage priorities in your workload, work under pressure when required and meet deadlines.
• Good experience using MS Office.
• Experience using CAD systems is preferred. e.g. AutoCAD, BricsCAD, SolidWorks etc.
• You MUST be an Australian resident (preference will be given to Australian Citizens).
• Previous piloting experience is very valuable, but not critical.
• You MUST have experience doing some sort of work with tools. Maintenance on aircraft, cars, bikes, farmwork, woodwork etc.

We have previously employed people from a broad range of backgrounds because diversity in our team leads to a more interesting workplace. It also brings a greater variety of skills that can be shared through the team. For this reason, we are keen to receive applications from people with an indigenous heritage (e.g. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people).

What We Offer You

• The business is a close team environment, so you can easily discuss jobs and brainstorm ideas whenever you need to.
• It is a key goal to maintain a good work/life balance and we offer flexible working arrangements where possible to help employees achieve that balance.
• There is strong emphasis on professional development and training so you can increase your skills/knowledge and grow your career.
• Solid pathway towards obtaining a government authorization (delegation) to approve designs per CASR 21M.
• Dynamic work environment with a broad variety of projects (no two are the same);
• Good visibility of how your work contributes to success of the business.

Tips when submitting your application

• Do not overstate your experience. Just keep it to the point and don't claim to have “Proven experience” when you have only a very small amount of experience.
• Explain how your experience has developed your skills in your cover letter.
• Use your cover letter to explain what personal strengths you have that you believe will allow you to perform the job well.
• Use concise wording. It can present your point much better.
• Use common Australian phrasing. Anyone that uses terms like “penultimate”, “bespoke” or “existential” will be rejected.
• Use the information in this job advertisement properly and follow the requirements that are clearly stated.