Senior Design Engineer

✈️We’re Hiring: Senior Design Engineer

📍 Crawley, West Sussex (Hybrid) | 🕒 Full-time, Permanent

At Unum Aircraft Seating, we’re redefining what premium air travel feels like. Our smart, adaptable, lie-flat seating solutions are trusted by airlines to deliver exceptional passenger comfort — and we’re just getting started.

Don’t miss your opportunity to join our team of fantastic innovators who together combine engineering expertise with exceptional design to meet the highest safety, comfort, and efficiency standards for commercial aircraft.  We are redefining business class comfort with our smart, adaptable, and reliable aircraft seating design.

Unum Aircraft Seating; Reliably comfortable, responsibly made. 

What the Role’s About

This is a hands-on new product development role at the centre of our product and engineering engine.

As Senior Design Engineer, you’ll be responsible for the delivery of major assemblies from early concept through to certified, flying products. You’ll take ownership of improving existing designs as well as the development of our next generation of seats.

🚀 Why Join Unum?

• Be part of a growing, ambitious startup environment changing the aircraft seating industry
• Work on premium products with real-world impact
• A culture built on collaboration, sustainability, and quality

Fantastic benefits including:

• Competitive salary
• 5 weeks holiday + bank holidays
• Early finish on Fridays 🎉
• Flexible start and finish times
• Hybrid working options
• Three attractive pension scheme options
• Electric car & cycle-to-work schemes
• Access to employee discounts and wellbeing platform
  

🔧What you will be doing as a Senior Design Engineer at Unum

As a key member of our Engineering team, you’ll:

• Design and develop innovative aircraft seating products from concept through to manufacture.
• Use your experience, collaborate with your colleagues and get hands-on to ensure new products are robust, high quality, certifiable and designed for manufacture and the user.
• Identify and implement design improvements to reduce cost and weight, and to improve quality, reliability, manufacturability and serviceability.
• Create detailed 3D CAD assemblies, models and drawings (primarily in SolidWorks).
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and certification teams to solve real-world challenges.
• Support configuration control and product data within our PLM system (3DX).
• Drive design reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Mentor junior team members in engineering best practices.

🧠 What we Look For in our Senior Design Engineers

You’ll bring:

• A degree in Product Design Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or similar.
• Solid experience with CAD (ideally SolidWorks) — parts, assemblies, and drawings.
• Excellent skills in mechanical design and a deep understanding of materials and manufacturing processes.
• A genuine interest in aircraft interiors, seating, or engineered products.
• A proactive, problem-solving mindset and great communication skills.
• The ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and meet project deadlines.
• Exceptional organisational skills allowing you to prioritise and manage multiple work packages.
• Proven track record or delivering high-quality engineering output that meets the project requirements on time.

Bonus points for:

• Experience in a manufacturing or regulated engineering environment.
• Exposure to PLM systems (3DX or similar).
• Familiarity with FEA or simulation tools.
• Aerospace / aircraft interiors seating industry experience (not essential!).

Ready to build what’s next?
If you’re looking for your next challenge and want to be part of a team shaping the future of aircraft seating, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and tell us a little more about yourself.

Everyone belongs here
At Unum Aircraft Seating, we believe great ideas come from different perspectives and experiences. We’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone is valued, respected and able to do their best work. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals, regardless of background.

Your journey, your way
We want every candidate to have a great experience with us. If you need any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment or interview process, just let us know — we’re happy to help.

A quick note before you apply
All applicants must have the right to work in the UK. Proof of eligibility will be required before you start with us.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so we may close a vacancy early if we receive enough suitable applications. If you’re interested, we recommend applying sooner rather than later.

And this is just the beginning
Our roles aren’t set in stone. As Unum grows, our people and our opportunities grow with us. The role you join us for today may look different tomorrow — and that’s exactly the point.