Aerospace Engineer
Also advertised as: aeronautical engineer, Aeronautical Engineer, aerospace development engineer, Aerospace Engineer, aerospace engineering adviser, aerospace engineering consultant
Designs, tests and certifies components and systems for aircraft or spacecraft.
What the job involves
Aerospace engineers work on anything from wing structures to fuel systems, under some of the strictest safety and certification standards in industry. You use simulation and physical testing to prove a design meets airworthiness requirements before it flies. Much of the role is documentation-heavy, since every decision must be traceable.
Typical responsibilities
- Design and analyse aircraft structures or systems
- Run simulations and physical test programmes
- Prepare certification and compliance documentation
- Investigate in-service issues and defects
- Liaise with regulators and suppliers
Common employers
- Aircraft manufacturers
- Defence contractors
- Space technology companies
- Engine manufacturers
- MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) firms
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£28,000 – £34,000 a year
With experience
£42,000 – £62,000 a year
Typical hours
37-40 hours
Working environment
Office, test rig and hangar environments
Remote working
hybrid
Demand for this work
steady
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Aerodynamics or structural analysis
- CAD and simulation software
- Certification standards knowledge
- Technical writing
- Root cause investigation
Transferable skills you may already have
- Precision and attention to detail
- Working within strict standards
- Analytical thinking
Requirements employers ask for
- Aerodynamics or structural analysis
- CAD and simulation software
- Certification standards knowledge
- Technical writing
- Root cause investigation
- BEng or MEng in aerospace, aeronautical or mechanical engineering
- technical drawings
- manufacturing processes
- quality standards
- execute feasibility study
- engineering processes
- aerospace engineering
- approve engineering design
- assess financial viability
- use technical drawing software
- engineering principles
- production processes
- industrial engineering
Useful but not essential
- Precision and attention to detail
- Working within strict standards
- Analytical thinking
- Chartered Engineer status (RAeS)
- Security clearance for defence work
- materials science
- control production
- use CAD software
- apply advanced manufacturing
- develop test procedures
- stealth technology
- design prototypes
- CAE software
Helpful qualifications
- Chartered Engineer status (RAeS)
- Security clearance for defence work
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Aerospace Engineer (Degree, Level 6)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Mathematics
- Related subject: Physics
- Related subject: Design and technology
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Aerospace Engineer
next
Certification Engineer
next
Chief Engineer
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- High-prestige, technically demanding sector
- Strong pay once experienced
- Growing space industry opening new roles
What people find hard
- Very competitive graduate entry
- Certification processes can be slow-moving
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a aerospace engineer?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. required
- How much does a aerospace engineer earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £28,000 to £34,000 a year, rising towards £62,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Precision and attention to detail, Working within strict standards, Analytical thinking.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 16 September 2026.
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