Systems Engineer

Air Q Limited is looking for an experienced Systems Engineer to join our Mechanical R&D team in Abu Dhabi and contribute to the development of advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms.

This is an engineering position focused on aircraft systems—not an IT Systems Engineer role.

The successful candidate will support the definition, integration, verification, and validation of complete UAV systems. The role requires close coordination between Mechanical R&D, Powertrain, Avionics, Flight Dynamics, Flight Control, Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration and Testing, Quality, and Flight Operations.

The Systems Engineer will ensure that aircraft structures, propulsion systems, avionics, electrical systems, flight-control systems, payloads, and other subsystems are correctly integrated and operate together as one complete, reliable, and maintainable UAV platform.

Key Responsibilities

System Requirements and Architecture

• Define and maintain aircraft-level and subsystem-level technical requirements.
• Translate operational, project, and customer needs into clear and testable engineering requirements.
• Develop system architecture, functional breakdowns, technical specifications, and system-level concepts.
• Allocate requirements to the relevant engineering teams and subsystems.
• Maintain full traceability between requirements, design outputs, verification activities, and test results.
• Support technical trade-off studies and system-level engineering decisions.

Mechanical and Multidisciplinary System Integration

• Coordinate the integration of mechanical structures, propulsion systems, drivetrain components, landing gear, payloads, cooling systems, avionics, electrical systems, and flight controls.
• Define and manage mechanical, electrical, thermal, physical, and functional interfaces.
• Review installation arrangements, packaging, accessibility, maintainability, weight, and centre-of-gravity considerations.
• Identify design or interface conflicts before physical assembly and testing.
• Ensure that subsystem designs are compatible with the overall UAV architecture and performance requirements.
• Support the resolution of multidisciplinary engineering and integration issues.

Interface and Configuration Management

• Prepare and maintain Interface Control Documents and other system-interface records.
• Coordinate interface requirements between Mechanical R&D, Powertrain, Avionics, Flight Control, Manufacturing, and Assembly, Integration and Testing teams.
• Evaluate the impact of proposed changes on connected systems, aircraft performance, safety, weight, cost, and schedule.
• Ensure that engineering changes are properly reviewed, approved, documented, and communicated.
• Support configuration management and engineering change-control activities throughout the product lifecycle.

Design Reviews and Technical Coordination

• Participate in system requirement reviews, preliminary design reviews, critical design reviews, test-readiness reviews, and other engineering review activities.
• Review CAD assemblies, engineering drawings, calculations, technical specifications, test procedures, and engineering reports from a system-level perspective.
• Coordinate technical actions arising from design reviews and follow up until closure.
• Support engineering teams by identifying dependencies, technical risks, and system-level impacts.
• Ensure alignment between engineering design, manufacturing capability, operational requirements, project objectives, and delivery schedules.

System Analysis and Risk Management

• Conduct system-level assessments and support multidisciplinary engineering analysis.
• Coordinate with technical specialists on structural, thermal, vibration, aerodynamic, weight, balance, performance, reliability, and maintainability considerations.
• Identify technical risks, integration risks, design gaps, and potential system failures.
• Support Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis and other engineering risk-assessment activities.
• Participate in root-cause analysis of system failures, non-conformities, and unsuccessful test results.
• Recommend and follow up on corrective and preventive actions.

Verification, Validation and Testing

• Develop verification and validation plans based on approved system requirements.
• Define the appropriate verification method for each requirement, including inspection, analysis, demonstration, or testing.
• Prepare and maintain requirement-verification matrices.
• Support subsystem tests, ground tests, integration tests, environmental tests, and flight-test activities.
• Review test procedures, test results, technical findings, and non-conformity reports.
• Coordinate the investigation and resolution of issues identified during assembly, integration, testing, and flight operations.
• Confirm that applicable system requirements have been successfully verified before design release or aircraft acceptance.

Technical Documentation

• Prepare and maintain system requirement specifications, architecture documents, interface documents, verification matrices, engineering reports, and technical risk registers.
• Ensure that technical records are accurate, controlled, complete, and traceable.
• Maintain system requirements and configuration data through approved company systems.
• Support Product Data Management and Product Lifecycle Management processes.
• Ensure compliance with Air Q procedures, document-control requirements, and applicable industry standards.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of five years of relevant engineering experience.
• Practical experience in systems engineering, mechanical integration, aerospace, UAVs, defence, automotive, or another complex multidisciplinary engineering environment.
• Experience in system requirements, architecture development, interface management, integration, verification, and validation.
• Strong understanding of mechanical systems and multidisciplinary product integration.
• Ability to review engineering drawings, CAD assemblies, technical specifications, engineering calculations, and test reports.
• Experience with engineering change control, configuration management, and technical documentation.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, planning, and coordination skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with multidisciplinary engineering and operational teams.
• Professional working proficiency in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience in UAV, aircraft, aerospace, aviation, or defence-system development.
• Knowledge of aircraft structures, propulsion systems, drivetrain components, avionics, flight controls, payloads, and thermal-management systems.
• Experience supporting prototype development, aircraft assembly, system integration, ground testing, or flight testing.
• Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering and the V-model development lifecycle.
• Experience with requirements-management, CAD, Product Data Management, or Product Lifecycle Management tools.
• Knowledge of systems safety, reliability engineering, qualification, certification, or airworthiness principles.
• Familiarity with relevant aerospace and defence engineering standards.

Key Competencies

• Strong systems-thinking capability.
• Technical ownership and accountability.
• Requirements and interface management.
• Multidisciplinary engineering coordination.
• Mechanical system integration.
• Verification and validation planning.
• Engineering risk identification and resolution.
• Clear and accurate technical documentation.
• Strong attention to detail and configuration discipline.
• Ability to manage multiple technical priorities within project deadlines.
• Effective communication and teamwork.