Overview
Senior Project Engineer - Stress Engineering
At Spirit, we don’t just build aircraft structures – we build the future of aviation. At Northern Ireland’s largest aerospace manufacturer, our highly skilled professionals work at the cutting edge of design, manufacturing, integration and after-market support. With world-class facilities spanning over 3 million square feet across six locations, we deliver advanced aerostructures – including wings, fuselages, and engine nacelles – for global leaders like Bombardier, Airbus and Rolls-Royce.
Innovation is at the heart of everything we do. Our Belfast operation is a recognised centre of excellence for advanced materials and ultra-light structures, including our unique composites capabilities.
Joining Spirit AeroSystems means being part of an industry leader that values talent, fosters innovation, and offers exceptional career growth.
These opportunities, based at our Belfast site, offer:
· 36 hour working week (half day Friday)
· Generous holidays
· Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and generous life cover.
· Employee Assistance Program
· Private medical (Family cover)
· Short Term Incentive Plan
· Professional development and Opportunity for advancement
· Coaching and mentoring
· Free car parking
· On site Occupational Health Department and Company occupational sick scheme.
· Enhanced maternity pay
PURPOSE OF THE JOB
To provide leadership for the broad range of Stress Engineering activities or, for specialist technical engineering activities within the Stress Engineering Department.
Particular emphasis will be on demonstrating compliance with the Structural Integrity Regulatory Requirements relating to Fatigue and Damage Tolerance and Composite and Metallic Primary Structures.
A key feature of the job will be to both cultivate and mature Fatigue and Damage Tolerance or Static Analysis skills and experience within the functional specialism. This will include taking action to ensure that lessons learned are embodied into updated procedures and/or deliverables.
Responsibilities
Principal Accountabilities
We wish to appoint suitably qualified, experienced and motivated individuals to fill the above position.
The jobholders’ major responsibilities will include:
· Provide leadership to a team of engineers and support staff.
· Be functionally responsible for a programme or projects, in particular ensuring that commitments are met within agreed schedules and budget.
· Maintain an appropriate level of expertise in stress engineering.
· Provide engineering expertise and advice in the context of stress engineering to user departments to assist in the overall design to manufacturing process and to ensure that components satisfy both the customer’s specification and regulatory requirements.
· Work closely with other senior specialists to ensure that the various aspects of a broad engineering project can be co-ordinated effectively.
· Conduct full project feasibility studies and suggest extensions to current projects or new work.
· Develop, where required, new approaches to problems encountered.
· Liaise positively and effectively with customers and suppliers.
Qualifications
Candidate Requirements
It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that sufficient detail is provided on the application form to demonstrate they meet essential job criteria, as this alone will be used for vetting purposes.
The position requires a thorough and comprehensive combination of applied and theoretical knowledge of aircraft structures and systems or, of a specialist area within Stress Engineering. It also requires thorough and comprehensive knowledge of Fatigue and damage tolerance or static, analysis methods, testing procedures and engineering processes. Such understanding will be gained by way of considerable experience and therefore candidates must:
· Possess a minimum of a BSc/BEng degree together with a minimum of 5 years’ relevant stress engineering experience.
OR
· Possess a minimum of an engineering related HNC together with a minimum of 8 years’ relevant stress engineering experience.
AND
· Be able to demonstrate experience in dealing with more senior management, customers, suppliers and Certification Authorities.
· Be able to demonstrate the ability to manage, motivate and advise a team working on specialist engineering issues, and the ability to motivate staff in an environment of change.
· Be able to demonstrate good presentation and organisational skills and be highly motivated.
· Candidates should preferably be members of a professional engineering institution.
Completed applications must be submitted by Thursday 2nd October 2025 at 4PM
We employ people from all sections of the community and are committed to the appointment of the best candidate based upon the merit principle alone. In pursuit of our equal opportunities programme, we would particularly welcome more applications from Catholics and females, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.