Airbus - Airbus UpNext Spain - Technical Director (m / f)

At Airbus UpNext, we fly future technologies at speeds well beyond what seems feasible today. We're looking for passionate individuals to join a new demonstrator project that is shaping the future of sustainable aviation by advancing the aircraft electrification ⚡ roadmap.

This project will focus on the challenges and opportunities of High Voltage Electrical Systems , which are essential for next-generation, low-emission aircraft part of Airbus ambition to electrify the skies.

As part of a fast-paced, agile team, you will help create a unique, state-of-the-art test facility from the ground up. Your mission will be to explore novel HV technologies at their limits and beyond, generating invaluable data and learnings needed to build the robust and reliable aircraft of tomorrow by safely testing the unsafe.

If you have a burning desire to make an impact and want to work in a startup-like environment backed by the strength of Airbus, this is your opportunity to help us decarbonize the aerospace industry 💚.

• The Technical Director (M / F) position is within Airbus UpNext Spain, based in Getafe, starting ASAP, and it consists of a limited contract linked to the deliverable of the demonstrator - estimated completion date end of April 2028 .
• Mission :

Reporting directly to the Head of Demonstrator, you will act as the ultimate technical authority, providing overarching engineering leadership and vision embodying the definitive technical voice of the team supporting the electrification efforts of Airbus through disruptive exploration.

Your primary responsibility is to provide unified technical direction and ensure coherence across all engineering domains of the project. Passionate and impatient about electric technologies and testing hypotheses and bringing learning into the business based on concrete demonstrations, you are the type of person who thinks about “how things can be done” rather than “if they can be done”.

Your main tasks will include :

• Technical Baseline & Architecture Management :
• Establish and control the project’s complete Engineering Baseline.
• Technically drive project’s development milestones : Development Plans, Specifications, PDR, CDR, DPPS, EIS, FPR.
• Own the overall System Architecture, lead critical Trade Studies to inform key technical decisions and manage the engineering Change control process.
• Technical Objectives & Coordination :
• Breaking-down the needs coming from the Top Project Objectives to feed the development team ensuring all technical activities are rigorously aligned against.
• Coordinating the technical strategy and activities across all key areas : R&T HV Technologies, Test Means design and build, Industrial Facility technical requirements and the planning and execution of Test Operations.
• Identify and manage competence needs and gaps across the teams.
• System Safety & Validation :
• Lead the functional Safety Management across all domains, ensuring a robust approach to hazard analysis and mitigation.
• Define & manage the project’s complete Verification & Validation plan to ensure all technical requirements are successfully met.
• Oversee the end-to-end Integration of all systems, up to their operation within the completed test facility.
• Knowledge Capitalization & Handover :
• Drive the analysis and capitalization of all technical data, ensuring a complete and valuable technical Handover of all project learnings and operational assets at FPR.
• Your boarding pass

What you bring :

• Extensive background and deep expertise in electrical engineering. Knowledge of R&T aeronautical High Voltage systems would be a very valuable asset. Passion about technology and science.
• Proven leadership experience in a complex systems engineering environment, with a strong command of requirements management, system integration and V&V methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to lead milti-disciplinary engineering teams, manage technical risks and make critical decisions in a fast-paced, agile R&T environment.
• A strategic analytical mindset with strong synthesis capacity and ability to translate high-level objectives (TPOs) into a concrete technical roadmap.
• Strong English communication skills to champion the project’s technical vision to stakeholders and sponsors - 1T, 1V, 1X.
• Well-built professional network including industrial players, research institutes, consultants, entrepreneurs, government agencies and regulators.
• Eagerness to take initiatives to propose simpler and efficient ways of working. Impatience and burning desire to attain rapidly, along with a healthy skepticism for progress. Ability to cope with short deadlines.
• Values of transparency, humility & empathy. Autonomy, adaptability, availability & accountability.
• Readiness to step out of your comfort zone. Willingness to have fun.

What you get :

• Pivotal Role in a Strategic Mission : play a key part in a project at the forefront of aircraft electrification contributing to Airbus’s decarbonization roadmap. ♻
• Build Something that last : Your work will create a high-value asset 💎 and learning contribution for Airbus’s future.
• Develop Critical Competences : Acquire and develop a sound background in High Voltage systems and technologies, a field essential for the future of aerospace. This experience can provide a unique career development opportunity within Airbus.
• Work on the Edge of Technology : Explore disruptive technologies at their limits, deepening your knowledge of complex phenomena like arc-flash events and the effects of high-altitude conditions on electrical systems.
• Agile and Empowering Environment : Thrive in a work culture that empowers you to act and think like a start-up while being supported by the strong expertise of Airbus. 💪🏻 We value an eagerness to take initiative and propose efficient ways of working.
• A Great Team and Culture : Be part of a high-achieving, experienced and fun team in a shared open-space office with highly skilled colleagues. We are guided by the “Care for Each Other” value.
• Flexibility & Fun : Enjoy the ability to craft your calendar 🗓 with flexible hours and the opportunity to work remotely, alongside regular UpNext community bonding events. And yes, we have complimentary freshly ground coffe ☕ and beverages 🧃

The responsibilities and the technical scope of the job might evolve according to the agile working environment of the project, so being flexible is important.

• About us

Founded in 2017, Airbus UpNext focuses on flying future technologies at speeds well beyond what seems feasible today. In doing so, it is actively shaping the future of the aerospace industry.

Designed as a talent incubator, Airbus UpNext is a place where you can act and think like a startup while building on the strong expertise of Airbus, a place where you are empowered to test & challenge new processes and ways of working.

Airbus UpNext’s demonstrators evaluate, mature and validate potential new products and services that encompass radical technological breakthroughs. It has three flagships locations in France, Germany and Spain, to rapidly develop and test future technologies in scaled applications .

Our mission is :

• To identify the trends that could disrupt the future of the aerospace industry and evaluate them to demonstrate their potential as a viable product.
• To accelerate traditional research cycles and prototype development to achieve proof of concept in a real environment and at a convincing scale and speed.
• To develop real-world applications for emerging aerospace technologies, thereby driving their maturity and increasing their value.
• To be THE reference for Technology Value Assessment

Our Values : #Keep it Simple #Be Audacious #Exploring Together

Our DNA : #Speed of Execution, #Caring for Each Other, #Open to the World

This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.

• Company :

Airbus UpNext SAS

• Employment Type :

Fixed term

• Experience Level :

Professional

• Job Family :

Chief Engineering & Architecture

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Airbus is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of social and cultural background, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief.

Airbus is, and always has been, committed to equal opportunities for all. As such, we will never ask for any type of monetary exchange in the frame of a recruitment process. Any impersonation of Airbus to do so should be reported to emsom@airbus.com .

At Airbus, we support you to work, connect and collaborate more easily and flexibly. Wherever possible, we foster flexible working arrangements to stimulate innovative thinking.