Senior Fuel Cell Systems Engineer

ZeroAvia is at the forefront of the transition to zero-emission flight, developing pioneering hydrogen-electric propulsion systems for both civil and defence aerospace applications. As the world's only Design Organization Approved company dedicated exclusively to hydrogen-electric aviation, we have achieved major flight test and regulatory milestones with the UK CAA and FAA, while securing more than 3,000 pre-orders from airlines, OEMs, and defence customers worldwide.

At ZeroAvia, you'll join a talented and mission-driven team tackling some of the aviation industry's most complex challenges. This is an opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology, contribute to groundbreaking aerospace innovation, and help shape the future of both commercial and defence aviation. Together, we're delivering hydrogen-electric flight to power sovereign and clean skies, strengthen aerospace resilience, and create lasting impact for our customers, the aviation industry, and future generations.

As ZeroAvia advances its hydrogen-electric propulsion programmes, the Senior Fuel Cell Systems Engineer will lead the design, integration and validation of the hydrogen distribution subsystem, ensuring seamless operation across the fuel cell powertrain. You will be responsible for defining system architectures, optimising performance, supporting verification and safety activities, and driving supplier and stakeholder engagement throughout the development lifecycle. This is a unique opportunity to shape critical hydrogen technologies that will enable safe, reliable and certifiable zero-emission flight.

Requirements

Responsibilities:

Lead the end-to-end design, development, integration, verification, and optimisation of the hydrogen distribution subsystem within the fuel cell powertrain. Define hydrogen flow architectures and operating strategies for all conditions, including start-up, shutdown, purge, fault response, maintenance, and emergency scenarios. Ensure seamless integration of the hydrogen subsystem with storage, fuel cell, thermal management, electrical, controls, and safety systems. Specify, select, qualify, and integrate hydrogen system components, supporting system sizing, modelling, performance analysis, and validation activities. Manage suppliers and support testing, safety assessments, troubleshooting, and continuous design improvement to ensure programme compliance and performance.

Key requirements:

Degree qualified (Bachelor's or Master's) in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline. Strong knowledge of hydrogen distribution systems, including pressure regulation, flow control, recirculation, purge, venting, and safety functions. Experience with hydrogen recirculation technologies such as venturi ejectors, blowers, and associated control strategies. Proven experience in gas system sizing, modelling, analysis, validation, and performance optimisation using engineering tools. Familiarity with systems engineering principles, including requirements management, verification and validation, safety assessments, and supplier/cross-functional stakeholder management.

Desirable skills:

Experience using engineering tools such as Polarion, MATLAB/Simulink/Simscape, and LabVIEW. Knowledge of nitrogen testing and ARP4754B requirements processes, including requirements capture, validation, decomposition, and traceability.

Benefits

Why Join Us?

We want to help you be your best self, at work and at home, that’s why we provide our employees with…

Private health and dental care – get access to services and support when you need them. Add your family members too. Mental health support – enjoy a culture where positive mental health is front of mind with our trained Mental Health First Aiders, Employee Assistance Programmes and wellbeing support. Free lunch and healthy snacks – keeping you fuelled up so you can help us deliver the technology of the future Sports, games and culture clubs – connect and keep fit with other ZeroAvians by joining one of our clubs – such as, running, cycling, padel, trivia, theatre and gardening.

We also offer:

Stock options – so you can share in our success. 25 days holiday, plus public holidays and additional days awarded for long service – to help you manage your work-life balance. Free EV Charging and membership in our EV Club. Salary Sacrifice Schemes for EV Club, Curry's Tech and Cycle to Work Weekly Spot Bonuses to reward excellence. Income Protection and Legal Support for peace of mind. Relocation Support to make your move seamless.

Diversity and Inclusion

As an emergent company shaping the aviation industry, we know that diversity fuels success and unlocks potential. We embrace being an equal-opportunity employer and actively seek individuals from diverse backgrounds. We value the multitude of skills, perspectives, and mindsets everyone can bring to the table. These experiences ignite creativity, originality, and growth. We proudly reject discrimination in all forms, including that based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.