Junior Air Combat Simulation Engineer

Saab
Bedford, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
Today
£25,000 – £35,000 pa

Salary

£25,000 – £35,000 pa

Job Type
Permanent
Work Pattern
Full-time
Work Location
On-site
Seniority
Junior
Education
Degree
Security Clearance
Required
Posted
27 Apr 2026 (Today)

Benefits

25 days holiday Pension Private healthcare

Introduction

Saab UK is part of Scandinavia's largest defence company, bringing together the best of Swedish and British innovation. Saab offers world-leading solutions and services in defence, aviation, space, and civil security to keep people and society safe. Our UK presence has been growing at pace, meaning we can offer a wide range of opportunities for personal fulfilment and career growth. We currently employ over 600 people across eight sites in the UK, and our specialisations include software engineering, underwater robotics, radars, AI, and armed forces training.

The Role:

This role is part of Saab BlueBear in Bedfordshire.

You will work as part of the Air Combat Simulation team supporting customers in the modelling and simulation of aircraft and associated systems, including the development and V&V of models and analysis tools.

Key Responsibilities:

Work collaboratively as an integral part of a small team delivering a customer focused task-based modelling and simulation support service.

Develop Requirements from initial customer brief.

Build models and analysis tools to meet the customer requirements.

Update, debug and V&V of models and simulation tools.

Analyse results from model integration and simulation development to provide understanding of the component models performance and their interactions.

Develop and maintain tools for the translation of data files between formats in use within the community.

Develop Simulink models of aircraft and aerospace systems and auto-code to C/C++ and dll.

Integrate Models (Simulink and dll) into System-of-Systems models.

Undertake simulation development, testing and application with results analysis to provide understanding of component models and their interactions.

Develop and test models for integration into Distributed Simulations.

Extend the Distributed Simulation capabilities and functionality.

Sanity checking model performance and simulation results through cross-checking with other sources of information and engineering estimates.

Validation and Verification of model performance and simulation results against requirements.

Review documentation for accurate technical content and quality to ensure it meets the required high standards.

Investigate modelling and simulation tools to support new customer requirements.

Generate documentation (User Guides, Interface Control Documents, Delivery Notes, Verification and Validation reports) for models, simulations and applications developed by the team at an appropriate level for the expected end user's technical ability.

Report on technical issues encountered with 3rd party provided models and simulations covering the issues, significance and potential resolutions.

Qualifications and Skills:

Matlab and Simulink (and Stateflow), Auto-coding to C/C++ and DLL

Programming languages (Preferably C++, C#, Delphi)

Flight Dynamics and aircraft performance modelling

Pilot modelling

Modelling of Sensors and Signatures (RF and EO/IR)

Knowledge of Earth coordinate systems (Flat, spherical, WGS-84)

Distributed Simulation (DIS, HLA)

Source Control (Git)

Solving optimisation problems.

Model integration into e.g. system-of-systems models and distributed simulations

Dealing with aerospace vehicle and system models including:

Flight performance

multiple degree-of-freedom (3+) equations of motion

transformations between multiple frames of reference using Euler angle and quaternions

Sensors and signatures

Solving optimisation problems

Investigate, understand and resolve problems with:

Simulink model development

Model integration into e.g. system-of-systems models and distributed simulations

As a National Security Vetting clearance is required for this role, applicants will be required to hold National Security Vetting clearance to SC level, or have the ability to gain it

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Project Test Engineer - Aerospace

Matchtech Hampshire, United Kingdom

Junior Electrical Design Engineer

CBSbutler Holdings Limited trading as CBSbutler Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7JT, United Kingdom
£26 – £28 ph

Junior Service Engineer

Rise Technical Recruitment Witney, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
£32,000 – £35,000 pa

Senior Design Engineer - Aerospace

Matchtech Gloucester, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
£35 – £38 ph Hybrid

Senior Space Systems Engineer

Langham Recruitment Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom
£40,000 – £60,000 pa Hybrid

Senior AOCS Engineer

Langham Recruitment Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom
Hybrid

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

Where to Advertise Space Jobs in the UK (2026 Guide)

Advertising space jobs in the UK requires a different approach to most technical hiring. The candidate pool spans satellite engineers, propulsion specialists, mission analysts, ground segment software developers, space systems architects and commercial space professionals — a highly specific multidisciplinary community that general job boards are poorly equipped to reach. The strongest space candidates are often embedded in ESA programmes, academic research groups, UK Space Agency-funded projects or established primes, and move between roles through sector-specific networks, industry bodies and conference communities rather than mainstream platforms. This guide, published by UKSpaceJobs.co.uk, covers where to advertise space industry roles in the UK in 2026, how the main platforms compare, what employers should expect to pay, and what the data says about hiring across different role types.

New Space Employers to Watch in 2026: UK and Global Organisations Driving the Future of Space Careers

The space industry is entering a new era of growth, innovation, and commercial opportunity. Satellites, space exploration, Earth observation, space data analytics, launch systems and space infrastructure are all areas seeing rapid expansion, bringing demand for engineers, scientists, operations specialists and software developers. For professionals exploring opportunities on www.UKSpaceJobs.co.uk , identifying employers that are scaling, securing major contracts, attracting investment, or establishing UK operations is vital. This article highlights the most exciting space employers to watch in 2026, including UK space start‑ups, established aerospace organisations with UK teams, and global firms investing in British space talent.

How Many Space Industry Tools Do You Need to Know to Get a UK Space Job?

If you’re pursuing a career in the space industry — whether that’s spacecraft engineering, mission operations, space software, satellite systems, ground segment integration or space data analytics — it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of tools, platforms and technologies mentioned in job adverts. One role wants experience with CAD and FEA software. Another asks for experience with GNSS simulation. A third mentions mission scheduling tools, RF link analysis suites, Python, C++, continuous integration — and it seems there’s always another acronym to learn. With so much listed, many candidates fall into the trap of thinking they must master every tool under the sun before they’ll be taken seriously. Here’s the honest truth most UK space hiring managers won’t say out loud: 👉 They don’t hire you because you’ve heard of every tool — they hire you because you can apply the right tools to solve real space problems, explain your reasoning clearly, and deliver results. Tools matter, but they always serve a purpose: achieving mission goals, improving reliability, reducing risk, delivering data, or enabling collaboration. Tools are enablers — not trophies. So how many tools do you actually need to know to get a space job? The answer is much fewer and far more strategic than you might think. This article breaks down: what tools employers really expect which ones are core across most space roles which ones are role-specific how to present your tool proficiency on your CV and in interviews