Skip to content
Job Role
Air Engineer Officer
Job Role

Air Engineer Officer

Lead the specialist team who makes sure our cutting-edge aircraft are ready for action, in challenging situations, all over the world.

TechnologyAircraftEngineeringManagement

High interest role

This is a highly competitive role with potential long lead time to join.

You may wish to consider joining the Royal Navy in one of these similar roles:

Warfare Officer

You’ll contribute to the success of every mission, and make key strategic decisions on some of the most advanced warships in the world.

Warfare Officer (Submariner)

In charge of sonar, tactical systems or communications, you’ll lead a team that acts as the eyes, ears and defence capabilities of its vessel.

Or find another role
  • £33,000 - £117,500
  • Undergraduate Degree
  • Fleet Air Arm
  • Engineering
  • Officer level

At a glance

This job sits within the Engineering Profession and is an Engineering Officer role. Without you, our planes and helicopters are going nowhere. Using your expertise, you’ll lead the team who ensure they’re ready to take off at a moment’s notice. Highly-trained avionics engineers look to you for advice, guidance in challenging environments, all over the world.

£27,000

Joining bonus

£33,000

Your minimum salary from day one

£41,000

Your approximate salary after 1 year

Extra pay

For every day spent at sea

6 weeks

of paid holiday every year

Travel

All around the world
Aviation personnel walking along a flight deck with a helicopter in the background
It’s a challenging role and full of high pressure situations, but I know I help to keep the Royal Navy – and my team – flying, which is incredibly rewarding.

Neville

Air Engineer Officer, Engineering Branch

Role details

What you’ll do

When you join the Royal Navy as an Air Engineer Officer, you’ll lead the people who ensure our aircraft are ready to take off at a moment’s notice. A team of highly-trained aviation engineers will look to you for advice, guidance and support on a daily basis as they tackle a range of complex problems, in challenging environments, all over the world. 

You’ll use your knowledge and expertise to guarantee the safety of our pilots and the reliability of our aircraft. Without you, our planes, helicopters and uncrewed air systems stay grounded, and our reach is reduced.

Your role

  • Lead a team of specialist Air Engineering Technicians. They’ll rely on you to mentor them, and in return, you’ll get to see them develop into the engineers of the future.
  • Collaborate with fellow industry specialists to develop new aviation solutions, from concept, to testing, manufacture and application.
  • Take overall responsibility for maintaining, updating, fitting and testing our planes, helicopters and uncrewed air systems, at Royal Naval Air Stations (RNAS), and on board ships all over the world.
  • Work with some of the most advanced propulsion, weapons, navigation and control systems in existence, using your in-depth knowledge to find innovative solutions, often under extreme pressure.

 

Pay & benefits

  • A starting salary of over £33,000, rising to around £41,000 after just two years
  • An excellent non-contributory pension scheme – we pay into it for you, so you don’t have to sacrifice any salary
  • A £27,000 joining bonus
  • Six weeks of paid holiday every year
  • Amazing opportunities, including world travel and adventurous training for two weeks every year
  • Free gym and sports, from football to kayaking to kite-surfing
  • Forces Help to Buy scheme – a 0% loan to get you on, or further up, the housing ladder
  • Subsidised travel, accommodation and food
 

Skills for life

Qualifications you'll gain 

  • Become an internationally recognised Chartered Engineer – we’ll support your professional registration. 

Opportunities open to you  

  • There are also many opportunities to get involved in post graduate study, for example, you might work towards an MSc in Military Aerospace, Airworthiness and Cyberspace operations. 

Skills you'll develop

  • Learn how to lead people in a highly pressurised environment.
  • Build your team-working skills, working as a valued member of our management team.
  • Gain an in-depth understanding of avionics and mechanical engineering –  from the rotor system of a helicopter, to the weapons of a fighter jet.
 

Eligibility

  • You’ll need to be aged between 18 and 39
  • All Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degrees will be considered
  • You’ll need a minimum of 96 UCAS points or Scottish equivalent). At least 64 points should be in maths and an engineering-based science. These can be accrued from either GCE A/AS Levels (or equivalent) or National Diplomas (e.g., BTEC).
  • You’ll need at least 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C (9-4) (or Scottish equivalent), which must include English language and Mathematics
  • You must be a United Kingdom citizen or British Dual National. Dual Nationality restrictions do apply
  • You must have lived in the UK for 5 years continuously prior to application
  • Minimum height of 145cm
  • A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28 (between 17 and 27 if under 18)

Skills & interests

  • An ability to thrive on responsibility and lead from the front
  • Confidence making key decisions in high-pressure situations
  • A passion for cutting-edge engineering
  • An aptitude for solving problems

Joining process

From picking your role to the first day of training; everything you need to know as an officer

Step 1

Submit an application

Once you’ve registered your interest in a Profession, and have satisfied some basic eligibility criteria, you will be sent an online application form.

Step 2

Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA)

Depending on Profession applied for and professionally qualified status, you’ll be tested on: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Work Rate, Spatial Reasoning, Electrical Comprehension and Mechanical Comprehension.

To prepare, you can practise the DAA.

practise the DAA
Step 3

Interview

A  Career Interview to talk through suitability of your chosen Profession and discussion of your preferred roles that are available within that Profession, including Submarine service.  It will also cover the initial stages of the Security application. This is normally conducted using your own device over the Shine video platform.

Step 4

Medical and Fitness Assessments

This is conducted at one of our Candidate Preparation Centres and will include a Fitness and Medical Assessment.

Step 5

Admiralty Interview Board (AIB)

The AIB is conducted online and made up of two assessments, . A Pre-Recorded Interview (PRI) online assessment that assesses your awareness and motivation to join the Royal Navy as an officer. The Group Planning Exercise (GPE) is the second stage online competency-based assessment which will take place approximately 3 weeks after the PRI. It will be conducted in a virtual group environment, and you will be assessed on your contribution to the team based on your individual performance.

Step 6

Start training

Once you’ve passed all eligibility criteria, including a Security Check, you’ll be offered a place at Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) to commence your initial training.

Career progression

From responsibilities to pay, find out where this role can take you.
Day one
Start phase one training, learn basic military skills
Professional training
Develop your engineering, leadership and management skills
First year
Learn management theory, develop your own style of leadership
First promotion
Become Sub-Lieutenant, further training, increased responsibility
Second promotion
Become Lieutenant, lead a department, report directly to command

Got a question?

Our virtual recruiter is available to answer your questions 24 hours a day

More roles like this

Register interest