Drone Jobs

Saab · Oakley

Lead and support a team of 10+ electronic engineers across multiple programmes, owning hardware design from requirements capture to production release. Involves detailed digital, mixed-signal, FPGA and high-reliability design, plus design assurance and verification for safety-critical electronics. Works cross-functionally with systems, software, mechanical and test teams within the BlueBear UAV business.

Windracers · Fareham

Create and maintain 3D CAD models, assemblies and engineering drawings in SolidWorks, plus manufacturing and assembly drawings for prototype and production builds. Manage Bills of Materials, engineering documentation and configuration control within PDM/PLM systems, supporting drawing release and revision control. Works closely with Design, Manufacturing and Systems Engineers on a large fixed-wing UAV platform.

Tekever · Bristol

Lead the development and lifecycle management of S1000D-compliant technical publications for Unmanned Air System programmes within an Integrated Logistics Support capability. Own the CSDB, data module structures and DMRL, liaise with customers and regulators on airworthiness requirements, and manage a technical authoring team through engineering change and configuration control.

Saab · Bedford

Lead the electronics design and prototyping department for a UAV business, guiding a team of 10+ electronic engineers across multiple programmes. Own full hardware design lifecycles for digital, mixed-signal, FPGA-based and high-reliability systems, including schematic review, PCB layout and safety-critical verification. Work cross-functionally with systems, software, mechanical and test teams, and support bids and cost estimation.

Tekever · Swindon

Build and run a propulsion manufacturing capability from scratch at the Swindon site, covering facility layout, equipment commissioning, fuel and engine test cells, and in-house 3D printing. Recruit and lead the shop-floor team, manage supply chain outsourcing, and drive production rate, quality and continuous improvement across a European plant network.

Windracers · Fareham

Take technical ownership of powerplant and propulsion systems for fixed-wing logistics UAVs, covering architecture, integration, testing, production support and operational reliability. Lead design of engines or motors, propellers, mounts and cooling, manage supplier relationships and define verification and validation test strategies including ground, endurance and flight testing.

Leonardo · Luton

Design and deliver complex FPGA/Firmware for self-protection systems on fast jet, UAV, land and naval platforms, covering requirements capture, VHDL/Verilog design, test and integration with PCB designers. Lead and Principal engineers also support and guide several engineers, enhance processes across UK-wide firmware teams, and may travel for technical reviews. Work uses Xilinx, Intel and Microsemi architectures, high-speed interfaces and DO-254-style structured design.

Empresaria Group plc · Bristol · £50,000 – £80,000 pa

Develops onboard software for uncrewed aerial systems, spanning autopilots, autonomy, payloads and mission-critical subsystems. Works on existing aircraft and clean-sheet designs, taking code from concept and SIL/HIL simulation through to real-world flight testing, with C++ and/or Rust in embedded and real-time environments.

Leonardo · Luton

Designs and develops microwave and RF circuits operating to and beyond 20 GHz for electronic warfare self-protection systems on fast jet, UAV, land and naval platforms. Work spans prototyping, detailed design, simulation with tools like ADS, CST and HFSS, plus hands-on RF test, measurement and debug in laboratory facilities within an Integrated Project Team.

Copello · Hitchin · £35,000 – £44,000 pa

Hands-on role building, assembling and maintaining fixed-wing UAVs across R&D and production programmes, including airframe construction with balsa, composite repairs, and integration of propulsion, avionics and flight control systems. Involves testing, fault-finding and prototype development for target drone and counter-drone platforms in a workshop-based aerospace setting.

QinetiQ · Ashford

Build, test, repair and disassemble unmanned aerial and surface target systems, including fibreglass repairs, engine tuning, fault diagnosis and payload preparation, while supporting launcher operations and target recovery. Based in Ashford but involving extensive international travel, often at short notice, to deliver training support for defence forces worldwide.

Platform Recruitment · Cambridge · £45,000 – £65,000 pa

Design and develop embedded firmware for advanced radar and sensing systems used in UAV applications. Work across the full product lifecycle in a collaborative, engineering-led environment using C/C++ on STM32 microcontrollers in bare-metal and RTOS environments. Engage in system-level debugging and contribute to software architecture for next-generation sensing technologies.

Anduril · Llanbedr

Supports test planning, execution and reporting of flight test activities on uncrewed fixed-wing and multi-rotor aircraft, including data analysis and software/integration testing in simulated and field environments. Works with engineers and operators across the UK on Group 2/3 surrogate UAS, coordinating test ranges and external agencies under senior guidance.

SR2 · Salisbury · £40,000 – £50,000 pa

Join an Air Vehicle Design team developing crewed and uncrewed aircraft, building models and simulations of flight dynamics, performance and control systems. The role spans the full aircraft development lifecycle, from control algorithm development and simulation environments to validating models against bench and flight-test data and producing technical documentation.

Callen Lenz · Salisbury · £50,000 – £60,000 pa

Develops, configures and tests Ardupilot-based flight control systems for UAV platforms, tuning flight behaviours in SITL and live flight, and integrating sensors such as GPS, cameras and LiDAR. Works within the Autopilot team on requirements capture, architectural design, peer reviews and documentation, using C++ and protocols including MAVLink, CAN, SPI, I2C, UDP and TCP.