Drone Jobs

• London
• Hybrid
• Senior

Integrates autonomy software onto unmanned aircraft, owning pre-flight build, configuration and validation across onboard compute, sensors and control interfaces. Supports live flight tests with travel around 30-40% of the year, debugging embedded and real-time systems in lab and field, and analysing flight data with autonomy and GNC teams.

ROS · DDS · Linux +5

• London
• Hybrid
• Senior

Integrate autonomy software onto unmanned aircraft, owning build, configuration and validation of flight-ready systems across onboard compute, sensors and control interfaces. Support live flight tests with travel around 30-40% of the year, debugging embedded and autonomy stacks in lab and field, capturing and analysing flight data, and working with autonomy, GNC and test teams.

ROS · DDS · Hivemind +5

• Llanbedr
• Senior

Hands-on role integrating hardware and software onto unmanned aerial systems, including sensors, actuators and control systems, and leading the design, build and test of UAS prototypes. Works with mechanical, software and systems engineers on rapid prototyping, test plans and troubleshooting, using ArduPilot, 3D printing, composites and RC piloting of VTOL and fixed-wing platforms.

ArduPilot · ROS · Lattice OS

• Farnborough
• On-site
• £47,250 – £52,500 pa

Designs and develops production-level autonomy software for complex military aviation systems, using C (ideally C++) and Matlab. Owns technical work packages, contributes to algorithm development for autonomous and decision-support systems, and models uncrewed systems in synthetic environments. Supports hardware integration, testing and formally assessed trials in the UK and overseas alongside multidisciplinary teams.

MATLAB

• Bristol
• Hybrid · 3 days in office
• £50,000 – £80,000 pa
• Mid-level
• Permanent

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.

PX4 · ArduPilot · MAVLink +6

• Farnborough
• Hybrid · 3 days in office
• £56,025 – £62,250 pa
• Senior

Lead technical work packages on autonomy and autonomous systems for air and maritime defence, developing and reviewing C++ software, algorithms and simulations. Mentor engineers, run integration and trials, and collaborate with customers and multidisciplinary teams from concept to operational demonstration.

• Bristol
• £70,000 – £90,000 pa
• Mid-level
• Permanent

Develop, integrate and debug embedded software for UAV platforms, including autopilots, autonomy systems and payloads, using C++ and/or Rust on Linux. The role spans software architecture, automated testing and verification, and support for system integration and flight trials alongside international multidisciplinary teams.

Claude

• Luton
• Hybrid
• Lead
• Permanent

Design and develop microwave and RF circuits operating to and beyond 20 GHz for electronic warfare self-protection systems, covering concept, requirements, detailed design, integration and test. Use EM and circuit simulation tools, hands-on RF test equipment and debug, while providing technical leadership and mentoring within an integrated project team.

Keysight ADS · Microwave Office · CST Microwave Studio +5

• Llanbedr

Hands-on UAS technician role focused on physical integration, configuration and maintenance of uncrewed air systems, with expert-level ownership of Pixhawk and Cube Orange flight controllers, firmware management and parameter tuning. Involves pre-, in- and post-flight diagnostics, field maintenance and close work with engineering and flight test teams, with opportunities to gain UAS flight qualifications.

Pixhawk · Cube Orange · Lattice OS +4

• London
• £70 – £80 ph

Design, develop and integrate electrical systems for uncrewed aircraft, covering electrical architectures, power distribution, PCB layouts, cable harnesses and avionics integration. You'll work alongside mechanical, software and systems engineers across the full lifecycle, supporting ground and flight testing of autonomous air systems in a fast-paced start-up.

CAN Bus · Ethernet · Serial Interfaces

• Witney
• Hybrid · 3 days in office
• £50,000 – £60,000 pa
• Permanent

Defines verification strategies and develops test frameworks for safety-critical embedded software, delivering requirements-based V&V, traceability and certification evidence. Applies automated testing, fuzz testing, fault injection and Monte Carlo simulation, with exposure to SPARK Ada and formal methods in an autonomy-assurance team. Hybrid, minimum three days on-site in Witney.

SPARK Ada

• London
• Lead · manages people

Senior technical authority for a flagship aerospace and defence programme, owning the technical strategy, system architecture and engineering governance from concept through testing and certification. Leads a multidisciplinary team spanning systems, software, electronics, mechanical design, integration and test, acting as the primary technical interface with customers, suppliers and investors in a fast-moving start-up.

• Salisbury
• On-site
• £50,000 – £65,000 pa
• Senior
• Permanent

Deliver systems engineering outputs across the full lifecycle for complex uncrewed aircraft systems, covering requirements capture and management, system architecture, integration, verification and validation, and risk management. Work within multidisciplinary teams spanning software, electronics, mechanical, payload and platform engineering, supporting qualification and flight test activities.

UAS · Autonomy · Mission Systems +1

• London
• Mid-level

Hands-on role building flight-ready drone prototypes, spanning mechanical design, electrical integration and hardware iteration. You fabricate airframes, wire avionics and power systems, configure PX4/ArduPilot flight controllers, and run field test campaigns, using telemetry to refine CAD models across successive iterations.

SolidWorks · PDM · Siemens NX +7

• London

Owns the top-level L0/L1 architecture of a distributed C-UAS system-of-systems, partitioning the capability into network, sensor and effector subsystems and defining the interfaces between them. Works on decentralised, hardware-agnostic designs enabling engage-on-remote and launch-on-remote, collaborating daily with situational awareness, interceptor integration, AI, software and hardware teams.

Tactical Networking · Mesh Communications · Resilient Data Links +1