Drone Jobs

• Southampton
• On-site
• Lead · manages people
• Permanent

Lead a small mixed-discipline team building autonomous prototypes for a stealth-mode uncrewed systems venture, owning electronics, software and control systems from concept through build and test. Work directly with the CTO, manage project budgets and requirements, and build in-house prototyping capability and supplier relationships. Requires hands-on integration work and support for off-site trials.

Ardupilot · PX4 · Gazebo +7

• Wantage
• On-site
• Senior
• Permanent

Lead the design and deployment of autonomous robotic systems, owning software architecture across perception, planning and control. Work spans prototyping, simulation and field testing, integrating with hardware teams while mentoring engineers and shaping technical roadmaps. Requires depth in C++, ROS2, SLAM and real-time systems.

ROS · ROS2 · Gazebo +1

• London
• Hybrid
• Senior

Develops and deploys visual-inertial odometry, visual SLAM and vision-based navigation for autonomous aircraft in GNSS-denied environments. Takes perception algorithms from prototype through embedded C++ implementation, field testing and flight validation, optimising for Jetson/Orin platforms. Distinctly focused on robotics perception and state estimation rather than general AI/ML.

NVIDIA Jetson · NVIDIA Orin · GStreamer +7

• Andover
• £50,000 – £75,000 pa
• Senior
• Permanent

Hands-on role developing, integrating and testing autonomous aircraft systems, working with Linux-based robotics using ROS 2, ArduPilot/PX4 autopilots and MAVLink communications in Python and C++. You'll support aircraft build, flight trials and system tuning, contributing to operational readiness including CAA regulations and SORA risk assessments, with direct access to leadership in a small defence-focused team.

ROS 2 · ArduPilot · PX4 +2

• Fareham
• Entry level

A structured two-year graduate programme rotating through four six-month placements across core engineering disciplines within the Saab Seaeye underwater robotics business. Graduates work hands-on with sub-sea robotics technology at the Fareham campus, building practical experience on real systems alongside managers and mentors, with a final placement and possible conversion to a permanent role.

MS Office

• Farnborough
• On-site
• Entry level

A two-year graduate programme rotating through four six-month placements in Saab UK's Sensor Systems Radar business, working hands-on with 3D radar technology at the Farnborough office. Graduates rotate as a cohort, build experience across core engineering disciplines, and may convert to a permanent role based on performance and business needs.

MS Office Suite

• 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

• Oakland, United States
• £120,000 – £200,000 pa
• Senior

Designs and develops electronics hardware and embedded systems across the full product lifecycle for robotic UAS platforms operating in real-world environments. Involves analogue and digital circuit design, PCB layout and schematic capture in Altium, plus prototyping, testing and debugging with oscilloscopes and logic analysers. Works on cutting-edge robotics, UAV, UGV and space technologies.

Altium Designer · STM32 · ARM Cortex +7

• London
• Lead · manages people

Leads a team of 6–20 engineers as chief technical authority for integrating Hivemind Autonomy into unmanned weapon systems, owning system architecture, design, risk mitigation and product quality. Spans IRAD initiatives and defense contracts, with customer-facing engineering leadership and input into government proposals. Requires deep GNC and robotics-stack expertise plus production software delivery.

Hivemind Autonomy

• Bristol
• Hybrid · 3 days in office
• Entry level

Design and develop avionics subsystems for uncrewed aircraft, including power generation and distribution, navigation and sensor interfaces. Produce schematics and simple board layouts in Altium, harness drawings and wiring lists, and support bench and environmental testing. Graduates gain early design ownership, splitting time between design, the lab and test activity.

Altium

• Yeovil
• Hybrid
• Senior
• Permanent

Develops high-integrity real-time mission management software for both legacy manned helicopters and emerging uncrewed autonomous platforms. Works across UML modelling, Ada95/C/C++ implementation, DOORS requirements traceability, and hardware-in-the-loop integration, while navigating DO-178C certification and open architecture standards like FACE/MOSA.

FACE · MOSA · SysML +7

• 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

• 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

• Portsmouth
• €55,000 – €65,000 pa
• Mid-level
• Permanent

Lead the design and development of analogue and digital electronic circuits, PCB layouts and power distribution units for UAV platforms, taking ownership of electronics integration with mechanical, software and firmware systems. As the first hire for a growing electronics team, you will build and test prototypes and support designs through to manufacture.

CAN · SPI · I2C +4

• Bristol

Develops and maintains software running onboard TEKEVER-designed UAVs, covering autopilots, the autonomy stack, payloads and other software-enabled subsystems. Works within a team on embedded C++/Rust code, real-time systems and simulation-based testing, supporting field trials at West Wales airport and international sites.

PX4 · ArduPilot · MAVLink +7