Drone Jobs

• 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

• 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

• Salisbury
• On-site
• £50,000 – £60,000 pa
• Mid-level
• Permanent

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.

Ardupilot · PX4 · MAVLink +7

• Salisbury
• Hybrid
• £50,000 – £60,000 pa
• Mid-level
• Permanent

Design and build pixel-perfect, responsive user interfaces for flight control and ground station software, working with React, TypeScript, HTML/CSS and real-time streaming technologies. The role sits in a cross-functional agile team collaborating with UX researchers and designers, contributing to a design system, code reviews and test coverage with Jest, Cypress or RTL.

Figma · Jira · Jest +3

• Witney
• Hybrid · 3 days in office
• £40,000 – £60,000 pa

Design and develop safety-critical embedded software for autonomous systems, building runtime assurance components and high-integrity code using SPARK Ada and related toolchains. Work spans software architecture for certifiable systems, DAL-A/DAL-B solutions, and integration with mission computers, flight control and safety monitoring. Minimum three days per week on site in Witney.

SPARK Ada · ROS · ROS2 +3

• Basildon
• Hybrid · 3 days in office
• Senior
• Permanent

Defines and refines the strategic software architecture for C-UAS mission systems, spanning SI enterprise architecture, sensor/effector and C2/GUI integration, and technical leadership in bids and external studies. Works alongside solution architects and capability managers, producing white papers to steer stakeholder thinking. Hybrid role based in Basildon within a defence product team.

Visual Studio · DOORS · Cameo +2

• Oakley
• Senior · manages people

Provides technical leadership across mechanical and aerospace development for unmanned systems, owning complex design tasks and mentoring engineers from concept through flight test and production. Involves CAD architecture in SolidWorks, FEA analysis, propulsion and payload integration, and supporting manufacturing, assembly and certification. Based in Bedford within BlueBear, a Saab company.

SolidWorks · CATIA · ANSYS +3

• Bedfordshire
• Senior · manages people

Provides technical leadership across mechanical and aerospace development for unmanned systems, owning complex design tasks and mentoring engineers. Leads CAD architecture, drawing release and configuration control in SolidWorks, integrates propulsion, payloads and structures, and runs FEA and design trade studies. Supports manufacturing, flight test and certification, with hands-on build and fault-finding on prototype and test hardware.

SolidWorks · CATIA · ANSYS +3

• London
• Senior

Own the end-to-end development of bespoke controllers for UAS platforms, from conception and simulation through physical integration and flight-test iteration. Design and validate state estimation, navigation and guidance algorithms for contested environments, working closely with flight mechanics, aerodynamics and embedded teams.

MATLAB · Simulink · Python +8

• Bristol
• Mid-level

Lead quality assurance and quality management across defence and aerospace projects, acting as the customer-facing quality focal point. Own the Project Quality Management Plan, requirements traceability, configuration and change control, supplier quality, nonconformance and CAPA, and support design reviews and verification activities alongside project, engineering and supply chain teams.

AS9100 · ISO 9001 · AQAP 2105 +2

• 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

• 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

• London
• Mid-level

Bridges product engineering and deployed operations for the Ghost unmanned air vehicle program, executing flight operations, field maintenance, and customer training. Acts as product SME advising on operational employment, running test and evaluation events, and performing root-cause analyses for air systems in austere, remote environments.

Python · MATLAB · VTOL

• 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

• 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