20 jobs for “aerial surveying”
National Crime Agency Gillingham £47,049 pa
Lead drone pilot for the NCA's Technical Operations unmanned vehicle programme, responsible for flight planning and clearances, piloting a range of UAS and USV platforms, and developing innovative technical surveillance capabilities. The role involves training the drone cadre, engaging with the Civil Aviation Authority and suppliers, and acting as subject matter expert on unmanned vehicles.
Flarebright Bicester £39,000 – £49,000 pa
Contributes across the full development lifecycle, from concept and algorithm design to system integration, testing and troubleshooting of safety-critical navigation and autonomy software in C++. Works with a multidisciplinary team on real-time embedded systems, hardware/software-in-the-loop testing and flight test activities, producing design documentation and test reports.
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.
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.
Matchtech Hereford £27,000 – £30,000 pa
Hands-on production role preparing and bonding carbon fibre UAV airframes before final assembly, mixing and curing adhesives to specification and self-inspecting completed work. Works to manufacturing orders and deadlines within a fast-paced defence manufacturing team, with no prior experience required.
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.
QinetiQ Ashford
Leads the QinetiQ Target Systems UK business, owning operational performance, financial delivery and strategic growth for aerial targets. Develops product strategies and a UK Centre of Excellence for manufacture and assembly, heading a cross-functional matrix team across engineering and operations. Works within the wider Air Leadership Team and interfaces with international sectors to drive global sales.
Matchtech Hampshire
Hands-on role assembling airframe components, sub-assemblies and fuel systems from build packs, testing sub-systems, and installing avionics onto unmanned aerial vehicles. Supports aircraft-level acceptance testing and on-site flight testing across the UK, maintaining digital build logs and feeding improvements back to manufacturing and engineering teams.
Leonardo Basildon
Systems Engineers at all levels join a multidisciplinary team delivering land-based cyber and electromagnetic capabilities, including electronic warfare, C-UAS and counter-IED systems. The role spans the full lifecycle from requirements and architecture through integration, verification and in-service support, working with customers and specialists in safety, security and reliability.
Saab Oakley
Manages flight test planning, ground preparation and field execution for unmanned aerial vehicles, acting as a UAV pilot to gather telemetry and performance data. Analyses flight data against design metrics and produces detailed test reports for engineering teams, bridging engineering and field testing while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.
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.
Shield AI London
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.
Callen Lenz Salisbury £40,000 – £50,000 pa
Design, develop, integrate and verify electronic hardware and systems for unmanned aerial vehicles, covering analogue, digital and mixed-signal circuitry, PCB/PCBA design, interfaces, sensors and test equipment across the full engineering lifecycle. Works alongside Systems, Software, Air Vehicle, Avionics, Test and Manufacturing teams, with emphasis on DfM, DfA, DfT and qualification for production.
Tekever Swindon
Hands-on build role assembling, integrating and testing Unmanned Aerial System airframes and sub-systems, covering structural work such as bracketry, precision drilling and fastening plus avionics wiring, flight control and sensor installation. Also involves ground tests, fault diagnosis and completing certification and traceability records to ISO 9001/AS9100 standards within a manufacturing operations team.
Callen Lenz Salisbury £50,000 pa
Lead and manage the flying training operations, designing, developing and delivering UAS training programmes for pilots, operators and customers. Ensure curriculum compliance with CAA, MAA and EASA standards, run audits and assessments, and manage a team of instructors while supporting safety and risk management.
Helsing London
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.
