18 jobs
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.
Shield AI London
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.
Shield AI London
Leads delivery of tactical autonomy software for unmanned platforms across air, land, sea and space, architecting behaviours for multi-agent coordination, target engagement and survivability. Owns the full lifecycle from requirements through verification, working in C++ with sensor processing, state estimation and peer-to-peer communications. Acts as technical lead and subject matter expert, mentoring juniors and travelling up to 20% to co-locate with end-users.
Saab Oakley
Lead the Systems Engineering discipline for a defence and aerospace business unit, setting technical vision, governance and methodologies for complex solutions. Oversee lifecycle management activities including bids, design reviews and audits, while driving Model-Based Systems Engineering and digital transformation. Manage and mentor a team of engineers and subject matter experts, acting as senior escalation point for architectural and system-of-systems issues.
QinetiQ Salisbury £56,025 – £62,250 pa
Provides technical leadership across complex aerospace programmes, leading multidisciplinary teams through requirements management, systems integration, test and evaluation, certification and technical governance. Works with customers and project managers on military, civil and uncrewed aircraft, based at Boscombe Down with at least three days a week on site.
QinetiQ Salisbury £56,250 – £62,500 pa
Leads the technical success of uncrewed aerial systems projects, owning delivery to time, cost and quality while ensuring compliance with engineering policy. Coordinates trials, safety, quality and configuration roles, liaising with project managers and customers on technical progress and constraints.
Callen Lenz Southampton
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.
Leonardo Luton
Summer placement students join Electronic Warfare and Future Combat Air teams, working on real projects across software, systems, hardware, firmware, microwave or antenna engineering. They deliver small work packages, design and test products, and collaborate with experienced engineers across the product lifecycle, with mentoring and possible return offers.
Leonardo Yeovil
Design or analyse helicopter transmission systems across conventional helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air systems, covering the full product lifecycle from concept to in-service support. Designers produce 3D models and 2D drawings in CATIA V5 for gears, bearings, casings, shafts and couplings; analysts perform stress, fatigue and finite element analysis. The role spans UK and Italian sites with international travel.
