Drone Jobs

• 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.

• Farnborough
• Hybrid · 3 days in office
• £62,250 – £69,750 pa
• Lead · manages people

Lead technical direction across autonomy and autonomous systems programmes, splitting time roughly 70% on leadership and 30% on hands-on delivery. You will guide multidisciplinary engineering teams, mentor senior engineers, shape technical strategy, engage customers, and support integration, demonstration and trial activities in air or maritime defence domains.

• Basildon
• Hybrid
• Permanent

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.

STICS · Open CPI

• 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

• London
• Hybrid
• Senior

Designs, builds and operates secure software delivery infrastructure for autonomous defence systems, spanning CI/CD pipelines, cloud and on-premises environments, simulation and hardware-in-the-loop labs. Embeds MOD Secure by Design principles, automated security controls and assurance evidence into engineering workflows, working closely with autonomy, software, systems and test engineers across security classifications.

Git · GitLab · GitHub

• Bristol
• Hybrid · 3 days in office
• Lead

Technical owner of FPGA and programmable logic design inside gimbal payloads, covering the video capture and processing chain, sensor and high-speed serial interfaces, and real-time pointing and stabilisation control. The role takes in-house payload electronics from prototype to qualified production, with short design cycles and direct ownership of logic that flies.

Altium

• Swindon
• Senior

One of the first engineers on the ground at a new UK production facility, owning assembly, integration and test processes for unmanned aircraft platforms. Spends most of the time on the shop floor as technical authority, resolving production issues, leading improvement projects and transferring build processes from Portugal into Swindon.

CAD · ERP · MES +3

• Oakley
• Lead · manages people

Lead and support a team of 10+ electronic engineers across multiple programmes, owning hardware design from requirements capture to production release. Involves detailed digital, mixed-signal, FPGA and high-reliability design, plus design assurance and verification for safety-critical electronics. Works cross-functionally with systems, software, mechanical and test teams within the BlueBear UAV business.

FPGA · VHDL · Verilog +2

• Bedford
• Lead · manages people

Lead the electronics design and prototyping department for a UAV business, guiding a team of 10+ electronic engineers across multiple programmes. Own full hardware design lifecycles from requirements capture to production release, covering digital, mixed-signal, FPGA and high-reliability systems, with expert review of schematics, PCB layouts and design documentation. Work cross-functionally with systems, software, mechanical and test teams, and support bids and cost estimation.

FPGA · PCB

• Salisbury
• On-site
• £65,000 – £75,000 pa
• Lead
• Permanent

Deliver avionics systems engineering across navigation, power, communication, payloads, aircraft management and C2 systems for unmanned air systems, providing technical leadership over design, development and integration. The role involves supervising other engineers, improving internal processes, and supporting airworthiness, safety and certification requirements within a multi-disciplined team.

Altium · SolidWorks · MATLAB +2

• London

Design and integrate RF front-ends, antennas and link budgets for defence platforms operating in contested electromagnetic environments, covering jamming, spoofing and EW resilience. Hands-on work with spectrum analysers, VNAs and signal generators, plus field and range trials, alongside electronics, software and systems engineers.

GNU Radio · MATLAB · HFSS +1

• Fareham
• On-site
• Permanent

Create and maintain 3D CAD models, assemblies and engineering drawings in SolidWorks, plus manufacturing and assembly drawings for prototype and production builds. Manage Bills of Materials, engineering documentation and configuration control within PDM/PLM systems, supporting drawing release and revision control. Works closely with Design, Manufacturing and Systems Engineers on a large fixed-wing UAV platform.

SolidWorks · SolidWorks PDM

• Herefordshire
• Senior

Own mechanical systems for UAV interceptor products from concept through testing and production, applying first-principles engineering rather than routine CAD work. Perform calculations, modelling and analysis in SolidWorks (plus desirable ANSYS/Mathcad), supporting prototypes and validation within a small multidisciplinary aerospace and defence team.

SolidWorks · ANSYS · Mathcad +1

• Buckinghamshire
• £70,000 – £80,000 pa
• Senior

Design, simulate and validate high-performance antennas for aerospace, defence and autonomous platforms, covering the full lifecycle from concept through anechoic chamber testing to production. Work with CST, HFSS or FEKO alongside RF, mechanical and systems engineers, supporting integration, troubleshooting and qualification against demanding size, weight and environmental requirements.

CST Studio Suite · HFSS · FEKO

• London

Own end-to-end UAV hardware design, from early concept and analysis through to flight-ready builds, working across aerodynamic, structural, propulsion and electronic subsystems. Develop and iterate prototypes at pace, run validation and flight-readiness testing, and select components and materials with suppliers. Depth in one specialism is expected while keeping the integrated system in view.

CAD · FEA · CFD +3