UAV Engineer – Autonomous Systems

UAV Engineer – Autonomous Systems

Bristol (site-based, with travel for testing and demonstrations)

A drone company based in Bristol is hiring a UAV Engineer to design, integrate and flight-test an advanced interceptor UAV. You will work across the air vehicle, propulsion, avionics, flight control, sensors, communications and autonomy, alongside Systems, GNC, Software, Electronics and AI/ML engineers, taking the system from prototype to an operational product.

What you will do

• Support design and development of the platform, including airframe, propulsion, power, avionics and flight control
• Integrate and troubleshoot autopilots, sensors, communications, payloads and mission systems
• Configure and tune flight-control systems such as PX4 or equivalent
• Support integration of GNC, autonomous behaviours and AI/ML perception
• Plan and run ground and flight tests, then use the results to improve the design
• Diagnose issues, work with suppliers, and support verification, demonstrations and trials
• Produce test plans, procedures, risk assessments and other technical documentation

What you will need

• A degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electronic Engineering, Robotics or a related discipline
• Hands-on experience developing and integrating UAVs or autonomous aerial systems
• A good understanding of flight controls, aerodynamics, propulsion, power and avionics
• Experience with PX4, ArduPilot or similar, and with sensors, communications and interfaces such as MAVLink, CAN and RF datalinks
• Familiarity with C/C++, Python and/or MATLAB/Simulink
• Experience building, configuring, testing and troubleshooting UAV hardware, including flight-test support

Preferred: novel UAV development (not only COTS operation); GNC, autonomy or AI/ML perception; ROS/ROS2 or QGroundControl; SIL/HIL and simulation; UAV regulatory and safety knowledge; customer trials; GVC or willingness to obtain one; full UK driving licence.

You are practical, comfortable moving between design, hardware, software and flight testing, and able to work at pace in a small, multi-disciplinary team.

If you feel you arw a good match please apply!

Pay: £60,000.00-£70,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person