Lead UAV Engineer

Shaftesbury

3 weeks ago

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About this Position

Our client is seeking a Lead UAV Engineer to own and drive the design, development and integration of autonomous aerial systems, taking platforms from concept and prototyping through to flight testing and deployment. This is a hands-on technical leadership role spanning embedded hardware, firmware and robotics software, with a strong emphasis on safety-relevant engineering, reliable real-world operation, and leading delivery across the full system lifecycle.

Job Responsibilities:

Lead end-to-end UAV system development: architecture, build, integration, flight testing, iteration and deployment readiness.

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Own platform-level technical decision-making and trade-offs across power, compute, sensing and communications.

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Lead development of flight-critical subsystems, ensuring safety, reliability and robust operational performance.

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Build embedded solutions on MCUs, SBCs and Pixhawk/Cube-class autopilots, setting standards for implementation and verification.

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Lead integration and validation of navigation and perception sensors (IMU, GNSS/INS, LiDAR/cameras, ADS-B and radios).

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Develop, maintain and govern flight/robotics software stacks (ArduPilot/PX4/ROS2), including drivers as needed.

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Lead system-level debugging across hardware, firmware and software; perform root-cause analysis from flight/field issues and drive corrective actions through to closure.

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Produce and review clear interfaces, documentation and test procedures to support manufacturing, maintainability and scalability.

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Mentor and provide technical guidance to engineers, setting best practices for code quality, testing, version control and release discipline.

Experience Required:

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Hands-on experience in UAVs, robotics, autonomous systems or avionics engineering, with demonstrable ownership of delivered systems.

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Strong embedded systems knowledge (UART/SPI/I²C/CAN, real-time constraints, power and reliability considerations), with the ability to lead design and review.

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Practical experience with ArduPilot and/or PX4 on Pixhawk/Cube Pilot-class hardware.

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Working experience with ROS/ROS2 and Linux-based development; Git version control.

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Proven sensor integration and validation (IMU, GNSS/INS, LiDAR and/or cameras; plus ADS-B/telemetry preferred).

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Demonstrable ability to take a prototype to flight/field-ready, including robust troubleshooting in real environments and driving engineering rigour under time pressure.

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Confident technical documentation skills; exposure to rapid prototyping (3D printing and basic electronics/PCB workflows) beneficial

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