UAV Autopilot Software Engineer
Summary
Develop, integrate and flight-test autopilot firmware for unmanned aerial systems using ArduPilot and/or PX4 — working on sensor drivers, control laws, MAVLink/GCS integration and flight testing for fixed-wing, multirotor and VTOL platforms. A 6-month contract (outside IR35, £60-65/hr Ltd) requiring UK security clearance eligibility.
Salary: £124,800 - 135,200 per year
Requirements:- Experience contributing to or working with ArduPilot and/or PX4 codebases.
- Solid understanding of flight dynamics, control theory, and state estimation (Kalman filtering/EKF).
- Experience with embedded Linux and/or real-time operating systems (NuttX, ChibiOS).
- Familiarity with MAVLink protocol and UAV communication architectures.
- Practical experience flight testing or bench testing UAV platforms.
- Degree in Aerospace, Electronic/Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related discipline (or equivalent experience).
- Experience with ROS/ROS2, DroneCAN/UAVCAN, or companion computer integration.
- Familiarity with GPS-denied navigation, sensor fusion, or autonomy stacks.
- Knowledge of UK/EASA UAS regulations and BVLOS operations.
- Prior work in a defence, aerospace.
- Eligibility for UK Government security clearance (SC/DV)
- Develop and maintain firmware for ArduPilot and/or PX4 flight stacks, including custom drivers, control laws, and mission logic.
- Tune flight controllers (PID, EKF/INS parameters) and support flight testing across a range of airframes.
- Integrate sensors and payloads (GNSS/INS, IMU, airspeed, lidar, cameras) over MAVLink, CAN, UART, and I2C/SPI interfaces.
- Work with ground control stations (Mission Planner, QGroundControl) and support telemetry/command-and-control links.
- Debug flight logs and telemetry to diagnose in-field issues and improve system reliability and safety.
- Collaborate with hardware, systems, and test engineers to support platform integration and certification activities.
- Contribute to software documentation, version control, and CI/testing processes.
- Embedded
- Firmware
- Hardware
- Support
- Linux
- ROS
- Robotics
- Security
- Sensor Fusion
- C++
More:
We are recruiting for an Autopilot Software Engineer to develop, integrate, and test flight control software for our unmanned aerial systems using ArduPilot and/or PX4. This is a 6-month initial contract based in Wiltshire, with an option to go permanent. The target rate is £60-65 per hour Ltd, negotiable, and the role is outside IR35. You will work across the full stack, from low-level sensor drivers and control loops through to ground control station integration, supporting fixed-wing, multirotor, and VTOL platforms.
last updated 39 week of 2026