London UAS Software Engineer
Location: London / Hybrid, 2 days per week
Sector: UAV / Unmanned Systems / Edge Technology
Rate: £58 – £70 per hour, Outside IR35
We are recruiting a UAS Software & Avionics Integration Engineer to join a team developing next-generation unmanned aircraft systems. The role covers ArduPilot firmware development and hardware-level system integration, from bench through to flight test.
What you’ll be doing:
- Developing and modifying ArduPilot source code to deliver new features and platform-specific capabilities
- Integrating flight controllers, companion computers, sensors, datalinks, payloads and ground control systems
- Implementing and maintaining interfaces over MAVLink, serial, CAN, Ethernet, SPI and I2C
- Leading system integration, fault diagnosis, ground testing and flight testing
- Analysing flight logs and telemetry data to drive performance improvements
What you’ll bring:
- Proven experience developing and customising ArduPilot firmware
- Strong C++ and Python skills
- Hands-on experience with MAVLink, Mission Planner and QGroundControl
- Practical UAS avionics integration experience, including GNSS, radios, telemetry, companion computers and payloads
- Solid grounding in flight control systems and embedded systems
- Experience supporting flight trials and system-level debugging
Nice to have:
- Background in defence, aerospace or safety-critical systems