Senior Autonomy Software Engineer – UAV

On behalf of our client, we are looking for a Senior Autonomy Software Engineer to join a well-funded aviation technology company developing the next generation of autonomous aerial systems.

The company has recently secured Series A funding and is moving beyond the prototyping stage into full product development. Its initial commercial focus is autonomous logistics, with the wider goal of introducing robotics into the sky across multiple use cases.

This is a software-first aviation company bringing together experienced professionals from organisations such as Lilium, Volocopter and Porsche. You will join a multidisciplinary engineering team developing production-ready UAV technology.

Your responsibilities

• Design, implement and integrate advanced autonomy features for UAVs in simulation and onboard systems.
• Develop robust perception capabilities, including sensor fusion, object detection, recognition, tracking, landing-site identification and feature-based navigation.
• Develop algorithms for trajectory planning, path following and dynamic obstacle avoidance.
• Optimise and deploy computer vision and deep-learning models on embedded GPU platforms such as NVIDIA Jetson.
• Work with CUDA, TensorRT and related technologies to meet real-time performance requirements.
• Collaborate closely with flight-control and systems engineers to integrate autonomy software into UAV platforms.
• Support the selection and integration of sensors, onboard computers and other hardware components.
• Contribute to software architecture, coding standards, testing frameworks and engineering best practices.
• Take independent ownership of complex technical problems from development through to production deployment.

Your profile

• Master’s degree in Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a comparable technical field.
• Several years of hands‑on professional experience in autonomy, perception, robotics, unmanned systems or autonomous‑driving development.
• Strong programming skills in C++ and Python .
• Practical experience developing embedded or real‑time software on Linux- or RTOS-based platforms.
• Strong knowledge of autonomous systems, including:
• Computer vision and perception
• Sensor fusion
• Object detection and tracking
• Navigation and localisation
• Trajectory or path planning
• Hands‑on experience with ROS or ROS2 .
• Experience with simulation and modelling tools such as Gazebo, MATLAB/Simulink or comparable environments.
• Experience developing and deploying production-quality autonomy software rather than working exclusively on academic or prototype projects.
• Professional fluency in English.
• Independent, proactive and technically curious, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and take ownership.
• Experience with UAVs, drones, aerospace, defence or advanced air mobility.
• Experience in autonomous driving or ADAS, particularly within an automotive Tier 1 supplier.
• NVIDIA Jetson, CUDA, TensorRT or cuDNN.
• SLAM, visual‑inertial odometry or feature‑based navigation.
• Guidance and control systems.
• Aviation software and safety standards such as DO-178C, ARP4754A or ARP4761.
• Integration of cameras, LiDAR, radar, IMUs, GNSS or other perception sensors.
• Work on production-ready autonomous aircraft rather than early-stage prototypes.
• Join a recently funded company at an important stage of technical and organisational growth.
• Help build a software-first aviation platform with autonomy at the centre of the product.
• Collaborate with engineers from leading aerospace, mobility and automotive organisations.
• Take meaningful ownership of technology designed for real-world logistics and future aerial‑robotics applications.

Due to project-specific regulatory, security and export-control requirements, candidates must be eligible to work on the relevant programmes. Further details will be discussed during the recruitment process.