UAV Autopilot Software Engineer

Morson Edge; Semley; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Outside IR35

Job summary

Morson Edge in Wiltshire is seeking an Autopilot Software Engineer to develop, integrate, and test flight control software for unmanned aerial systems using ArduPilot and/or PX4 flight stacks.

You will design and maintain firmware, tune control loops, and work across sensors and interfaces while supporting ground station integration and certification activities. The six-month contract is outside IR35, with a rate of £60–£65 per hour Ltd.

Qualifications

• Experience with ArduPilot and/or PX4 flight stacks and firmware.
• Deep knowledge of flight dynamics, control theory and state estimation.
• Embedded Linux and/or RTOS experience (NuttX, ChibiOS).
• Familiar with MAVLink and UAV通信 architectures.
• Experience with flight testing or bench testing UAV platforms.
• Degree in Aerospace, Electronic/Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics or related discipline.
• Experience with ROS/ROS2, DroneCAN/UAVCAN, or companion computer integration.
• Familiarity with GPS-denied navigation or autonomy stacks.
• Knowledge of UK/EASA UAS regulations; eligibility for UK security clearance.
• Previous defence or aerospace work preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain firmware for ArduPilot and/or PX4 flight stacks.
• Tune flight controllers and support flight testing across airframes.
• Integrate sensors and payloads over MAVLink, CAN, UART, I2C/SPI.
• Work with ground control stations and telemetry links.
• Debug logs and telemetry to diagnose in-field issues.
• Collaborate with hardware, systems, and test engineers for certification.
• Contribute to software documentation, version control and CI/testing.

Skills

ArduPilot

PX4

Flight dynamics

Control theory

Kalman filtering

Embedded Linux

ROS/ROS2

DroneCAN/UAVCAN

GPS-denied navigation

Security clearance awareness

Education

Aerospace Engineering

Electronic/Electrical Engineering

Computer Science

Robotics

Tools

MAVLink

CAN

UART

I2C

SPI

QGroundControl

Job description

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)

Responsibilities:

• 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.

Technologies:

• 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 40 week of 2026