UAV Autopilot Software Engineer (Flight Controls)

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

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.