USV Operator / Coxswain

Instant Teams; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

UFORCE, a defence-technology company, is building its UK maritime operations and seeks an experienced USV Operator / Coxswain. You will support safe, credible operations across crewed vessels, USVs, demonstrations, trials, and training.

You’ll work with programme delivery, engineering and training teams to translate plans into secure, effective missions. You will bring maritime credibility, Coxswain judgement and the discipline to operate with limited direction within a sensitive environment.

Qualifications

• Credible military or comparable high-reliability operational experience, ideally in a maritime or littoral environment.
• Relevant maritime or equivalent military qualifications, such as RYA / MCA Powerboat, Advanced Powerboat, Yachtmaster, STCW, VHF, first aid or sea survival.
• Proven Coxswain judgement and safe boat-handling experience—not certificate ownership alone.
• Experience training, coaching or assessing military, government, commercial or mixed-experience users.
• Experience with USVs, UAS, robotics, autonomy, C2, sensors or similar operational technology.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute maritime activity, including briefings, launch and recovery, communications, debriefs and post-run checks.
• Act as Coxswain / USV operator during demonstrations, trials, training and internal testing.
• Support safe USV operations, including operating envelopes, handovers, emergency procedures and coordination with crewed vessels.
• Train military, government, partner-force and customer users.
• Work with engineering and systems teams to prepare activity, capture defects and improve operational readiness.
• Brief plans, risks, limitations and tactical considerations to internal leaders, customers and senior stakeholders.
• Maintain high standards of security, export-control awareness and customer sensitivity.
• Develop practical SOPs, checklists, risk controls and training materials.
• Lead small teams during operational and training activity.

Skills

Maritime operational experience

Coxswain judgement

Safety-critical communication

USVs/UAS robotics familiarity

On-site work availability

Education

Maritime qualifications (RYA/MCA STCW etc.)

Tools

VHF radio operations

First aid & sea survival

Job description

UFORCE exists to make aggression unaffordable.

Founded in Ukraine and headquartered in London, UFORCE is a defence-technology company with operations across Europe, the United States and Asia.

UFORCE builds uncrewed vessels, ground robotics and aircraft, autonomy software, and the command-and-control layer that operates them together. Each platform is deployable on its own, and stronger as part of the system. Its product lines include the MAGURA family of uncrewed surface vessels, the NEMESIS family of strike platforms, the LIUT family of ground robotic platforms, and counter-UAS systems.

About the role

UFORCE is building its UK maritime operations capability and is looking for an experienced USV Operator / Coxswain to support safe, credible operational activity.

This hands-on role covers crewed vessels, USV operations, customer demonstrations, trials and foreign-user training. You’ll work across programme delivery, engineering, systems and training teams to turn operational plans into safe, assured outcomes.

You’ll bring strong maritime credibility, practical Coxswain judgement and the discipline to operate with limited direction in a sensitive defence technology environment.

What you’ll do

• Plan and execute maritime activity, including briefings, launch and recovery, communications, debriefs and post-run checks.
• Act as Coxswain / USV operator during demonstrations, trials, training and internal testing.
• Support safe USV operations, including operating envelopes, handovers, emergency procedures and coordination with crewed vessels.
• Train military, government, partner-force and customer users.
• Work with engineering and systems teams to prepare activity, capture defects and improve operational readiness.
• Brief plans, risks, limitations and tactical considerations to internal leaders, customers and senior stakeholders.
• Maintain high standards of security, export-control awareness and customer sensitivity.
• Develop practical SOPs, checklists, risk controls and training materials.
• Lead small teams during operational and training activity.

Required Skills

• Credible military or comparable high-reliability operational experience, ideally in a maritime or littoral environment.
• Relevant maritime or equivalent military qualifications, such as RYA / MCA Powerboat, Advanced Powerboat, Yachtmaster, STCW, VHF, first aid or sea survival.
• Proven Coxswain judgement and safe boat-handling experience—not certificate ownership alone.
• Experience working where safety, mission delivery, coordination and clear communication are critical.
• USVs, UAS, robotics, autonomy, C2, sensors or similar operational technology experience and the ability to learn quickly.
• Experience training, coaching or assessing military, government, commercial or mixed-experience users.
• Strong security awareness and confidence handling controlled information on a need-to-know basis.
• Ability to plan, manage risk, brief and deliver practical outcomes with limited direction.
• Ability to work regularly on site.

Nice to have

• Experience supporting trials, demonstrations, deployments or exercises.
• Basic engineering or maintenance awareness, including checks, defect capture and fault reporting.
• A local maritime network or experience in defence, government, security-cleared or export-controlled environments.
• Experience with wider multi-domain systems, including UAS, ISTAR, sensors or payloads.

The nature of combat has changed.

Tomorrow’s battlefield success depends on autonomy, speed, and adaptability.

And UFORCE is ready.

Are You?