Drone jobs in United Kingdom

Job Description

Job title: Software Engineering Manager

Location: Maidenhead, Berkshire

Salary range: £60,000 - £85,000

The Malloy Aeronautics Team:

Malloy Aeronautics Limited specializes in the development of heavy lift unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) for both civilian and military uses. Located in Berkshire, our operations are notable for their focus on in-house design and manufacturing. This vertical integration means we control the production of most aircraft components on-site, enhancing our ability to innovate and maintain high standards across all stages of development.

About The Role:

As a Software Engineering Manager, you will be reporting to the Head of Engineering. This exciting role will place the right candidate at the forefront of unmanned air systems development in the UK.

We seek a highly motivated leader to oversee the development and verification of UAS software.

As a Software Engineering Manager, you will drive the delivery of critical engineering outputs, including software requirements, design, implementation, and testing. You will apply your expertise in software engineering and aviation systems to guide the development of high-integrity aircraft control solutions, ensuring safety, reliability, and compliance with industry standards. Additionally, you will mentor and support your team, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement.

Ability to hold Security Clearance – 5 years residence in the UK

What you’ll being doing (but not limited too):

• Leading Software Development: Oversee the design, implementation, and verification of Malloy’s software, ensuring high safety and reliability standards.
• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Manage, grow and mentor a team of software engineers, fostering technical growth and best practices. This will include implementation of coding standards and best practice for system documentation.
• Project Coordination: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define software requirements, architecture, and development roadmaps.
• Ensuring Compliance & Quality: Drive adherence to industry standards, safety regulations, and rigorous testing methodologies.
• Continuous Improvement: Optimize development processes, tools, and workflows to enhance efficiency and software performance.

Essential Skills and Experiences:

• Proven experience leading software development teams, including embedded systems.
• Proficiency in programming such as C or C++, with experience in real-time embedded systems.
• Experience with embedded software development tools (e.g. STM32) and environments (e.g., debuggers, emulators, compilers, KiCad).
• Experience in software requirements, design, implementation, verification, and validation.
• Knowledge of industry standards such as DO-178C, MISRA, or similar safety and reliability guidelines.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to troubleshoot complex technical challenges.
• Knowledge of systems engineering processes, and excellent ability to work with cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and engineers at all levels.
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies, CI/CD pipelines, and modern software development workflows.
• Knowledge of hardware-software integration and experience with 16/32-bit microcontrollers, microprocessors, and FPGA-based systems.
• Familiarity with communication protocols (e.g., CAN, UART, SPI, I2C).
• Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git, SVN).

Desired Skills and Experiences:

• Knowledge of Ardupilot, signal processing and control systems can be beneficial.
• Knowledge of RF communication chains and toolsets.
• Exposure to other programming such as Qt or Python.
• Knowledge of safety related engineering practices.
• Experience and understanding of flight control systems.
• Experience and understanding of HMI requirements.

Benefits you may be eligible for:

• We have obtained Bronze Level Armed Forces Covenant
• Company Pension Scheme
• Access to 24 Hour Helpline
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (BAE Systems Share Incentive Plan)
• Cycle to work scheme
• Additional holiday with long service
• Healthcare cash plan
• 20 Days of Annual Leave + Bank Holidays
• Statutory Sick Pay
• Three-Day Long Weekend Every Fortnight (Fri-Sun)
• Freshly Cooked Lunch on working Fridays
• Casual Dress
• On-Site Parking

Why Malloy Aeronautics?

Our company benefits from a streamlined process where engineering teams are involved in the entire lifecycle of our UAVs — from initial design through to production. This setup not only speeds up the development process but also improves the efficiency and effectiveness of our product launches. We value professionals who have a background in both research and development (R&D) and design for manufacture, as their expertise is crucial to our rapid and precise product development cycle.

Please be aware that many roles working for Malloy Aeronautics will be subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors including your nationality, any previous you have held, and your place of birth may limit those roles you can perform for the organisation.

Malloy Aeronautics is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and particularly from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our industry, including women, minorities, people with disabilities and + individuals.

We also want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Note: If you have not heard from our recruitment department within 14 days, unfortunately you have not been successful.