Job Description:

We are working with a global Software, Systems & Engineering company in the Defence Sector, supporting them with appointing a  Software Development Engineer. This is not a traditional software development role. They're looking for engineers who understand the engineering behind autonomous systems and can develop production-quality software to solve complex real-world problems. The successful candidate will work on the design, development, modelling, integration and testing of autonomous control systems for both crewed and uncrewed aircraft.
  
Salary: £47,250-£52,500 + benefits
Location: Farnborough - Initially 5 days onsite. Longer-term hybrid may be possible (typically 3+ days onsite) once established.
Duration: perm, full time
Requirements:  sole UK nationals or dual nationals living and working in the UK for the past 5 years
  
What They're Looking For The hiring managers stressed that software capability is more important than an aerospace background. Ideal candidates will have around 4–7 years' commercial experience and be comfortable taking ownership of technical work packages while mentoring or directing more junior engineers. They are not looking for someone who simply writes code—they want engineers who can solve engineering problems through software.
  
Ideal Backgrounds
Suitable candidates could currently be working as:

• Software Development Engineer
• Software Engineer
• Software Developer
• Autonomy Engineer
• Autonomous Systems Engineer
• Control Systems Engineer
• Robotics Engineer
• Algorithm Engineer
• Simulation Engineer
• Systems Engineer
• Research Engineer
• Guidance, Navigation & Control Engineer
• AI / Machine Learning Engineer (Autonomy focused)

Industries could include:

• Defence
• Aerospace
• Aviation
• Robotics
• Autonomous Vehicles
• UAV / Drone Technology
• Research & Development
• Control Systems
• Advanced Engineering

They are also very interested in engineers coming from Physics or Mathematics backgrounds who have developed strong software engineering skills.
  
Essential Technical Skills
The strongest candidates will have experience with:
Programming

• C
• C++
• MATLAB
• Python

Engineering

• Autonomous systems
• Control systems
• Systems Engineering
• Algorithm development
• Modelling & Simulation
• Software development for complex engineering systems

Experience with any of the following is highly desirable:

• UAVs
• UAS
• Drone technologies
• Decision support systems
• Military aviation
• Flight control
• Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC)

  
Personality Fit
The hiring managers highlighted they want someone who:

• Enjoys solving difficult engineering problems
• Has genuine enthusiasm for autonomous systems
• Can take ownership of technical work
• Works well within multidisciplinary teams
• Can provide technical direction to others
• Wants to work on leading-edge defence technology

They used the word "passionate" about autonomy—even though they admitted it's an overused term! They want someone who genuinely enjoys this area of engineering.
  
Qualifications
Ideally:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electronic Engineering
• Physics
• Applied Mathematics
• Computer Science (with strong engineering exposure)

A PhD would be attractive if it is directly relevant to autonomy or autonomous air systems, although they still want some commercial experience rather than someone coming straight from academia.