Software Development Engineer

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