Autopilot Software Engineer
Do you have the following skills, experience and drive to succeed in this role Find out below.
- Hybrid (Southampton / Portsmouth) Location: Southampton / Portsmouth (Hybrid working available) Contract: Full-time, permanent Sector: Autonomous Systems / Aerospace / Robotics Are you passionate about building advanced autonomy for next-generation unmanned aircraft? Join a high-growth engineering team developing large autonomous fixed-wing UAVs for logistics, humanitarian, and defence applications.
You'll contribute directly to creating robust, reliable, and safe flight-control systems for real-world missions.
About the Role We're looking for an Autopilot Software Engineer to help accelerate the development of our autonomy and flight-control capabilities.
You'll work across embedded software, behavioural autonomy, flight-control logic, and the full testing ecosystem
- from unit tests to real flight trials.
Essential Requirements Professional experience in software engineering with strong embedded C/C++ skills Practical, applied understanding of aerospace control systems Ability to develop behavioural/application-level autonomy software Experience with version control ( Git ) within an agile team, including documentation Strong skills with STM32 microcontrollers and associated toolchains (IDEs, debuggers, compilers) Knowledge of low-level interfaces: CAN, SPI, IC, UART, PWM, ICU, etc.
Complementary understanding of embedded hardware Ability to support a full testing ecosystem
- from automated unit testing to flight testing Flexibility, ownership mindset, and ability to deliver high-quality, real-world-ready software Experience with open-source autopilot ecosystems (e.g., Betaflight, Ardupilot, PX4, MissionPlanner ) Nice to Have Background or interest in aviation or RC model aircraft Willingness and ability to xkybehq travel, plus a driving licence and access to a vehicle Key Responsibilities Requirements capture and creation of technical specifications Development of safety-critical flight-control software to exceptionally high reliability standards Support test activities: automated unit tests, hardware-in-the-loop, field tests, and flight trials Assist with issue identification, debugging, and system-level fault investigation Employment Details Contract Type: Full-time, permanent Location: Southampton / Portsmouth area, with hybrid working available Department: Engineering