Headline: Chief Engineer | Autonomous Strike Systems (GNSS-Denied) Location: London HQ (with operational travel to Kyiv) Package: £150,000 - £300,000 Basic + Significant Equity + Performance Bonus
The Mission This is not a standard R&D role. The hiring company is a British-Ukrainian defence technology firm building the next generation of autonomous systems for the frontline. Born from direct combat experience in high-intensity conflict zones, the organisation does not operate on multi-year development cycles; instead, they iterate in weeks.
Backed by seed funding and led by a unique triad of combat veterans, former UK Government Ministers, and Tier-1 financiers, the business is scaling the mass production of affordable, modular systems designed specifically for GNSS-denied environments.
The Role: The Technical Linchpin With capital, leadership, and prototype technology already in place, the company now requires a Chief Engineer to unify the mechanical, software, and avionics domains into a cohesive, industrial-grade engineering culture.
The successful candidate will hold technical authority over a product suite that includes:
* Deep Strike: Long-range loitering munitions utilising Optical Navigation and Inertial Guidance to operate where GPS is jammed.
* Tactical Heavy-Lift: Precision strike bombers.
* VTOL ISR: Complex aerodynamic platforms for reconnaissance.
Key Mandates
* Technical Direction: Set the architectural standards. The Chief Engineer will act as the final authority on build-vs-buy decisions and serve as the bridge between software autonomy and hardware resilience.
* Risk Reduction: Transition the portfolio from \"prototypes that work sometimes\" to \"industrial-grade systems that work every time\" in the most hostile electromagnetic environments on earth.
* Integration: Fuse Electro-Optical Systems, AI Autonomy, and hardened Avionics into a single, battle-ready capability.
The Reality Check This role is based in London, but it demands an engineer who respects the \"ground truth.\" The candidate must be willing to travel to Kyiv and near the frontline. The company seeks a leader who wants to diagnose system failures in the field, rather than just view telemetry in a lab.
The Candidate
* Deep authority in Autonomous Systems, UAVs, or Robotics.
* A \"Full Stack\" understanding of hardware (avionics, sensors, RF) and software (C++, Autonomy, Navigation).
* Willingness to operate in a high-stakes, rapid-delivery environment.
Apply now for a confidential briefing.