Senior Control Algorithms Engineer
Location: Bristol
Salary: £55,000 – £65,000 depending on experience, plus bonus and benefits
A leading UK defence organisation is growing its Guidance, Navigation & Control capability and is seeking an experienced Senior Control Algorithms Engineer to shape the next generation of complex defence systems. This is a high‑impact, hands‑on technical role where you’ll design and refine mission‑critical guidance and control algorithms that directly influence the performance of advanced weapon and aerospace platforms, working in a highly capable, collaborative engineering environment.
The role
As a Senior Control Algorithms Engineer, you’ll sit at the heart of the guidance and control design process, from early concept studies through to full‑scale development and trials. You’ll develop, analyse and validate algorithms that integrate sensors, actuators and propulsion to deliver precise system behaviour, collaborating closely with systems, software and trials teams to ensure performance, robustness and safety in demanding real‑world conditions.
What you will be doing
* Developing and analysing guidance, navigation and control (GNC) algorithms using Matlab/Simulink for complex flight and weapon systems.
* Translating high‑level system requirements into clear, testable control and guidance specifications and performance metrics.
* Building and maintaining high‑fidelity dynamic models and simulations to predict and optimise system behaviour across operating envelopes.
* Diagnosing anomalies and performance shortfalls using simulation and trial data, and proposing robust algorithmic improvements.
* Working with real‑time and embedded teams to ensure algorithms are implementable within hardware and architectural constraints.
* Providing technical leadership on GNC topics, influencing design decisions across multidisciplinary teams and programmes.
* Supporting integration and flight trials activities, including pre‑trial analysis, test planning and post‑trial data assessment.
In this Senior Control Algorithms Engineer position, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute across multiple programmes and lifecycles, from early research and concept development through to in‑service enhancements. You’ll be a key technical voice in shaping how guidance and control solutions are architected, tested and evolved over time.
What we are looking for
* Strong background in guidance, control or flight dynamics, with experience designing and implementing algorithms for aerospace, defence, UAVs, space or similar complex systems.
* Proven use of Matlab and Simulink (or equivalent) for modelling, simulation and control law design.
* Solid understanding of dynamic systems, control theory and state estimation; comfortable validating models against theory and data.
* Experience working with multi‑sensor, multi‑actuator systems (e.g. seekers, inertial sensors, actuators, propulsion or flight control surfaces).
* Ability to turn ambiguous problems into structured requirements and well‑defined design objectives.
* Clear communicator, able to explain complex concepts and influence technical direction across multidisciplinary teams.
* Eligible for UK security clearance; British citizenship or dual UK nationality typically required due to the nature of the work.
What’s on offer
* Competitive salary starting from £55,000 depending on experience, with potential to progress towards £65,000 for strong profiles.
* Annual performance bonus and comprehensive pension scheme.
* Opportunities to work on high‑profile, nationally important defence programmes.
* On‑site, lab‑based environment with access to advanced tools, facilities and trials data.
* Clear technical career paths, including progression towards lead, specialist or principal roles in guidance and control.
Any experience with missile guidance, weapon systems, RF/IR seekers, thrust vector control or safety‑critical / real‑time embedded environments would be an advantage, but is not essential for a strong Senior Control Algorithms Engineer.
Due to the sensitive nature of the projects, candidates must be able to meet UK nationality and security vetting requirements.
If you’d like to explore this Senior Control Algorithms Engineer opportunity in more detail, feel free to message me in confidence.