System HW Architect (UAV Flight Control Systems)

Our client is a leading advanced technology and applied research organisation focused on autonomous systems, robotics, AI, embedded software, cybersecurity, and aerospace technologies. They develop advanced UAV and UxV platforms, mission computing solutions, autonomous vehicle technologies, and secure mission-critical systems, working at the forefront of innovation alongside some of the world's leading engineers and researchers.

This position is responsible for defining the overall system and hardware architecture, driving technical strategy, and ensuring seamless integration across embedded hardware, software, avionics, sensors, and communication systems. The successful candidate will provide technical leadership throughout the product lifecycle, from requirements definition through validation and deployment, while ensuring compliance with aerospace, safety, cybersecurity, and environmental standards

We are looking for a highly experienced Principal Systems Architect to lead the design and evolution of our Flight Controller and Mission Controller platforms.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain the architecture for Flight Controller and Mission Controller solutions.
• Establish system requirements, technical direction, and long-term product roadmaps.
• Lead the integration of embedded hardware, software, avionics, sensors, and communication technologies.
• Oversee technical design reviews, system validation, product verification, and risk mitigation activities.
• Work closely with customers, business stakeholders, and technology partners to translate requirements into effective solutions.
• Ensure products meet applicable quality, safety, cybersecurity, and regulatory requirements.
• Provide technical leadership, coaching, and mentorship to multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Required Experience & Technical Skills

Flight Control & Mission Systems

• Expertise in UAV Flight Control Systems, Mission Controllers, and autopilot architectures.
• Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, NuttX, RTOS, and Embedded Linux.
• Strong knowledge of flight dynamics, navigation, guidance & control, and sensor fusion.
• Familiarity with ISR, autonomous systems, swarming, and mission management.

Embedded Systems & Hardware

• Experience with ARM processors, microcontrollers, SoCs, FPGAs, and real-time embedded systems.
• Knowledge of high-reliability hardware design, power architecture, redundancy, fault tolerance, and safety-critical systems.
• Experience with CAN, CAN-FD, Ethernet, UART, SPI, I2C, RS-422, RS-485, and PCIe interfaces.

Sensors & Navigation

• Experience integrating IMUs, GNSS, magnetometers, barometers, airspeed sensors, and payloads.
• Knowledge of inertial navigation, GPS-denied navigation, resilient positioning, sensor calibration, and synchronization.

Communications & Cybersecurity

• Knowledge of UAV communications, datalinks, mesh networking, and secure communications.
• Experience with secure boot, encryption, trusted execution environments, and key management.
• Familiarity with MAVLink, DDS, ROS2, or similar communication frameworks.

Quality & Compliance

• Knowledge of aerospace and defense development practices.
• Familiarity with DO-160, MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, NDAA, EMC/EMI, and environmental qualification standards.
• Understanding of verification, validation, certification, safety, and reliability processes.

Core Competencies

• Technical leadership and team mentoring.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced engineering environment.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Master's degree preferred.
• PhD is an advantage.