UAV Electronics Integration Engineer

UAV Electronics/Integration Engineer Location: Shaftesbury, Dorset – On site initially Duration: Initial 6–12 month contract Rate: circa £60 ph Ltd Outside IR35 We are seeking a versatile UAV Electronics & Systems Integration Engineer with strong practical experience taking early-stage engineering concepts through to functional prototypes, system integration, testing, and validation. Key Responsibilities Translate early-stage UAV concepts and operational requirements into practical electronic and system designs. Develop and prototype electronic hardware, interfaces, power systems, sensors, communications, and other UAV subsystems. Support schematic design, PCB development, component selection, wiring, harnessing, and hardware bring-up. Integrate electronic, avionics, flight-control, navigation, communications, payload, and power subsystems into complete UAV platforms. Develop and execute engineering test plans, integration procedures, verification activities, and validation trials. Work closely with mechanical, software, firmware, flight-controls, systems, manufacturing, and test engineers to deliver integrated UAV systems. Technical Experience Candidates should ideally have practical experience across a broad range of UAV electronics and systems engineering activities, including: UAV/avionics electronics integration and development. Digital and analogue electronics. Embedded systems and microcontroller-based hardware. Power distribution, power management, batteries, and electrical architectures. Sensors, navigation systems, telemetry, communications, and data interfaces. Common electronic interfaces and protocols such as CAN, UART, SPI, I²C, Ethernet, RS-232/422/485, or similar. PCB design, prototyping, soldering, wiring, harnesses, and hardware debugging. Hardware/software integration and system bring-up. Requirements, interface control, system architecture, and configuration management. System-level integration, verification, and validation. Ground and flight testing of UAV systems. Experience & Qualifications Demonstrable experience developing or integrating electronics within UAVs, drones, robotics, aerospace, automotive, defence, or other complex embedded systems. Experience taking engineering concepts from initial design through prototype, integration, testing, and validation. Experience working in multidisciplinary engineering teams. Ability to interpret requirements and translate them into practical engineering solutions. Experience working with incomplete or evolving requirements and adapting designs accordingly. Desirable Experience Experience with autonomous or remotely piloted UAV platforms. Familiarity with flight-control systems, autopilots, navigation, GNSS, IMUs, and related avionics. Experience with RF/telemetry systems and wireless communications. Experience with environmental, EMC/EMI, vibration, thermal, or reliability testing. Knowledge of aerospace/defence development standards and engineering processes. Experience with safety-critical or mission-critical systems. Familiarity with CAD/ECAD tools and PCB design software. Experience with requirements management and systems engineering tools. Experience supporting flight-test campaigns and operational trials