UAV Engineer
Job Description
A Dubai-based UAV business is hiring a UAV Engineer to take ownership of aircraft performance, reliability, and flight readiness across development and operations. This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who’s built and tested real systems airframes, avionics, flight control, payload integration and can move fast without cutting corners.
- 7–12+ years in UAV / aerospace engineering with direct responsibility for integration + flight test
- Has shipped real aircraft (prototype to operational), not just lab builds
- Comfortable owning outcomes: flight readiness, reliability, safety, and performance against requirements
Core experience (must-have)
- End-to-end UAV systems engineering:
- Airframe + avionics integration (power distribution, comms, sensors, payloads)
- Propulsion and power systems (ESCs, motors/engines, batteries/fuel systems), performance trade-offs
- Flight test ownership:
- Writes test plans/test cards, defines pass/fail criteria, manages instrumentation and telemetry
- Executes flight tests safely, captures data, and produces post-flight analysis + corrective actions
- Troubleshooting across hardware/software:
- Reads logs/telemetry, isolates faults (wiring, config, firmware, sensor issues), implements fixes
- Strong root-cause analysis and structured problem-solving (8D, fishbone, etc.)
- Engineering discipline:
- Configuration control, build standards, checklists, documentation, and change management
- Works cleanly with manufacturing/field teams to improve build quality and repeatability
Platform/tooling familiarity (typical)
- Autopilots: PX4 and/or ArduPilot; understands tuning, stability, failsafes, mission planning
- Protocols/tools: MAVLink, QGroundControl/Mission Planner, log analysis (PX4 ULog, ArduPilot logs), Wireshark (bonus)
- Sensors/payloads: GNSS/INS, magnetometers, barometers, airspeed sensors; EO/IR payload integration is a plus
- Comms: telemetry radios, LTE/5G links, RF basics, link budgets (bonus)
- Engineering tools: CAD familiarity (SolidWorks/Fusion), basic scripting (Python/MATLAB) for analysis, Git for versioning (nice)
Nice to have (role “accelerators”)
- Experience with BVLOS operations, redundancy, and safety cases
- GNSS-denied navigation, visual-inertial odometry, terrain following (depending on mission)
- Environmental testing, vibration analysis, EMI/EMC awareness
- Regulatory exposure (GCAA or equivalent), operational approvals, documentation for compliance
- Defence / high-assurance programmes and secure comms payload integration
Soft skills / working style
- Calm under pressure during flight ops; safety-first mindset
- Clear communicator with pilots/operators and engineering teams
- Bias for evidence: uses data/logs to make decisions, not gut feel
- Hands-on: happy in the workshop and on the flight line, not just behind a desk
Compensation fit
- AED 75k: strong integrator + flight test engineer with proven delivery on at least one operational platform
- AED 82k: senior owner who has led flight test programmes, built repeatable processes, and improved reliability at
Responsibilities Duties:
What you’ll do
- Lead UAV engineering across development, integration, testing, and flight readiness
- Support airframe + avionics integration (power, comms, sensors, payloads) and resolve system-level issues
- Own flight test planning and execution: test cards, instrumentation, safety checks, data capture, post-flight analysis
- Work with flight control / autonomy teams to validate tuning, stability, and performance against requirements
- Improve reliability and maintainability: failure analysis, corrective actions, build standards, checklists, and documentation
- Collaborate with manufacturing/field teams on build quality, configuration control, and rapid iteration
What we’re looking for
- Strong UAV engineering background with real flight test exposure (not simulation-only)
- Solid understanding of UAV systems: propulsion, power systems, avionics, comms links, sensors, payload integration
- Comfortable troubleshooting across hardware + software boundaries (logs, telemetry, wiring, configs, firmware)
- Experience with safety-first flight operations and structured test processes
- Strong documentation habits: clear build notes, test reports, and change control
Nice to have (not required)
- PX4 / ArduPilot experience, MAVLink, GCS tooling, telemetry analysis
- Experience with RF links, GNSS-denied navigation, EO/IR payloads, gimbals
- Composite structures, vibration analysis, environmental testing
- Regulatory exposure (GCAA / operational approvals) or defence-grade programmes