Robotics Engineer

Combine hardware, software, UAVs and piloting for a real-world hands-on role where no two days are the same.

Minerva Defence is one of the fastest-growing defence technology companies in Europe. We create the software, hardware and networking that make unmanned systems effective on the modern battlefield, all ideated, designed and manufactured end-to-end in the UK, and in active use today. We are deliberately low-profile: a team of around 70, small in headcount and outsized in effect. We look for people who are not just talented but genuinely committed to the work, the team, and the purpose behind it.

This role sits at the centre of the platform's capability development, working directly with the users to understand what they need and then building it. You'll own the full arc: hardware integration, software development, flight validation. In the short term there's hands-on flight testing involved, and most engineers here would tell you that's one of the better parts of the job. Over time, as the team grows, you'll have more say over where you focus.

Responsibilities

• Own the development of new platform capabilities end to end, from requirement through to field validation
• Integrate hardware including sensors, camera systems, and communications equipment into the platform
• Develop software across perception, navigation, and communications, with real accountability for what ships
• Work on robotic navigation challenges including SLAM and localisation in GPS-constrained environments
• Take part in flight testing and validation.
• Work directly with users; their feedback is your brief
• Contribute to the long-term autonomy and sensing roadmap for the platform

Requirements

Minimum:

• Solid, applied experience in robotics engineering, not just academic familiarity
• Hands-on work with robotic navigation, SLAM, or computer vision in a real system
• Comfortable working across hardware and software, the full stack of a physical system
• Python proficiency; experience with ROS or similar frameworks a strong plus
• Eligible for UK security clearance (SC): UK citizen or 5+ years UK residency

Preferred:

• Experience with UAV, UAS, or autonomous aerospace systems
• Familiarity with PX4 or ArduPilot
• Knowledge of RF, radio, or communications systems integration
• Track record of taking a capability from prototype to something that actually gets used
• Comfortable in a role where the scope is real and the priorities occasionally shift with a phone call

Benefits

We offer competitive compensation including;

• Share options vesting over three years
• Bupa private medical insurance
• 6% employer pension contribution
• 25 days leave plus bank holidays
• Enhanced mat/pat leave
• Enterprise level AI tooling
• Relocation support/home office budget