I'm supporting a leading UK Defence business building an open, modular autonomy architecture for uncrewed surface vessels (USVs).
They're looking for a senior Autonomy Solution Architect to own the end-to-end technical solution for this autonomy line of effort - translating customer missions and operational environments into a coherent system architecture, delivery increments, and evidence-backed releases.
What You'll Be Doing
Define and own the end-to-end autonomy architecture, including onboard systems, mission management, remote operations, communications, simulation environments, payload interfaces, APIs, data models, and service contracts.
Lead roadmap delivery by translating strategy into phased releases, managing dependencies, acceptance criteria, capability maturity, and operational readiness.
Govern system integration, verification, and assurance, ensuring traceability from requirements through testing, defect resolution, supplier integration, and release approval.
Drive architecture standards, reusable virtual integration environments, and safe operation models, including authority transfer, degraded modes, and fail-safe behaviours.
Provide technical leadership across multidisciplinary teams, supporting design reviews, problem-solving, trials, commissioning, and early operational deployments.
Eligibility for UK Security Clearance, and willingness to travel for trials and deployments.
What They're Looking For
Proven experience designing and delivering complex autonomy, robotics, aerospace, automotive, maritime, or other safety-critical cyber-physical systems.
Strong systems engineering expertise, with the ability to translate operational requirements into architectures, interfaces, delivery plans, and technical trade studies.
Hands-on experience with software, networks, sensors, platforms, simulation (SIL/HIL), test automation, integration, troubleshooting, and field trials.
Knowledge of safety engineering, assurance frameworks, supplier management, acceptance governance, and technical delivery leadership.
Excellent stakeholder communication skills, a relevant degree (or equivalent experience)
Desirable (nice to have)
USVs / uncrewed vehicles / remote operating centre experience.
Maritime navigation and COLREG-aware behaviours.
ROS 2, DDS (or comparable robotics middleware).
Sensor fusion + autonomy sensors (radar, EO/IR, AIS, GNSS, lidar, sonar).
MBSE / SysML / digital engineering.
C++/Python and modern software delivery practices.
ODDs, CONOPS, human-machine interaction models.
Prior design authority / technical team leadership; CEng / INCOSE (or working towards).
Package highlights
25 days holiday + bank holidays (rising with service)
Holiday buy/sell (up to 5 days)
Flexi working (core hours 10:00-15:00, team-dependent)
Private medical (optional family cover)
Pension (5% employer contribution)
Life assurance (3x salary), income protection, cash plan
Cycle to Work + electric car scheme
EAP wellbeing support
Professional membership reimbursement
If this is you (or someone you can recommend), message me and I'll share the full detail / context and talk through fit, clearance constraints, and interview process
Salary description
£75000.00 - £100000.00 per year