UAV Engineer

Job description / Role Job Type Full Time Job Location Dubai, UAE Nationality Any Nationality Salary 75000 - 82000 AED Gender Not Specified Arabic Fluency Not Specified Job Function Engineering - Mechanical & Aeronautical Company Industry Aviation, Airlines & Aerospace 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. 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 Requirements:
• 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, firmwa