Principal Software Engineer Location: Fareham Permanent – Full Time Flexi Working £70,000 - £90,000

Our client is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the development of advanced autonomy capabilities for unmanned systems. This hands‑on, R&D‑driven position involves shaping how autonomous vehicles think, plan, and behave in real-world environments.

You’ll work across mission frameworks, guidance, behaviours, obstacle avoidance, and AI‑enhanced autonomy, taking concepts from early experimentation through to reliable, production‑ready deployment. This role also provides technical leadership and mentorship within a multidisciplinary engineering team.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead the design and development of high‑level autonomous behaviours for unmanned vehicles. Design, implement and optimise algorithms for path planning, obstacle avoidance, and mission autonomy. Build robust autonomy software using C++, Python, ROS2, DDS, and Linux-based systems. Integrate autonomy with perception, navigation and hardware systems. Write clean, structured and well‑documented code. Test and validate autonomy software in simulation and real‑world environments. Provide technical leadership, mentoring and guidance to engineering and research staff. Balance exploratory R&D with dependable, production‑ready delivery.About You

Essential:

Strong handsȁ...