Solution Architect - Autonomy (Maritime / Uncrewed Systems) - UK

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.