Simulation Engineer

Before a new capability reaches one of our UAVs, it has already flown thousands of times in simulation. You will build the simulation.

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 designed and manufactured end-to-end in the UK, and in active use today. We are deliberately low-profile: a team of around 60, 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.

The role

You will develop and maintain the simulation software we use to test our UAVs and their connected systems before deployment, and to support operator training and mission rehearsal. Flight control, autonomy, communications and ground control software run together in this environment, helping us find problems before they reach real aircraft.

The role centres on developing a dependable and easy-to-use simulation application, that lets users configure scenarios, run simulations and interpret results. You will own features and improvements through design, implementation, testing and delivery, alongside colleagues who understand the aircraft, its control systems and how it is operated. The work also includes implementing and validating physical models, integrating with external applications, and automated testing.

This is a mid-level role, primarily suited to a software engineer with practical C++ experience who wants to develop their expertise in simulation. We are also interested in engineers from physical modelling or simulation backgrounds who bring substantial programming experience and want to develop their C++ skills.

You do not need an aerospace or defence background, or prior expertise in every area below. The balance of work will reflect your existing strengths and grow as you learn the systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the C++ simulation application and the features used by engineers, trainers and operators.
• Improve the simulation's performance, reliability and usability for developers, trainers and operators.
• Integrate flight control, autonomy, communications and ground control software, and investigate faults that emerge when these systems run together.
• Implement and improve vehicle and sensor models, working with aircraft and control-system engineers to understand their assumptions and validate their behaviour against measured flight data.
• Build repeatable simulation scenarios, automate headless runs and results reporting in CI/CD, and turn recorded flights and reported faults into regression tests.
• Contribute to areas such as networked multi-vehicle simulation, realistic virtual environments and synthetic sensor data.
• Take part in flight testing to gather validation data, understand how the real system behaves and use what you learn to improve the simulation.

Minimum:

• Proven experience developing, debugging and maintaining modern C++ software.
• Working knowledge of Python for scripting, automation and basic data analysis.
• Experience using version control and automated tests, and contributing to design discussions and code reviews.
• Comfortable working across simulation, application code, networking, tooling and build systems.
• Experience in physical modelling or a willingness to learn it.
• Prepared to join the team for flight tests in the field and help gather flight data for validation.
• Able to meet the role's UK security clearance (SC) requirements. Applicants should normally have been resident in the UK for the past five years.

Preferred:

• Physical simulation mathematics, including rigid-body dynamics, numerical integration, coordinate frames and conventions.
• Flight dynamics or 6-DOF modelling, including model correlation and validation against measured flight data.
• Performance-sensitive C++ development, profiling, real-time execution, or deterministic behaviour.
• Integrating software and hardware, including work in autonomous vehicles, aerospace, robotics, motorsport or simulation-heavy games.
• Model-, software-, hardware- or vehicle-in-the-loop testing (MIL, SIL, HIL, VIL).
• Distributed or networked simulation, including time synchronisation, state replication and behaviour over unreliable links.
• Unreal Engine or another real-time simulation engine, particularly its systems and performance aspects.
• Virtual environments, synthetic sensor data, virtual reality or trials involving real operators.
• Model-based design or verification using tools such as MATLAB/Simulink or SysML, or experience working to standards such as ISO 26262 or DO-178C.
• Building CI/CD workflows for automated builds, tests and simulation runs.
• Using AI coding agents to speed up development and implement guardrails that enforce code quality.

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