Principal Software Engineer GCS

At EDGE bold ideas are engineered into technologies that protect, improve and save lives.

Headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, EDGE is a leading advanced technology group working at the forefront of defence and emerging technologies. Spanning more than 35 specialised companies and multiple centres of excellence, we are purpose-built to move fast. Free from heavy legacy processes, we give our people the autonomy, accountability, and agility to bring breakthrough technologies from concept to reality.

Based in Abu Dhabi, a globally connected hub at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, EDGE is home to a truly multicultural community where bold ideas thrive, and the future is shaped.

Together, we are shaping the future.

We are seeking an experienced Principal Software Engineer to lead the design, development, integration, and verification of software for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Ground Control Station (GCS) systems. The role will focus on developing reliable, secure, and high-performance software supporting mission planning, command and control, flight monitoring, telemetry visualization, payload management, and real-time situational awareness.

The successful candidate will provide technical leadership in software architecture, HMI/UI development, system integration, and automated testing while collaborating closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams. This role requires strong expertise in C/C++, real-time and embedded systems, communication interfaces, and mission‑critical software engineering, with a focus on system reliability, operational safety, cybersecurity, and mission effectiveness.

• Lead the design, development, integration, testing, and maintenance of UAV Ground Control Station software.
• Develop and enhance software capabilities for mission planning, command and control, flight monitoring, telemetry visualization, vehicle health monitoring, alerts, payload control, video streaming, and map‑based situational awareness.
• Lead the development of intuitive and reliable Human‑Machine Interfaces (HMI) and User Interfaces (UI) for mission operations and real‑time vehicle monitoring.
• Integrate UAV autopilots, navigation systems, avionics, payload controllers, sensors, and communication systems with GCS applications.
• Design and implement reliable communication interfaces for RF, SATCOM, IP networks, and UAV datalinks, addressing latency, packet loss, communication interruptions, and degraded operating conditions.
• Develop real‑time data processing capabilities for telemetry, navigation, video, payload information, and vehicle health monitoring.
• Define and maintain scalable, modular, maintainable, and high‑performance software architectures.
• Lead code reviews, technical design reviews, software estimation, development planning, and engineering best practices.
• Develop and maintain automated testing frameworks covering unit, integration, system, simulation, and Hardware‑in‑the‑Loop (HIL) testing.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex software, system integration, communication, and real‑time performance issues during laboratory, field, and flight‑test activities.
• Support requirements analysis, software verification and validation, configuration management, and technical documentation throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Contribute to cybersecurity hardening and the implementation of secure communication mechanisms for GCS applications.
• Ensure software development activities comply with applicable aerospace, defence, safety, quality, and interoperability standards.
• Collaborate with systems engineering, avionics, embedded software, networking, AI/autonomy, hardware, cybersecurity, testing, and flight operations teams.
• Pr…