Forward Deployed Software Engineer

You won’t be guessing what the customer needs from the other end of the country. You’ll be embedded with them, where the decisions are made.

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 ideated, 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.

You will be embedded with customers in operational environments, the engineer they rely on when our systems are actually in use. Your bug reports will come from someone standing next to you, with the system in their hands and a reason it has to work. The work spans Linux, networking and the software that connects it all: rolling out updates to the systems we already have deployed, keeping connectivity alive and secure wherever they are operating.

The problems you solve will come straight from the field, and the fixes you ship will go straight back there. We are looking for engineers with deep technical knowledge and a genuine desire to support the people using our products, not just the products themselves.

• Roll out and manage software updates to the systems we have deployed in the field, over the network
• Configure, secure and diagnose the networks our systems depend on, from setup through to live fault-finding under pressure
• Debug Linux systems and connectivity issues on the ground, often with limited time and tooling
• Write and maintain the Python software, tooling and automation that hold the platform together
• Act as the technical point of contact for operators, turning field problems into reliable fixes
• Feed real operational issues back to the core engineering team to harden the product

• Proven experience shipping production software; we work mostly in Python, but are language-agnostic for engineers with strong computer-science fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, systems)
• A solid grounding in Linux and networking fundamentals, with hands-on experience diagnosing both
• A track record of earning the trust of experienced, demanding end users on their own terms, through substance and straight talk rather than sales polish
• Able to work on-site in the West Midlands and travel to customer locations, operating with a high degree of autonomy
• Eligible for UK DV clearance (UK national, normally 10 or more years of continuous UK residency)

• Experience operating in deployed or operational environments
• Familiarity with secure or air-gapped network architectures
• Experience shipping software updates to systems already deployed in the field (over-the-air or similar)

The job is demanding enough, so we try to take the everyday pressures off your plate. The benefits are built around that, starting with a genuine stake in what we are building.

• Share options vesting over three years, so you own a real piece of it
• Bupa private health, fully funded from day one
• 6% employer pension contribution
• 25 days leave plus bank holidays, and properly enhanced cover for both parents
• Enterprise level AI tooling, with as many tokens as you need to accelerate your work
• Relocation support if you are moving to join us, or a home office budget if you work remotely

The full detail comes with your offer.