Principal C2 Software Engineer

Principal C2 Software Engineer

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Industry: Aerospace | Defence | Advanced Air Mobility | Autonomous Systems
Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time

Volantes Technical Recruitment is supporting an ambitious next-generation aerospace programme in Dubai and is seeking an experienced Principal C2 Software Engineer to lead the development and integration of advanced Command & Control (C2) software solutions.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of sophisticated mission-critical systems supporting autonomous aircraft operations, secure communications and integrated mission management capabilities.

• Lead the design, development and integration of mission-critical C2 software systems.

• Develop scalable software architectures supporting command, control, communications and mission operations.

• Design and implement software interfaces between aircraft platforms, ground control systems and external mission networks.

• Support real-time data processing, telemetry, mission planning and operational decision-support capabilities.

• Develop and integrate software solutions for autonomous and remotely operated aircraft systems.

• Work closely with systems engineering, communications, network architecture and software integration teams.

• Support software verification, validation, integration testing and system-level qualification.

• Ensure software development aligns with applicable aerospace, defence, cybersecurity and safety-critical engineering standards.

• Provide technical leadership, design reviews and mentoring to engineering teams.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering or a related discipline.

• Significant experience developing complex, mission-critical software within aerospace, defence, UAV/UAS or other safety-critical environments.

• Strong understanding of Command & Control (C2), mission management or ground control software architectures.

• Proficiency in C++ and/or Python, with experience developing distributed or real-time software systems.

• Experience with software integration, communications protocols, APIs and networked systems.

• Familiarity with Linux-based development environments and modern software engineering practices.

• Understanding of software verification, validation and system integration methodologies.

• Experience working within multidisciplinary engineering teams on complex technical programmes.

• Experience developing C2 software for UAVs, autonomous aircraft or defence platforms.

• Knowledge of ground control stations, mission planning systems and operational control centres.

• Experience with secure datalinks, telemetry systems and interoperability protocols.

• Familiarity with MBSE, SysML and systems engineering methodologies.

• Understanding of aerospace software assurance standards such as DO-178C, where applicable.

• Experience with distributed architectures, middleware, DDS or ROS 2.

This opportunity offers the chance to join a highly innovative aerospace development programme in the UAE, working alongside experienced international engineers on advanced aircraft and mission systems technology.

You will play a key technical role in shaping the software capabilities of a next-generation aerospace platform.