Mechatronics Engineer

Big ideas. Real-world impact. Global opportunity.

At SYOS Aerospace, we’re not here to do things the way they’ve always been done. We’re building the next generation of autonomous systems across air, land, and sea — turning ambitious ideas into technology that works in the real world.

From cutting-edge research, design, and advanced engineering in New Zealand to manufacturing scale-up and global manufacturing delivery in the UK, our teams are turning innovative concepts into operational products used by customers around the world.

This is an opportunity to join a company at a pivotal stage of growth — where the work you do today can open doors across our global teams, projects, and future opportunities.

Whether you’re looking to build an international career in the future, this could be the opportunity that opens the door. As we continue to grow globally, we’re committed to creating career pathways across our teams, projects, and locations.

The SYOS way

We’re growing fast, taking on bigger challenges, and building technology that matters.

At SYOS, you won’t be sitting on the sidelines. You’ll have the opportunity to contribute, challenge ideas, solve problems, and see your work make a real impact.

About the role

As a Mechatronics Engineer, you’ll play a key role in developing, integrating and validating the complex hardware and software systems that bring our autonomous platforms to life.

Working closely with the Air Vehicle Design Lead and multidisciplinary engineering teams across countries, you’ll bridge mechanical engineering, electronics, embedded software and control systems to turn engineering concepts into reliable, field-ready products.

This is a hands-on engineering role where you’ll take ownership of subsystem design decisions, tackle challenging integration problems, and help ensure our uncrewed systems meet demanding performance, safety and regulatory requirements. You’ll contribute across the engineering lifecycle, from initial design and component selection through to integration, verification, ground testing and field trials.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Mechatronic system design: Design and integrate mechatronic subsystems across autonomous platforms, combining mechanical components, electronics, actuators and control systems.
• Component selection and integration: Specify and integrate motors, servos, actuators, drivetrains, mechanisms and sensors for propulsion, control surfaces and payload systems.
• Hardware and software integration: Bring new assemblies from concept to functional subsystem, resolving mechanical, electrical and embedded software interface issues.
• Prototyping and testing: Build, commission and debug mechatronic assemblies, develop test rigs, and conduct bench testing, endurance testing and performance characterisation.
• Electronics and PCB support: Contribute to schematic reviews, component selection and PCB design activities to support the development of reliable mechatronic hardware.
• System verification: Define subsystem requirements, develop verification activities, analyse test data and maintain traceable design and test documentation.
• Vehicle integration and trials: Support vehicle integration, ground testing and field trials, including preparation, pre-test checks, data capture, fault diagnosis and post-test analysis.
• Safety and regulatory compliance: Contribute to safety-critical engineering activities and ensure designs and supporting evidence align with applicable civil aviation, military and defence engineering requirements.
• Configuration management: Maintain hardware configuration baselines across platform variants, ensuring changes are documented, controlled and traceable.
• Cross-functional collaboration and technical leadership: Work with embedded software, systems, propulsion and Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) engineers to resolve complex engineering challenges.

This is an opportunity for an experienced engineer who enjoys working at the intersection of hardware and software, taking ownership of complex technical challenges, and seeing their engineering decisions translate into real-world autonomous capability.

What you’ll bring

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in Mechatronics, Aerospace, Electrical, Software, Computer Systems Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• At least five years’ relevant engineering experience, ideally within aerospace, robotics, defence, autonomous systems or a similar technically demanding environment.
• Strong practical experience in mechatronics and embedded systems, with an understanding of the interaction between mechanical, electrical and software components.
• A solid understanding of hardware/software integration, system-level testing, verification and troubleshooting.
• Experience developing, integrating or supporting autonomous vehicle or autopilot systems.
• Familiarity with relevant autonomous systems technologies and frameworks, such as PX4, ArduPilot, ROS 2, MAVLink or ArduPilot Lua scripting.
• Experience translating engineering requirements into practical designs, test activities and documented verification evidence.
• The ability to diagnose complex faults across mechanical and electrical interfaces and systematically identify their root causes.
• Strong technical documentation skills, including the ability to maintain clear, accurate and traceable engineering records.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts and compliance requirements to engineers and production teams.
• A collaborative mindset and an interest in supporting the development of junior engineers and strengthening wider team capability.

Nice to have

• Experience designing printed circuit boards (PCBs) using Altium Designer, KiCad or similar tools.
• Experience with circuit simulation tools such as LTspice.
• Embedded C development experience, particularly with AVR or STM32 microcontrollers.
• Familiarity with communication interfaces and protocols, including Ethernet, CAN, CAN-FD, SPI and I²C.
• Experience with user interface frameworks such as Qt for autonomous vehicle command-and-control systems.
• Knowledge of civil aviation software assurance standards, including RTCA DO-178C / EUROCAE ED-12C, particularly Design Assurance Levels (DAL) A or B.
• Familiarity with civil aviation regulatory frameworks, including FAA, EASA and UK CAA requirements.
• Experience with military aviation requirements, including NATO STANAGs, Military Aviation Authority (MAA) Regulatory Publications and relevant defence engineering standards.
• Familiarity with safety management requirements, including Def Stan 00-56.
• Experience working within a formal Design Management System or Design Organisation framework. 

The SYOS Mindset

Curious people. Big ideas. No egos. A team that gets things done.

We move fast, embrace challenges, and believe the best solutions come from great teams.

We’re looking for people who:

• Collaborate openly — share ideas, support each other, and focus on the best outcome.
• Adapt and have a go — comfortable with change and excited by the unknown.
• Take ownership — see an opportunity? Step in and make it happen.
• Share knowledge — help others grow and make the team stronger.
• Care about what they build — take pride in creating technology that matters.

We’re a team of innovators, engineers, and problem-solvers who believe that great ideas can come from anyone. The best answer wins — regardless of title or experience.

For this role, that means taking ownership of complex engineering challenges, collaborating across disciplines, maintaining high standards of safety and quality, and continually looking for ways to make our technology better.

We’re not looking for people who just want another job. We’re looking for people who want to be part of the story.

Come build with us. Challenge us. Grow with us.