About this role
About Us <p style="line-height:1.2;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:5pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">STARK is a new kind of defence technology company revolutionising the way autonomous systems are deployed across multiple domains. We design, develop, and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are software-defined, mass-scalable, and cost-effective — providing operators with a decisive edge in contested environments.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.2;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:5pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">We are focused on delivering deployable, high-performance systems — not future promises. In a time of rising threats, STARK is bolstering the technological edge of NATO Allies and their Partners to deter aggression and defend Europe, today.</span></p> Your mission <span style="font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">You will own the flight control and navigation stack that keeps our autonomous platforms stable, predictable, and precise — from first power-on to final approach (GNC = Guidance, Navigation, Control) . This isn't a maintenance role: you're building the control and state-estimation foundation that every other system on the platform depends on, while growing a team of engineers who can own that responsibility with you. Success looks like a navigation and control stack that performs reliably under the demanding, contested conditions our systems are built for</span><span style="font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;text-decoration:none;">. </span> Responsibilities <ul style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;"><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Lead and grow a fast-expanding team of engineers working on flight control, guidance, and state estimation</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Facilitate and execute the technical direction for the STARK autopilot stack: control theory (PID/LQR/MPC), sensor fusion architecture, state estimation (EKF/UKF), and real-time performance</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Partner with hardware, perception, and systems engineering teams to ensure navigation performance holds end-to-end, not just in isolation</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Own technical roadmap planning for your domain and represent it to your Director and cross-functional stakeholders</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Bring software engineering best practices to the team such as the C4 architecture model, clean code principles and software design patterns</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Moderate the peer review process with the team and ensure knowledge sharing and across different seniorities</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Drive hiring, mentoring, and career development for your team as well as ways of working together</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Report on technical risk, schedule, and capacity to leadership</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Drive test and validation strategy, from simulation and HIL testing through live trials</span></p></li></ul> Qualifications <ul style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;"><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">7+ years of software (robotics) engineering experience in the domain of GNC (guidance, navigation, and control)</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">3+ years in a leadership role (Team Lead, Head of, Engineering Manager, or equivalent) with direct people management experience</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Provent track record of deploying robotics software application into production environment</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Strong knowledge about the GNC domain</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Fluent English; German is a plus</span></p></li></ul> Nice to have <ul style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;"><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Proven track record taking autonomous systems with GNSS-denied navigation system from design to production fielded, flight-tested products</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or comparable open-source autopilot stacks</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Background in aerospace, robotics, or MINT programs</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Exposure to systems operating in contested or degraded environments</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Prior experience scaling a technical team in a startup or fast-growing engineering org</span></p></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;margin-left:-6pt;"><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;">Familiarity with MIL-STD or STANAG-aligned development practices</span></p></li></ul><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><br></p><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:3pt;"><span style="font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;text-transform:none;display:inline;">If you're interested in building the future of European defence with us and you see yourself reflected in the description above, please send us your </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;"><u><strong style="border:0px solid rgb(229,231,235);font-family:inherit;font-weight:600;">CV in English</strong></u></span><span style="font-size:14px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;text-transform:none;display:inline;">. We’re looking forward to meeting you.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;"><br></span></p>