Expert Autonomous Systems Engineer (All genders)

STARK is a new kind of defence technology company revolutionizing 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. This provides our operators with a decisive edge in highly contested environments.

Were focused on delivering deployable high-performance systems - not future a time of rising threats STARK is bolstering the technological edge of NATO Allies and their Partners to deter aggression and defend Europe - today.

Reporting directly to the Head of the Control Team the Autonomous System Engineer will drive the development of GNSS-denied navigation guidance and terminal autonomy for unmanned aerial systems. This role is central to enabling reliable autonomous operations in contested and degraded environments from perception-driven navigation to closed-loop terminal guidance.

• Design develop and validate navigation guidance and control (NGC) algorithms for autonomous drones with a strong focus on GNSS-denied and degraded-signal environments.
  
  

• Develop and implement advanced control state estimation and sensor-fusion algorithms including visual-inertial inertial-only or multi-sensor approaches.
  
  

• Implement autonomy and control software primarily in C leveraging the ROS 2 framework and applying test-driven development (TDD) and modern software engineering best practices.
  
  

• Architect integrate and maintain a cohesive ROS 2based autonomy stack combining multiple perception navigation and control packages into a reliable end-to-end autonomous system.
  
  

• Interface the autonomy stack with flight control systems via MAVLink enabling robust command telemetry and state feedback between onboard autonomy and the autopilot.
  
  

• Deploy optimize and validate autonomy software on the NVIDIA Jetson platform accounting for real-time constraints hardware acceleration and power limitations.
  
  

• Perform extensive simulation bench testing and flight testing including debugging complex interactions between perception navigation and control layers.
  
  

• Produce and maintain high-quality technical documentation covering algorithms software architecture testing procedures and system behavior.
  
  

• Collaborate closely with control autopilot AI hardware and systems engineering teams to ensure seamless system integration and mission readiness.
  

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Robotics Computer Science Software Engineering Aerospace Engineering or a closely related discipline.
  

• 1015 years of professional experience in autonomous systems navigation guidance control or robotics software development.

• Advanced proficiency in C/C with strong software design debugging and performance-optimization skills.

• Proven experience developing autonomy software using ROS 2 including node design lifecycle management and inter-process communication.

• Solid background in embedded systems real-time constraints and deployment on resource-constrained hardware.

• Hands-on experience integrating autonomy stacks with MAVLink-based autopilots.

• Strong understanding of navigation and control theory including state estimation sensor fusion and closed-loop guidance.

• Experience deploying and optimizing software on NVIDIA Jetson platforms.

• Excellent problem-solving skills autonomy and the ability to operate effectively in a high-ownership fast-moving startup environment.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work across multidisciplinary teams.

Nice to Have

• Experience with PX4 or ArduPilot autopilot ecosystems.

• Background in GNSS-denied navigation visual navigation terrain-relative navigation or terminal guidance systems.

• Familiarity with computer vision or perception-driven autonomy.

• Experience in defense aerospace or safety-critical autonomous systems.

• Prior involvement in flight testing and real-world deployment of autonomous drones.