About this role
About Us
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.
We’re 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.
Your mission
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.
Responsibilities
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 2–based 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.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
10–15 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.
If you´re intersted in building the future of European Defence with us, and you see yourself reflected in the description above, please send us your CV in English. We´re looking forward to meeting you!
Recruiter for this position
For further information please reach out to Vicente Gracia via email: vicente.gracia@skd.systems