Autopilot Engineer (Control)

About Us 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. 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 As an Autopilot Engineer you will develop, adjust, and maintain flight controller firmware and autopilot systems that enable stable, reliable, and high-performance control of unmanned platforms under real-world operational constraints.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain autopilot firmware for all systems (PX4-based systems)

• Develop and customise our systems for all platforms

• Implement and tune low-level control loops (PID, LQR, rate, attitude, and actuator control)

• Work directly with flight controllers (MCU-based systems) and embedded hardware

• Develop and integrate sensor drivers (IMU, barometer, magnetometer, GPS, air data)

• Optimize real-time performance on constrained systems (NuttX / RTOS environments)

• Interface high-level autonomy (ROS2) with low-level autopilot systems (MAVLink / DDS bridges)

• Perform hardware-software integration, calibration, and validation

• Support pre-arm checks, safety systems, and failsafe mechanisms

• Debug issues across firmware, drivers, and hardware layers

• Conduct HIL/SIL testing and real-world flight tests

• Document system architecture, tuning procedures, and validation results

Qualifications

• Integrated Master's (Dipl. Eng.) or higher in Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE), Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace, or Applied Mathematics & Physical Sciences (TEMFE).

• Strong foundation in mathematics and physics (dynamics, kinematics)

• Deep understanding of flight dynamics and control principles

• Hands-on experience with PX4 systems, ArduPilot (ArduCopter, ArduPlane), iNav, Betaflight, AuterionOS, and MAVLink Protocol

• Experience with flight controllers and embedded microcontrollers (MCUs)

• Strong C/C++ programming skills (embedded / real-time systems)

• Experience developing low-level firmware and sensor drivers

• Familiarity with IMU, barometer, magnetometer, GNSS, air data sensors

• Understanding of real-time operating systems (e.g. NuttX)

• Experience with system integration and hardware debugging

• Strong debugging and performance tuning skills

Nice to have

Experience with ArduPilot or PX4 internals (uORB, WorkQueues, modules)

Knowledge of uXRCE-DDS, or ROS2 integration

Experience with hardware bring-up and PCB-level debugging

Familiarity with redundant IMU architectures and sensor voting

Experience with high-shock environments

Understanding of safety-critical systems and failsafe design

MATLAB / Python for control tuning and analysis

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 CV in English. We´re looking forward to meeting you!