Flight Operations Engineer/UAV Pilot (UAV Robotics/Mechatronics)

OPENING WE CANNOT PROVIDE VISA SPONSORSHIP DETAILS Preferred starting date: ASAP Weekly availability: full-time (5 days/week, regular travel in EU) Location: Delft, the Netherlands ABOUT THE COMPANY Fiducial is a young but fast-growing deep-tech start-up with big ambitions at the frontier of autonomy, perception, and defence. Our core expertise lies in 3D vision and graphics technologies which we deploy in a dual-use context for inspection and defence. This role will focus mainly on the defence context where we are developing software for advanced on-board UAV situational awareness in military applications. Our solutions are aimed to operate with low-cost and widely available sensors and compute. From there, we plan to develop a line-up of interconnected solutions to safeguard European safety. Our team consists of engineers that are passionate about the technology and solutions they develop. The only time most of us are not thinking about the technology is when we are asleep, and sometimes even then. Our team members have a background in different fields such as Aerospace Engineering, Computational Science and Engineering, Robotics and Computer Graphics. Our office is located in the Aerospace Innovation Hub, a start-up hub located on the TU Delft campus in the faculty of Aerospace Engineering. We work closely with top-tier partners, ranging from government agencies and prime contractors to academic research institutes and other start-ups. Our projects span from large tender orders in collaboration with partners to low TRL research with government agencies. Whether through formal R&D programs or rapid prototyping tracks, we operate at the intersection of innovation and deployment. YOUR ROLE As a Forward Deployed System Integration Engineer - L2 (UAV Robotics), you will be at the center of bringing our autonomy solutions into the real world. You will work hands-on with drone hardware, integrate onboard systems, and deploy software onto real UAV platforms, from agile FPV drones to large fixed-wing aircraft. This role is ideal for someone who loves making physical systems work, thrives in the field, and enjoys solving problems with a combination of practical engineering, Linux skills, and methodical testing. You will become the critical link between our autonomy stack and the aircraft it controls. The L2 level reflects alignment between scope, autonomy, and field responsibility at this stage. It sits within our engineering track (L1, L2, L3, etc.) and provides a clear pathway for progression as you demonstrate impact and ownership in the role. Your responsibilities will include: * Be a key member of the deployment team responsible for deploying autonomy solutions across diverse UAV platforms. * Work hands-on with UAV hardware: assembling, wiring, debugging, and preparing platforms for field deployment. * Travel to partner sites, including international locations, to work on-site and ensure the solutions function reliably in demanding real-world conditions ("in the dirt"). * Integrate and test full-stack autonomy solutions on partner platforms, often in close collaboration with partner engineering teams. * Provide structured and actionable feedback to the product development team, based on observations from field tests and operational flights. * Contribute to improving interfaces between autonomy algorithms and flight controllers, helping shape a more robust deployment pipeline. WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOU * Strong proficiency of working in a fully terminal-based Linux environment, shell scripting for automation and deployment tasks, Linux file system and command-line tools, and debugging system-level issues using the Linux terminal. * Solid understanding of UAV components and hardware, including battery management and practical electronics, with hands-on experience. Ideally you have built, flown, and debugged a drone yourself. * Proven experience working with drone flight controllers such as Ardupilot or Betaflight. * A willingness to pick up and learn new concepts quickly and to self-acquire missing background knowledge. * Adaptability under unforeseen circumstances and ability to think and act under pressure. * A high degree of autonomy, determination and grit in making cool tech work. * Demonstrated ownership in work assigned to you, while taking initiative to drive improvements that benefit the wider team. * Being comfortable with regular travel for project activities within the EU region (up to 1 week at a time and up to 2 weeks per month). * Full time availability (40 hours). Bonus: * An obsessive level of passion for drones, like the rest of us here. * Experience of Python or C++ development. * Valid driver’s license (Category B, suitable for travel abroad). * Drones pilot license or willingness to acquire one upon joining the team. While having the perfect background is nice, if you are able to present evidence of outstanding engineering and execution capability we are interested in talking regardless. If you are the right fit, we believe in your ability to pick up the required background knowledge on the fly. WHAT WE OFFER * Money of course. * 25 vacation days per year. * Reimbursed travel expenses and company laptop. * Traveling abroad to work with our partners. * (Really) flexible working hours and option to work from home 2 days per week (when not abroad). * Working in an international, world-class team of engineers and entrepreneurs solving real-life problems with amazing technology. * Large freedom in how you work and implement solutions, project ownership is incredibly important to us. * The opportunity to take technical risks, to implement stuff the ‘right’ way and to iterate quickly with tight feedback loops. We are innovating, learning is to be expected. * Responsibility over the things you implement, you are the expert on what you build. THE APPLICATION PROCEDURE * If after reading the above you are convinced you are the right person for the job, send us some information about yourself; this can be a resume, website or other source, as long as we get a clear impression of your background and skills. * We’ll get back to you as soon as possible. If we see a potential fit, you’ll first receive a short follow-up questionnaire. Based on your answers, we’ll invite you for a technical interview. This interview is an opportunity to talk through a real problem/scenario and show us you think and communicate. * If at this point we feel you are the person we are looking for, we’ll discuss the specifics. * Welcome to the team!

OPENING WE CANNOT PROVIDE VISA SPONSORSHIP DETAILS Preferred starting date: ASAP Weekly availability: full-time (5 days/week, minimum 60% travel in EU) Location: Aerospace Innovation Hub, Delft, the Netherlands ABOUT THE COMPANY Fiducial is a young but fast-growing deep-tech start-up with big ambitions at the frontier of autonomy, perception, and defence. Our core expertise lies in 3D vision and graphics technologies which we deploy in a dual-use context for inspection and defence. This role will focus mainly on the defence context where we are developing software for advanced on-board UAV situational awareness in military applications. Our solutions are aimed to operate with low-cost and widely available sensors and compute. From there, we plan to develop a line-up of interconnected solutions to safeguard European safety. Our team consists of engineers that are passionate about the technology and solutions they develop. The only time most of us are not thinking about the technology is when we are asleep, and sometimes even then. Our team members have a background in different fields such as Aerospace Engineering, Computational Science and Engineering, Robotics and Computer Graphics. Our office is located in the Aerospace Innovation Hub, a start-up hub located on the TU Delft campus in the faculty of Aerospace Engineering. We work closely with top-tier partners, ranging from government agencies and prime contractors to academic research institutes and other start-ups. Our projects span from large tender orders in collaboration with partners to low TRL research with government agencies. Whether through formal R&D programs or rapid prototyping tracks, we operate at the intersection of innovation and deployment. YOUR ROLE As a Forward Deployed System Integration Engineer - L2 (UAV Robotics), you will be at the center of bringing our autonomy solutions into the real world. You will work hands-on with drone hardware, integrate onboard systems, and deploy software onto real UAV platforms — from agile FPV drones to large fixed-wing aircraft. This role is ideal for someone who loves making physical systems work, thrives in the field, and enjoys solving problems with a combination of practical engineering, Linux skills, and methodical testing. You will become the critical link between our autonomy stack and the aircraft it controls. The L2 level reflects alignment between scope, autonomy, and field responsibility at this stage. It sits within our engineering track (L1, L2, L3, etc.) and provides a clear pathway for progression as you demonstrate impact and ownership in the role. Your responsibilities will include: * Be a key member of the deployment team responsible for deploying autonomy solutions across diverse UAV platforms. * Work hands-on with UAV hardware: assembling, wiring, debugging, and preparing platforms for field deployment. * Travel to partner sites, including international locations, to work on-site and ensure the solutions function reliably in demanding real-world conditions ("in the dirt"). * Integrate and test full-stack autonomy solutions on partner platforms, often in close collaboration with partner engineering teams. * Provide structured and actionable feedback to the product development team, based on observations from field tests and operational flights. * Contribute to improving interfaces between autonomy algorithms and flight controllers, helping shape a more robust deployment pipeline. WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOU * Strong proficiency of working in a fully terminal-based Linux environment, shell scripting for automation and deployment tasks, Linux file system and command-line tools, and debugging system-level issues using the Linux terminal. * Solid understanding of UAV components and hardware, including battery management and practical electronics, with hands-on experience. Ideally you have built, flown, and debugged a drone yourself. * Proven experience working with drone flight controllers such as Ardupilot or Betaflight. * A willingness to pick up and learn new concepts quickly and to self-acquire missing background knowledge. * Adaptability under unforeseen circumstances and ability to think and act under pressure. * A high degree of autonomy, determination and grit in making cool tech work. * Demonstrated ownership in work assigned to you, while taking initiative to drive improvements that benefit the wider team. * Being comfortable with regular travel within the EU region, often over extended duration (up to 3 weeks at a time, followed by 2 weeks or more on-site). * Full time availability (40 hours). Bonus: * An obsessive level of passion for drones, like the rest of us here. * Practical experience building and deploying Docker containers. * Experience of Python or C++ development. * Valid driver’s license (Category B, suitable for travel abroad). * Drones pilot license or willingness to acquire one upon joining the team. While having the perfect background is nice, if you are able to present evidence of outstanding engineering and execution capability we are interested in talking regardless. If you are the right fit, we believe in your ability to pick up the required background knowledge on the fly. WHAT WE OFFER * Money of course. * 25 vacation days per year. * Reimbursed travel expenses and company laptop. * Traveling abroad to work with our partners. * (Really) flexible working hours and option to work from home 2 days per week (when not abroad). * Working in an international, world-class team of engineers and entrepreneurs solving real-life problems with amazing technology. * Large freedom in how you work and implement solutions, project ownership is incredibly important to us. * The opportunity to take technical risks, to implement stuff the ‘right’ way and to iterate quickly with tight feedback loops. We are innovating, learning is to be expected. * Responsibility over the things you implement, you are the expert on what you build. THE APPLICATION PROCEDURE * If after reading the above you are convinced you are the right person for the job, send us some information about yourself; this can be a resume, website or other source, as long as we get a clear impression of your background and skills. * We’ll get back to you as soon as possible. If we see a potential fit, you’ll first receive a short follow-up questionnaire. Based on your answers, we’ll invite you for a technical interview. This interview is an opportunity to talk through a real problem/scenario and show us you think and communicate. * If at this point we feel you are the person we are looking for, we’ll discuss the specifics. * Welcome to the team!