Head of Flight Test

STARK

ABOUT US STARK is a new kind of defence technology company. We design, develop, and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are software-defined, mass-scalable, and cost-effective, changing how autonomous systems are deployed across multiple domains. This gives our operators a decisive edge in highly contested environments. As threats rise, STARK is strengthening the technological edge of NATO Allies and their Partners to deter aggression and defend Europe. YOUR MISSION As Head of Flight Test, you own STARK’s flight test organisation end to end: the pilots and operators who fly the aircraft, the flight test engineers who design the tests and run the instrumentation, the operations managers who deliver production, experimental, and customer-facing campaigns, and the staff responsible for flight test safety and operating permits. You will start in Germany, turning a fast-growing team into a mature flight test capability of roughly 40+ people that can execute operations in multiple locations, with requisite Operator permits (civil and military) as needed for the different classes of loitering munition and drones in STARK’s growing portfolio.  From there you build outward to 2028: a global organisation with local units in the UK, Ukraine, and Greece, each running common STARK processes under its own national authority. You are accountable for how fast STARK tests and how safely it does so. When those two pull against each other, you make the decision and take ownership. RESPONSIBILITIES ORGANISATION & LEADERSHIP * Own the full flight test organisation across four pillars: Pilots & Operators, Flight Test Engineering, Flight Test Operations, and Safety & Compliance. * Hire and develop the pillar leads, and build the career ladders and competency standards that take the German organisation to its ~40+-person target and beyond. * Carry budget, headcount, schedule, and tempo accountability for flight test as a whole. FLIGHT TEST STRATEGY & METHODOLOGY * Define STARK’s flight test strategy across all platforms (Virtus, Cascade, Gambit and the small to large scale effectors that follow). * Own the envelope-expansion and build-up philosophy: how a test point moves from simulation to flying testbed (for example a Twin Otter-class surrogate) to the air vehicle, de-risking at each step. * Own the master Flight Test Operations Manual (FTOM), the test-planning methodology (test cards, Flight and Test Readiness Reviews), and the flight test engineering (FTE) and instrumentation (FTI) standards. * Own the data lifecycle: quality, traceability, and results that stand up as cerification evidence. Flight safety & airworthiness * Hold the independent flight test safety function: Safety Review Boards, hazard analysis, risk acceptance, abort criteria, and emergency response at every test site. * Keep flight test activity inside approved limits (Permit-to-Fly, operational authorisations) and drive STARK toward its LUC and DOA-grade airworthiness posture. * Give safety dissent a hard, codified path to the Accountable Manager that schedule pressure cannot override. CAMPAIGN DELIVERY * Deliver three campaign types through the Operations pillar: production-acceptance flights at volume, developmental flight tests  for engineering, and customer-facing demonstration and qualification  flights. * Stand up a high-throughput production-acceptance regime as delivery contracts convert to volume, and run it as its own discipline, in parallel to the engineering flight tests. * Be responsible for flight operations, from obtaining permits, ensuring team and equipment logistics, and crew resource management  and training across German and international test locations. REGULATORY INTERFACE & THE 2028 BUILD * Act as STARK’s senior flight test interface to LBA, LufABw, BAAINBw / WTD, and EASA in Germany. * Decide which global processes shall apply  (methodology, safety framework, FTE/FTI standards, data tooling, competency standards) and what is owned by local flight test teams  (authority interface, named postholders, operational approvals). * Stand up local flight test organisations in the UK, Ukraine, and Greece that report into the global function and run national procedures on top of the common baseline. * Appoint the accountable safety and airworthiness postholders each national authority requires, for example, the MAA / CFAOS Accountable Manager (Military Flying) in the UK. YOUR FIRST 12 MONTHS Timeframe Focus What this looks like Month 0–2 Assess & take command Complete STARK safety and flight operations induction. Map the current organisation, campaigns, platforms, and authority relationships. Meet the function leads, and identify the immediate gaps in safety, staffing, and process. Take operational ownership of the running campaign calendar. Month 2–4 Set the German baseline Publish the master FTOM and safety framework. Stand up the independent Safety Review Board. Lay out the roadmap to EASA LUC approval. Close the most urgent senior hires. Month 4–8 Build the organisation Fill the pillar-lead and senior roles. Standardise test-planning, instrumentation, and data processes across all three campaign types. Bring production-acceptance up to a volume-ready standard.  Month 8–12 Extend beyond Germany Define the global-versus-local operating model. Stand up the first local flight test organisation (UK or Ukraine) with its named postholders and authority interface. Set the 2027–2028 plan for the remaining countries. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED * 12+ years in flight test, military aviation, or aerospace test and evaluation, including 5+ years leading flight test  teams or organisations. * A track record of building or running a flight test capability, with end-to-end accountability for campaigns from test plan to certification evidence. * Working knowledge of UAV operating permits (EASA  "specific" category, and/or military airworthiness DEMAR / EMAR). * A grounding in flight test engineering, and data analysis. * Business-fluent English (C1+); German at working level for the authority interface, or a credible plan to get there. * NATO member-state citizen, eligible for German security clearance (Ü2/Ü3), and willing to build teams on the ground in the UK, Ukraine, and Greece. PREFERRED * Graduate of a recognised test pilot school (ETPS, EPNER, USNTPS, NTPS) or a flight test engineering long course. * UAS, loitering-munitions, or eVTOL flight test background. * Prior Design Organisation experience and named postholder / Form 4 acceptance. * Experience standing up flight test operations in more than one country. * Working knowledge of STANAG 4586 and STANAG 4671. MINDSET * Safety authority first: You hold the line when the schedule pushes against it, and people trust the call because you have earned it. * Builder by instinct: You have written the processes and stood up the teams before, and you would rather build an organisation than inherit one. * Regulator-credible: Colonels, certification inspectors, and junior technicians all get what they need from you, in the right register. * Comfortable with tempo: STARK tests fast and fails forward on purpose, and you keep that pace without letting safety slip.

STARK

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 — providing operators with a decisive edge in contested environments. 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. YOUR MISSION We are on a mission to push the boundaries of UAV technology. To take our operations to the next level, we are actively working to secure our Operating Certificate from the LBA. As a Flight Operations & Compliance Specialist you will support the Head of Flight Test to execute the day-to-day regulatory and compliance operations that keep our aircraft legally in the air.  You will be the vital bridge between aviation regulations and our flight crew. Your job is to make safety and compliance work in real life. You will translate complex requirements into practical checklists, run workshops for our pilots, and ensure our field operations are seamless, safe, and fully audit-ready. RESPONSIBILITIES * You will lead the preparation of SORA-based applications, including ConOps drafting, ground risk calculations, and OSO evidence compilation. * Help build up, implement, and maintain our internal Flight Safety Procedures from the ground up as we march toward our LBA certification. * Maintain the Operations Manual as a living document, ensuring it reflects current equipment, personnel, and procedures.  * Monitor EASA (EU) 2019/947, JARUS outputs, and national regulations.  * Own the central register for remote pilots and test crew (licenses, medicals, type ratings, and SQEP designations). * Manage a 90/60/30-day expiry-tracking system to ensure zero lapses in operational currency. * Coordinate recurrent training and prepare personnel records for NAA audits and insurance reviews. * Administer the safety reporting system, ensuring mandatory logs are submitted to the NAA within legal timeframes. * Track incident investigations and corrective actions to closure. Compile Safety Performance Indicator (SPI) data for trend analysis. * Gather evidence and draft checklists to ensure alignment with the Operations Manual. * Prepare documentation for Military Permits to Fly and Experimental Certificates, including flight test plans and hazard footprints.  * Manage NOTAMs, exclusion zone maps, and communication plans for flight days.  * On-Site Compliance: Act as the compliance representative during test campaigns, verifying briefings and adherence to approved authorisations. QUALIFICATIONS * Degree in aerospace engineering, aviation management, aviation safety, or a related technical field. Military aviation training backgrounds are welcome. * 3–5 years experience in aviation safety, flight operations, UAS operations, or regulatory compliance. * Working knowledge of EASA Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and the SORA methodology. You may not have led a full SORA submission independently, but you understand the framework, the 10-step process, and the relationship between GRC, ARC, SAIL, and OSOs. * Experience with aviation documentation systems: operations manuals, flight logs, safety reports, or qualification records. * Familiarity with Safety Management System principles (ICAO Annex 19 or equivalent). Formal SMS training is a plus but not required if you have practical exposure. * Business-fluent English required. German is a strong advantage. * You will be exposed to regulatory complexity that most professionals encounter much later in their careers. You actively seek to understand, not just to execute. Ask “why” before you ask “how.” NICE TO HAVE * Direct experience preparing or contributing to SORA-based operational authorisation applications for any European NAA.  * Direct previous exposure or collaboration with the LBA or other National Aviation Authorities.   * Internal auditor training or experience (ISO 9001, AS9100, or aviation-specific audit frameworks). * Familiarity with EASA Part 21 concepts, Design Verification Reports, or type certification processes. * Previous exposure to military aviation environments, test ranges, or defence procurement processes.

STARK

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 — providing operators with a decisive edge in contested environments. 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. YOUR MISSION 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.  RESPONSIBILITIES * Lead and grow a fast-expanding team of engineers working on flight control, guidance, and state estimation * 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 * Partner with hardware, perception, and systems engineering teams to ensure navigation performance holds end-to-end, not just in isolation * Own technical roadmap planning for your domain and represent it to your Director and cross-functional stakeholders * Bring software engineering best practices to the team such as the C4 architecture model, clean code principles and software design patterns * Moderate the peer review process with the team and ensure knowledge sharing and across different seniorities * Drive hiring, mentoring, and career development for your team as well as ways of working together * Report on technical risk, schedule, and capacity to leadership * Drive test and validation strategy, from simulation and HIL testing through live trials QUALIFICATIONS * 7+ years of software (robotics) engineering experience in the domain of GNC (guidance, navigation, and control) * 3+ years in a leadership role (Team Lead, Head of, Engineering Manager, or equivalent) with direct people management experience * Provent track record of deploying robotics software application into production environment * Strong knowledge about the GNC domain * Fluent English; German is a plus NICE TO HAVE * Proven track record taking autonomous systems with GNSS-denied navigation system from design to production fielded, flight-tested products * Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or comparable open-source autopilot stacks * Background in aerospace, robotics, or MINT programs * Exposure to systems operating in contested or degraded environments * Prior experience scaling a technical team in a startup or fast-growing engineering org * Familiarity with MIL-STD or STANAG-aligned development practices 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.