Director of Flight Control Systems (All Genders)

Skdse; München; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Stark is seeking a Director of Flight Control Systems to lead end-to-end development, verification, and qualification of next-generation flight control architectures for autonomous defense platforms. You will define the technical roadmap, mentor engineers, and oversee safety-critical flight law implementation from modeling to flight testing.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure high-performance, robust flight behavior in dynamic and contested environments, while steering

Qualifications

• Degree in Aerospace, Electrical, or Control Theory.
• Proven leadership of engineering teams in flight control or safety-critical aerospace.
• Deep expertise in flight dynamics and control laws (PID, LQR, H-infinity).

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale the Flight Control Systems team, setting engineering standards and roadmaps.
• Drive the design of fly-by-wire software, sensor fusion, and actuation control loops.
• Oversee MIL, SIL, and HIL testing and verification.
• Collaborate with systems engineering and flight test crews to validate performance.
• Ensure compliance with safety-critical aerospace and defense standards (DO-178C, DO-254).

Skills

Flight dynamics

Control laws

MATLAB/Simulink

Embedded C/C++

Team leadership

Education

Aerospace Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Control Theory

Tools

Auto-code generation

Embedded toolchain

Job description

At Stark, we forge the future of European and national security through cutting-edge, AI-driven technology and unmatched engineering precision. As a premier defence technology company, our mission is clear: to equip NATO Allies and their partners with next-generation autonomous defence platforms and advanced AI-driven software built to perform in the world’s most demanding environments.

We believe that true security stems from relentless innovation. By combining elite engineering talent with agile technology and an AI-native operational culture, Stark turns complex defence challenges into field-tested, multi-domain solutions.

WHY JOIN US

• The software and systems you work on directly protect personnel and defend European and national sovereignty.
• You will work alongside industry-leading minds on autonomous systems, advanced propulsion, and secure cyber platforms.
• We foster a fast-paced, collaborative environment where bold ideas are supported by serious R&D backing.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Flight Control Systems team at Stark is responsible for safety-critical architectures, control laws, and integrated flight software across autonomous defense platforms. Working closely with systems engineering, aerodynamics, and software teams, we bridge theoretical control theory and field-tested hardware deployment. Our mission is to ensure robust, high-performance, and resilient flight behavior in highly dynamic and contested environments.

YOUR MISSION

As Director of Flight Control Systems (FCS), reporting directly to our VP of Hardware, you will lead the end-to-end development, verification, and qualification of next-generation flight control architectures. You will define the technical roadmap, build and mentor an elite team of control and software engineers, and oversee safety-critical flight law implementation from initial modeling to flight testing.

WHAT YOU WILL DO AT STARK

• Lead and scale the Flight Control Systems team, setting engineering standards, performance goals, and development roadmaps.
• Drive the architectural design of fly-by-wire flight control software, sensor fusion algorithms, and actuation control loops.
• Oversee Model-in-the-Loop (MIL), Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing and verification frameworks.
• Collaborate with systems engineering and flight test crews to validate control system performance during flight test campaigns.
• Ensure compliance with safety-critical aerospace and defense standards (e.g., DO-178C, DO-254, or military flight clearance frameworks).
• Interface with internal cross-functional leadership and external partners to align system requirements with platform capabilities.

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE MISSION

• Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Control Theory, or a related technical field.
• Proven leadership experience managing engineering teams in flight control systems or safety-critical aerospace development.
• Deep expertise in flight dynamics, control laws development (PID, LQR, H-infinity, adaptive control), and MATLAB/Simulink modeling.
• Hands-on background in auto-code generation, embedded C/C++ development, and flight software integration.
• Track record of taking flight control systems from initial concept through ground and flight testing.

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience with autonomous defense platforms or unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
• Familiarity with military certification processes and flight test safety protocols.
• Knowledge of modern software development practices (CI/CD, automated testing, Git).

SECURITY CLEARANCE

Due to the nature of our work in the defence sector, candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance required for this position. Details will be provided during the recruitment process.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

DATA PRIVACY STATEMENT

This data privacy statement, which refers exclusively to data collected as part of the online application process, is to inform you about how your personal data that is collected as part of the online application process is handled at our end.

The controller

The controller under data protection law is:

SKD SE

Französische Strasse 12, 10117 Berlin

Commercial register entry number: HRB 260878

Registration Court: Amtsgericht Charlottenburg

Data Protection officer: heyData GmbH, Schützenstraße 5, 10117 Berlin, www.heydata.eu, [e-mail]

Personal data collected as part of the application process

Personal data means any information concerning the personal or material circumstances of an identified or identifiable individual. This includes information such as, for example, your name, address, telephone number and date of birth, but also data relating to your specific career etc. by reference to which a specific individual can be identified with reasonable effort. However, information which cannot be (in)directly associated with your real-life identity is not personal data.

Fundamentals and purposes of processing personal data collected from application documents and during the application process

If you apply to us electronically, i.e. via e‑mail or using our online form, we will collect and process your personal data for the purpose of executing the application process and preparing contracts.

By submitting an application via our recruitment website, you express your interest in taking up work with us. In this context, you transmit personal data, which we will use and store exclusively for the purpose of your job search / application process.

In particular, the following data is collected during this process:

• name (first and last names)
• e‑mail address
• phone number
• LinkedIn profile (optional)
• channel through which you found us

Furthermore, you can choose to upload expressive documents such as a cover letter, your CV and reference letters. These may contain additional personal data such as date of birth, address etc.

Only authorized HR staff and/or staff involved in the application process have access to your data.

The personal data is stored, as a rule, exclusively for the purpose of filling the vacancy for which you have applied.

Your data will be stored for a period of 180 days after the application process has been concluded. This is usually done to fulfill legal requirements and/or defending ourselves against any claims arising from legal provisions. After this period, we are obligated to delete or anonymize your data. In case of anonymization, the data will only be available to us in the form of so-called metadata, without any direct personal reference, for statistical analysis (for example, share of male and/or female applicants, number of applications per specified period of time etc.).

Furthermore, we reserve the right to store your data for 180 days after the application process has been concluded for the purpose of adding it to our Talent Pool in order to identify any other vacancies that may be of interest to you. This includes, for example, applications for apprenticeships or internships. By accepting the data privacy statement, you consent to any further storage of your data as well as its inclusion in our Talent Pool.

Should you be offered and accept a position with us during the application process, we will store the personal data collected as part of the application process for at least the duration of your employment.

Disclosure of data to third parties

Data transmitted as part of your application will be transferred using TLS encryption and stored in a database. This database is operated by Greenhouse, which offers a human resource and applicant management software solution (https://www.greenhouse.com/data-processing-addendum). In this context, Greenhouse is our processor under article 28 of the GDPR. In this case, the processing is based on an agreement for the processing of orders between us as the controller and Greenhouse.

Rights of data subjects

If we as the controller process personal data, you as the data subject have certain rights under Chapter III of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), depending on the legal basis and the purpose of