Field Robotics Engineer – Data Operations (All Genders)

STARK; München; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Stark is seeking a Senior Sensor Integration Engineer to lead the end-to-end integration of multi-sensor platforms. You will bridge hardware and software, implementing drivers and ROS2 nodes for EO/IR cameras, lidar, radar, IMUs, and GNSS on embedded compute.

You will ensure precise time synchronization and calibration for high-fidelity data used by ML teams. You will participate in field campaigns across Europe, validating recordings in real-world conditions and contributing to documentation to

Qualifications

• Bachelor or higher in a robotics/engineering field.
• Proficient in Python and C++ for hardware interfacing and robotics.
• Experience with ROS2 on embedded Linux platforms and hardware protocols (I2C, SPI, CAN, Serial, Ethernet).
• Experience calibrating and synchronizing multi-sensor rigs and data collection in field conditions.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end integration of sensor suites (EO/IR, lidar, radar, IMU, GNSS).
• Design and implement sensor drivers and ROS2 nodes with hardware interfaces.
• Solve temporal synchronization (PTP, PPS, hardware triggers) across distributed sensors.
• Develop calibration routines (camera-camera, camera-IMU) for spatial fusion.
• Build onboard recording stack on NVIDIA Jetson with GStreamer and rosbag/MCAP.

Skills

Python

C++

ROS2

Git

CI/CD

Education

Degree in Robotics, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science

Tools

NVIDIA Jetson

GStreamer

OpenCV

MCAP/rosbag

Docker

Ethernet / RTSP

GigE Vision

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 Data Operations team owns the entire data lifecycle behind STARK's AI stack: collection, acquisition, generation, curation, and management. We run our own data-collection campaigns across Europe, evaluate new sensors and platforms, and build the internal data platform that turns raw recordings into ready-to-use datasets. Everything we produce feeds directly into the perception and autonomy systems deployed on STARK's platforms — a real data advantage is built, not bought. The team is scaling up right now: real scope, direct impact, no legacy.

Your Mission

You are the technical owner of our multi-sensor recording systems — the bridge between raw hardware and the datasets our ML teams train on. You work at the critical intersection of hardware and software: integrating EO/IR cameras, lidar, radar, and IMUs over their real interfaces, adapting the drivers and ROS2 nodes that capture them, solving time synchronization down to the microsecond, and calibrating multi-sensor rigs so every stream is spatially and temporally unified. And you don't just build in the lab: you regularly join our data-collection campaigns across Europe, deploying your systems under real conditions and making sure the data we bring home is worth training on.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end integration of our sensor suites — EO/IR cameras, gimbals, lidar, radar, IMU, GNSS — from electrical interfaces and wiring to working recording pipelines
• Design and implement sensor drivers and ROS2 nodes, working directly with hardware protocols including I2C, SPI, CAN, Serial, MIPI/CSI-2, GigE Vision, and Ethernet (RTSP/UDP)
• Solve temporal synchronization across distributed sensors (PTP, PPS, hardware triggering) so all streams are perfectly aligned for fusion and labeling
• Develop and execute rigorous intrinsic and extrinsic calibration routines (camera-camera, camera-IMU) to spatially unify the sensor rigs
• Build and optimize the onboard recording stack on embedded compute (NVIDIA Jetson): hardware-accelerated video pipelines (GStreamer), efficient logging (MCAP/rosbag), and storage throughput under compute, thermal, and bandwidth constraints
• Evaluate new sensors hands-on at the bench — from probing electrical interfaces with diagnostic tools to benchmarking SDKs — and turn results into clear integration decisions
• Join field data-collection campaigns across Europe: prepare and verify sensor setups, operate the recording systems on-site, diagnose hardware and software issues in real time, and validate recordings before leaving the site
• Produce integration documentation and calibration reports so every setup is reproducible by the team

Required Skills

• Degree in Robotics, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or comparable practical experience
• Proficiency in Python and C++ for robotics and hardware interfacing
• Experience with ROS2, including deployment on physical systems
• Hands‑on experience with several hardware protocols such as I2C, SPI, CAN, Serial, or Ethernet-based sensor communication
• Experience integrating cameras or other sensors on embedded Linux platforms, ideally NVIDIA Jetson
• Solid computer vision fundamentals: camera models, distortion, projection geometry, OpenCV
• Good understanding of coordinate frames, transformations, and time synchronization in distributed systems — practical calibration experience is a strong plus
• Comfortable with hardware diagnostic tools (multimeter, oscilloscope) as well as modern software workflows (Git, CI, Docker)
• Practical and structured; willingness to travel regularly for field campaigns and to work outdoors in various conditions

Nice-To-Have

• UAV or mobile robot experience; PX4/ArduPilot and MAVLink basics
• Photogrammetry + 3D Reconstruction
• Low‑level driver development or customization on embedded Linux
• GStreamer hardware-accelerated pipelines, JetPack/L4T, CUDA/TensorRT
• MIPI/CSI-2 camera bring‑up, ISP tuning, or Linux kernel/device tree exposure
• Calibration tooling such as Kalibr; lidar and point cloud processing (PCL, Open3D)
• Experience with detection/tracking models and modern CV pipelines (PyTorch, ONNX)
• Experience with simulation (Gazebo, Isaac Sim) or synthetic data generation

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.