Team Lead Operations Automation & AI (All genders)

Skdse; München; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Stark Defence seeks an experienced OAA Lead to build automation and AI capabilities for operations, spanning production and back-office. You will own delivery end-to-end, identify high ROI opportunities, and assemble a team to ship working automations into production, not just prototypes.

You will lead cross-functional collaboration with IT and Production Engineering, mentoring engineers and driving scalable automation programs across the organisation.

Qualifications

• BSc/MSc in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or Industrial Engineering.
• 8-12 years in automation, industrial digitalisation, or AI/ML—covering both operational and business process automation.
• Has deployed automations in production environments—not just designed or prototyped them.
• Proficient with RPA platforms such as UiPath or Power Automate.
• Experience deploying ML/AI models into production and integrating with operations.

Responsibilities

• Map and prioritise automation opportunities across production and back-office—ranked by feasibility, ROI, and risk.
• Own end-to-end delivery of automation projects: scoping, design, build, test, deployment, monitoring.
• Build, mentor, and manage the Automation Engineer and Data/ML Engineer.
• Define the team’s technical architecture and toolchain—RPA, LLM-based tools, ML models, API integrations.
• Collaborate with IT and Production Engineering; translate process pain points into deployable solutions.
• Track and report automation impact: hours saved, error reduction, throughput, costs.

Skills

Automation

RPA platforms

ML/AI deployment

Systems integration

People management

Production automation

Education

BSc/MSc in CS/EE/Mechatronics/Industrial Eng

Tools

API design

ERP/MES integrations

LLM tooling

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 Operations Excellence team sits within the COO organization and serves as a strategic partner to managers, team leads, and colleagues across Stark. By delivering data-driven insights, leading critical projects, and driving continuous process improvement, we help the organization operate more efficiently, scale effectively, and achieve its goals faster.

As an individual contributor, you will take end-to-end ownership of complex initiatives with significant business impact. Working closely with cross-functional stakeholders, you will have the opportunity to influence key decisions, shape core operating processes, and contribute directly to the success of one of Europe’s fastest-growing unicorns.

Your Mission

As OAA Lead, you build the automation and AI capability for operations from the ground up - across production and the back-office. You identify where automation and AI deliver the highest ROI across the entire operation, own the technical delivery end-to-end, and build a team that ships working automations into production, not just prototypes.

Responsibilities

• Map and prioritise automation opportunities across production and back-office - ranked by feasibility, ROI, and implementation risk

• Own end-to-end delivery of automation projects: scoping, design, build, test, production deployment, and monitoring

• Build, mentor, and manage the Automation Engineer and Data/ML Engineer

• Define the team's technical architecture and toolchain - RPA, LLM-based tools, ML models, API integrations

• Work with operational and back-office stakeholders to translate process pain points into deployable solutions

• Own the collaboration boundary with IT and Production Engineering

• Track and report on automation impact: manual hours reduced, error rates, throughput, cost savings

Required Skills

• BSc/MSc in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or Industrial Engineering

• 8-12 years in automation, industrial digitalisation, or AI/ML - covering both operational and business process automation

• Has personally deployed automations in production environments - not just designed or prototyped them

• RPA platforms - UiPath, Power Automate, or equivalent

• ML/AI deployment - model productionisation across structured operational and unstructured back-office data

• Systems integration - API design and data exchange across ERP, MES, and business applications

• People management and technical mentorship

Nice-To-Have

• Experience across both OT (operational technology) and IT/business process contexts

• Industry 4.0 track record - smart factory, MES integration, or similar

• LLM-based tooling - prompt engineering, agent design, document processing workflows

Equal Opportunity:

At Stark Defence, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and high-performing team. We operate in an industry where women, as well as other minority groups, are systematically under-represented. We actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and identities.

If you are excited about this role, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the listed qualifications—ability and impact cannot be summarised in a few bullet points. We value unique perspectives, adaptability, and a drive to solve high-stakes challenges.

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.

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