UAV Operations Engineer / Pilot – Data Operations (all genders) at SKD SE

SKD SE; Berlin; Vor Ort; EUR 70.000 - 90.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

German driving license B

Portfolio of drone builds

Zusammenfassung

SKD SE in Berlin is seeking an UAV Operations Engineer / Pilot – Data Operations to own data-collection flights and campaigns across Europe. You will plan missions, configure PX4/ArduPilot stacks, pilot drones, and bring back clean data for the AI stack.

The role requires real-world flight hours, EU drone certification, and hands-on payload experience, with frequent field work and travel. This on-site position offers permanent, full-time employment.

Qualifikationen

• Confident, experienced drone pilot with substantial real-world flight hours.
• EU A2/A3 certificate or willingness to obtain quickly.
• Hands-on experience assembling, repairing, and maintaining drones including payload integration.
• Experience operating sensor payloads and ground control stations in the field.
• Safety-conscious, adaptable to outdoor conditions and travel.

Aufgaben

• Plan and execute field data-collection campaigns across Europe: flight planning, site assessment, pre-flight checks, piloting, logging, and post-flight data offload
• Configure, tune, and troubleshoot PX4/ArduPilot flight stacks for stable data-collection flights
• Analyze flight logs to diagnose issues and improve platform reliability
• Operate sensor payloads during missions and verify recordings on-site
• Maintain flight logs and campaign documentation for traceability
• Ensure operations comply with aviation regulations and internal safety procedures

Kenntnisse

Drone piloting

Flight planning

PX4/ArduPilot knowledge

On-site field operations

English communication

Ausbildung

EU A2/A3 drone certificate

Tools

PX4

ArduPilot

Ground Control Station

Jobbeschreibung

Apply for UAV Operations Engineer / Pilot – Data Operations (all genders) at SKD SE in Berlin, BE, DE. This Full time on site position offers great opportunities for career growth. Munich, Berlin Full-time Permanent employee

About Us

STARK is a new kind of defence technology company revolutionizing 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. This provides our operators with a decisive edge in highly contested environments. We're 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.

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 own our data-collection flights. When the perception team needs a specific dataset — a new camera at a new angle, a lidar over specific terrain, a thermal sensor at dusk — you plan the campaign, configure and tune the platform, fly the mission, and bring clean data home. Our hardware engineer builds the rigs and mounts, our robotics engineer makes the sensors record — you make it all fly, reliably, again and again. This is a role for someone with real stick time and real PX4/ArduPilot depth: not a desk job with occasional field trips, but the other way around.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute field data‑collection campaigns across Europe: flight planning, site assessment, pre‑flight checks, piloting, logging, and post‑flight data offload
• Configure, tune, and troubleshoot PX4/ArduPilot flight stacks for stable, repeatable data‑collection flights
• Analyze flight logs to diagnose issues and continuously improve platform reliability
• Operate sensor payloads (cameras, gimbals, lidar, GNSS/IMU) during missions and verify recordings on‑site
• Keep the fleet mission‑ready: maintenance, repairs, spare parts, battery management, and configuration control
• Work with our hardware and robotics engineers on payload integration — you define what the platform needs to fly well
• Maintain flight logs and campaign documentation so every flight produces usable, traceable data
• Ensure operations comply with aviation regulations (EU drone rules) and internal safety procedures

Qualifications

• Confident, experienced drone pilot with substantial real‑world flight hours (multirotor; fixed‑wing a plus), holding an EU A2/A3 certificate or willing to obtain quickly
• Solid practical knowledge of PX4 and/or ArduPilot: configuration, parameter tuning, log analysis, MAVLink basics
• Hands‑on experience assembling, repairing, and maintaining drones — comfortable with soldering, wiring, and multimeter debugging
• Experience operating sensor payloads and ground control stations in the field
• Practical, structured, and safety‑conscious — you find the loose cable before it becomes a crash
• Willingness to travel regularly for field campaigns and work outdoors in various conditions
• Good communication skills in English (German is a plus)

Nice to have

• Scripting skills (Python, Bash) for flight log processing and data offload automation
• CAD basics (Fusion 360, SolidWorks) and 3D‑printing experience
• Experience with ROS/ROS2 recording setups or companion computers (Jetson, Raspberry Pi)
• Background in FPV, drone racing, RC modeling, competition teams, or maker culture
• Experience with camera settings and image quality trade‑offs for data collection
• German driving license class B (field campaigns)

A note on our process: a portfolio says more than a CV here. Show us your builds and your flights — photos, flight logs, competition entries. If you don't hit every bullet point but you have been flying and fixing drones for years, we still want to hear from you.

We're looking forward to meeting you!

About us

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.