Lead Systems Engineer - Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

Excelloit Consultancy Services GmbH; Valkenburg; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working hours

Hybrid/remote work options

International projects

Professional development

Career growth

Health and wellness benefits

Paid annual leave

Modern workplace

Long-term career stability

Job summary

Excelloit Consultancy Services GmbH is seeking a senior Systems Engineer to lead the complete physical and system architecture of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). You will own budgets for mass, power, drag, buoyancy, and performance, and guide multidisciplinary teams through design and integration.

The role requires extensive experience across UUV/AUV programs, AIT, HITL, and testing of complex platforms, with strong English communication and eligibility for security clearance as a Dutch

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Systems Engineering.
• Experience leading the complete physical design lifecycle of complex platforms.
• Experience with UUV/AUV, subsea, maritime, aerospace, motorsport, or other high-performance vehicles.
• Strong experience in Assembly, Integration, Testing and Operations (AIT).
• Experience managing mass, power, drag, buoyancy and performance budgets.
• Degree in Systems Engineering, Naval Architecture, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent.
• Strong English communication skills (C1 level).
• Must be a Dutch or NATO-country national and eligible for security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the complete physical and system architecture of autonomous underwater vehicles.
• Own and manage mass, power, navigation, communication, drag, and buoyancy budgets.
• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams through vehicle design and development.
• Integrate high-voltage batteries, sensors, control systems, communication systems, and other payloads.
• Manage trade-offs between payload, speed, endurance, mass, and vehicle performance.
• Ensure system performance under demanding underwater conditions.
• Lead Assembly, Integration & Test (AIT) activities.
• Plan and execute system-level testing, qualification, and operational trials.
• Drive Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) testing and validation.
• Support the transition from digital models to physical prototypes.
• Work across mechanical, electrical, acoustic, avionics, and systems engineering during early development.
• Plan future vehicle upgrades and system improvements.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to a multidisciplinary engineering team.

Skills

Systems Engineering

Leadership

Budget management

English communication

Education

Systems Engineering

Naval Architecture

Aerospace Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Excelloit Consultancy Services GmbH is seeking a senior Systems Engineer to lead the complete physical and system architecture of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). You will own budgets for mass, power, drag, buoyancy, and performance, and guide multidisciplinary teams through design and integration.

The role requires extensive experience across UUV/AUV programs, AIT, HITL, and testing of complex platforms, with strong English communication and eligibility for security clearance as a Dutch