System Engineer | UUV (w/m/d)

Right Search; Valkenburg; On-site; Confidential; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonuses

Future equity/options

Relocation support

Remote flexibility

Direct budget control

Prototype-adjacent work

25 vacation days

Job summary

Right Search is searching for a System Engineer – UUV for a Valkenburg-based hybrid role in the Netherlands. The position starts remotely with a transition to ~3 days on-site, offering €100,000–€110,000 plus performance bonuses and potential equity.

You will own the complete physical and systemic architecture of autonomous subsea vehicles, leading a small team and coordinating cross-disciplinary engineering to push hardware into saltwater reality.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated track record of leading the complete physical design cycle of complex vehicles
• Minimum 10 years of experience as a System Engineer
• Assembly, Integration, Test (AIT) experience
• Deep experience with watertight integrity, extreme shock/vibration, thermal management
• NATO-country nationality with eligibility for security clearance
• Business-fluent English (C1)

Responsibilities

• Own the complete physical and systemic architecture of autonomous subsea interceptor platforms
• Serve as focal point for the vehicle's physical design
• Own the vehicle's physical performance margins with absolute authority
• Lead a multidisciplinary team through a highly complex engineering environment
• Oversee Hardware-in-the-Loop testing and qualification logic before saltwater
• Plan test campaigns, operations, and future upgrades
• Wear multiple hats: system engineering, electrical, acoustic, avionics

Skills

System Engineering Leadership

Budget ownership

Hands-on hardware integration

Physical design of vehicles

Hardware-in-the-Loop testing

Education

Systems/ Naval/ Aerospace/ Mechanical Eng

Tools

AIT experience

HITL testing

Job description

System Engineer – UUV (w/m/d)

Valkenburg, Netherlands – Hybrid (start remote, transition to ~3 days on-site), €100,000 – €110,000 + performance bonuses & future equity

You don't want to just draw diagrams. You want to own every gram, watt, and Newton of an autonomous subsea interceptor – from concept to saltwater, with full architectural authority and zero margin for error.

This is not a paper-pushing systems role in a legacy defense prime. This is building a next-generation underwater vehicle at a stealth-mode startup where the prototyping floor is next to your desk and physics is the only hard constraint.

Our Client
Our client is a pioneering engineering startup based in Valkenburg, Netherlands, specializing in autonomous and remotely operated maritime systems for NATO naval defense. Founded in 2023, the team is currently ~10 people with a design and prototyping hub in the Netherlands and a small satellite entity in Germany.
The environment is fast, execution-driven, and built on ownership. No endless strategy cycles without output – just people who take responsibility and actually ship hardware. Fresh seed backing, undisclosed investors, and a mission to redefine maritime defense capability by pushing physics-limited performance in unforgiving underwater environments.

Why This Role Matters

• You own the complete physical and systemic architecture of the autonomous subsea vehicle – full authority, full accountability
• You work directly with the Program Lead and a small multidisciplinary team (~8 engineers) – no hierarchy layers, no politics
• You get real ownership, not administration – direct influence on vehicle architecture, performance budgets, and design decisions
• Cutting-edge technology: high-voltage battery systems, sensor payloads, hardware-in-the-loop validation – you integrate it all
• You lead the transition from digital models to physical reality, with rapid iteration cycles measured in hours, not months
• High impact on a product that redefines maritime operations in extreme environments
• Hands-on mentality is not a careers-page buzzword here. It is simply necessary. Tragically rare.

Aufgaben

• Own the complete physical and systemic architecture of autonomous subsea interceptor platforms – from concept to operational deployment
• Serve as the focal point for the vehicle's physical design, bridging mechanical, hydrodynamic, and systems engineering disciplines
• Own the vehicle's physical performance margins with absolute authority: Navigation, Power, Communications, Drag, Mass, and Buoyancy budgets – and lead all system-level analyses
• Dictate the compromises between payload, speed, and endurance, ruthlessly managing the margins that define mission success in the North Sea
• Lead a multidisciplinary team through a highly complex engineering environment, ensuring seamless integration of high-voltage battery architectures, operational control loops, and sensor payloads into a tightly constrained physical envelope
• Manage a team of engineers and take responsibility for bringing the vehicle from concept to reality
• Drive the transition from digital models to physical reality, overseeing rigorous Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) testing and qualification logic before the platform ever touches saltwater
• Plan test campaigns, operations, and future upgrades in a hands-on system engineering role
• Wear multiple hats when needed: Not only system engineering, but also electrical, acoustic, avionics during the early stages – whatever it takes to get hardware built

Qualifikation

• Demonstrated track record of leading the complete physical design cycle of complex vehicles – subsea platforms, aerospace vehicles, high-performance maritime crafts, or motorsport chassis. Not participation. Leadership.
• Minimum 10 years of experience as a System Engineer – this is non-negotiable. Deep expertise in strictly managing mass, power, and aerodynamic/hydrodynamic drag budgets across competing engineering sub-teams
• Assembly, Integration, Test (AIT), and operational experience – ideally hands-on vehicle building as a hobby or side project. You don't just design. You build.
• Deep experience working under high physical constraints: watertight integrity, extreme shock/vibration, thermal management in enclosed spaces. You know what "zero margin" actually means.
• Degree in Systems Engineering, Naval Architecture, Aerospace Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering – or equivalent practical experience that proves you can do the job regardless of paper
• Strong systems engineering background with hands-on budget ownership – mass, power, drag. You manage trade-offs, not just document them.
• Dutch or NATO-country nationality with eligibility for security clearance – this is mandatory. Non-NATO candidates will not be considered due to defense contract requirements.
• You are a systems-level thinker, pragmatic, detail-oriented – comfortable with startup ambiguity, fast pivots, and the reality that the answer is often "test it"
• Collaborative leadership style with mentoring mindset – you will lead a mostly junior team and grow them while delivering hardware
• Ownership mentality with bias for action – you don't wait for perfect data. You make the call, manage the risk, and iterate.
• Business-fluent English (C1) – the working language is English. German or Dutch are a plus, not required.

What Does Not Work Here

• Pure theoretical backgrounds with no hands-on AIT exposure – if you haven't built, tested, or broken hardware, this is not your role
• Candidates with less than 10 years of relevant systems engineering leadership – this is senior-level ownership, not a learning curve
• Non-NATO nationality or inability to obtain security clearance – defense contracts make this non-negotiable
• Reluctance to relocate or work on-site when needed – starts remote, transitions to ~3 days on-site in Valkenburg
• People who need structured processes to function – this is a 10-person startup, you build the process
• Candidates who view "ruthlessly managing margins" as someone else's job – here, it's yours. Every gram, every watt, every Newton.
• Candidates uncomfortable with extreme physical constraints – if watertight integrity under shock and thermal load sounds like someone else's problem, it isn't.

Benefits

• Base salary €100,000 – €110,000 for senior/lead level
• Performance bonuses (structured reviews, details TBD)
• Future employee equity/options program (legal structure in progress)
• Remote flexibility during first months; relocation support to Netherlands if desired
• Direct authority over technical budgets and architecture decisions
• Work adjacent to prototyping floor for rapid iteration
• People-first, international startup culture
• 25 vacation days
• Clear career path for advancement, including leadership opportunities

What Makes This Role Special

• You don't just design systems. You define the architecture, performance budgets, and design decisions for a vehicle that operates where physics leaves zero margin.
• High visibility and direct influence on product and mission – no bureaucracy, no legacy defense culture
• Existing potential is already there – seed funding, NATO contracts, cutting-edge technology – now it needs someone who turns concept into saltwater reality
• Entrepreneurial environment with short paths and high speed – despite defense-sector complexity
• A lot of responsibility, a lot of ownership, few excuses. For some people a nightmare. For the right person, exactly what they're looking for.

Important: Please confirm your NATO-country nationality and security clearance eligibility early in the process – this is mandatory and non-negotiable.