Systems Integration & Flight Test

Darwin Recruitment; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Darwin Recruitment is seeking a Senior Systems Integration & Flight Test Engineer to own end-to-end integration, validation and testing of complex autonomous systems for challenging environments.

The role spans hardware, software, communications and deployment, requiring hands-on engineering, root-cause analysis and clear technical documentation for safe releases into operation.

Qualifications

• Significant experience integrating and testing complex autonomous systems.
• Strong systems engineering and end-to-end integration knowledge.
• Experience with flight control systems, telemetry, mission planning and payload integration.
• Ability to translate operational challenges into measurable requirements and test criteria.
• Experience with electrical systems, embedded software, networking and comms technologies.
• Hands-on engineering capability including hardware wiring and fault finding.
• Experience planning structured ground, field or flight tests and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Translate operational requirements and issues into measurable system requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Develop and maintain system architecture, interface docs, wiring definitions, configurations and baselines.
• Identify constraints before testing and define test gates, ownership, and rollback procedures.
• Integrate complex hardware and software systems including avionics, sensors and edge computing.
• Investigate failures using logs, hardware, and fault-isolation techniques; perform root cause analysis.
• Plan and execute bench, ground, environmental, field and flight testing; analyze data and report findings.

Skills

Systems integration

Flight test

Python

MATLAB

Embedded software

Networking

Troubleshooting

Documentation

Communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree

Tools

PX4

MAVLink

Hardware-in-the-Loop

Software-in-the-Loop

Job description

Senior Systems Integration & Flight Test Engineer

Location: Netherlands
Employment Type: Full-time
Level: Senior / Experienced
Industry: Autonomous Systems, Aerospace & Advanced Technology

Overview of the Role

We are working with an innovative technology company developing advanced autonomous and mission-critical systems for challenging operational environments. They are looking to hire a Senior Systems Integration & Flight Test Engineer to take ownership of the end-to-end integration, validation and testing of complex systems.

This is a highly hands-on role that sits at the intersection of hardware, software, communications and operational deployment. You will work across multiple technical disciplines to ensure individually functional components operate together as reliable, integrated systems.

The successful candidate will translate operational challenges and field observations into measurable requirements, structured test environments and objective validation evidence. You will play a key role in investigating complex technical issues, leading root-cause analysis and supporting the safe release of systems into operational use.

Key Responsibilities

Systems Integration & Requirements

• Translate operational requirements, user feedback and technical issues into measurable system requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Develop and maintain system architecture, interface documentation, wiring definitions, network configurations and controlled system baselines.
• Identify technical, operational, environmental and safety constraints before systems are released for testing.
• Define technical assumptions, ownership, test gates, limitations and rollback procedures.

Integration & Technical Investigation

• Integrate complex hardware and software systems, including communications equipment, avionics, sensors, payloads, positioning systems, edge computing platforms and operator tools.
• Investigate and reproduce technical failures using logs, representative hardware and structured fault-isolation techniques.
• Lead cross-functional root-cause analysis across areas including RF, power, software, networking, mechanical integration and environmental factors.
• Maintain end-to-end ownership of system performance and ensure technical issues are tracked through to resolution.

Testing & Validation

• Develop and maintain representative integration rigs, hardware-in-the-loop environments and instrumented test configurations.
• Define logging, synchronisation, instrumentation and data-quality requirements.
• Develop repeatable test procedures, scripts, checklists and data-processing tools.
• Conduct fault-injection and regression testing to identify potential system failures and interface issues.
• Plan and execute bench, ground, environmental, field and flight testing activities.
• Analyse test data and provide clear, evidence-based technical conclusions.
• Prepare technical release documentation, installation procedures, operational limitations and acceptance criteria.

Deployment & Continuous Improvement

• Support field deployments, operator training and technical issue resolution when required.
• Participate in incident investigations and ensure lessons learned are incorporated into future requirements, testing and system improvements.
• Maintain clear traceability between identified problems, implemented changes, test evidence and released configurations.
• Support the handover of validated systems to relevant engineering, production and operational teams.

Candidate Profile

Essential

• Significant experience integrating and testing complex autonomous, aerospace, robotics or other mission-critical systems.
• Strong understanding of systems engineering and end-to-end system integration.
• Experience with flight control systems, telemetry, mission planning, payload integration and ground-control environments.
• Ability to translate ambiguous operational challenges into measurable technical requirements and testable acceptance criteria.
• Experience with electrical systems, embedded software, networking and communications technologies.
• Strong hands-on engineering capability, including hardware configuration, wiring, troubleshooting and system-level fault finding.
• Experience planning and conducting structured ground, field or flight tests.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify failures across complex system interfaces.
• Experience using engineering data-analysis tools such as Python, MATLAB or similar.
• Excellent technical documentation and communication skills.
• Ability to remain calm and make sound technical decisions in high-pressure environments.

Highly Preferred

• Experience with autonomous aerial vehicles or similar autonomous platforms.
• Experience with PX4, MAVLink or comparable flight-control and telemetry technologies.
• Experience with Hardware-in-the-Loop or Software-in-the-Loop testing.
• Knowledge of RF communications, PNT systems, sensors and payload integration.
• Experience with test automation, telemetry replay or fault-injection testing.
• Previous experience working in field-based, operational or mission-critical environments.

Education

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace, Systems, Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Robotics, Software Engineering or a related discipline.
• Equivalent practical engineering experience will also be considered.

Experience

• Typically 5+ years of relevant experience in systems integration, verification, validation, field testing or flight testing.
• A demonstrated track record of taking complex technical systems from problem identification and investigation through validation and operational deployment.

Additional Information

• Willingness to travel and support field-based testing and deployments.
• Comfortable working outdoors and in operational environments when required.
• Willingness to participate in a planned and compensated on-call support rotation.