Founding Software Engineer (Autonomy & Embedded Systems)
Defence Robotics - Autonomous Multi-Rotor Platforms
Germany - Hybrid
Competitive salary and strong equity upside

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Airbotics Talent are supporting a highly confidential European defence robotics startup developing advanced autonomous multi-rotor aerial platforms for defence applications. The company is building its core technology in-house and is now seeking a Founding Software Engineer to take ownership of the onboard software that enables intelligent, reliable autonomous flight in complex environments.

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This is a full-time role based in Germany. Candidates should be based locally or willing and able to relocate. Eligibility to work within the EU is required. For exceptional candidate, a hybrid working pattern elsewhere in the EU may be a possibility.

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The Role

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As Founding Software Engineer, you will be responsible for designing and delivering the core software that powers a next-generation autonomous multi-rotor system. This is a hands-on, early-stage role covering autonomy, flight control, perception integration, simulation and embedded deployment.

You will operate in short development cycles, rapidly validating software on real hardware, while laying the technical foundations for a scalable defence robotics platform.

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Key Responsibilities
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• Design and implement the onboard autonomy and flight software stack for an advanced multi-rotor platform
• Develop control, navigation and decision-making logic for autonomous operation in challenging environments
• Integrate onboard sensing and perception with real-time flight and mission execution
• Build and maintain simulation-driven development workflows to test autonomy and system behaviour prior to flight
• Ensure strong alignment between simulated performance and real-world hardware
• Develop high-performance embedded software for companion computers and microcontrollers under real-time constraints
• Integrate sensors, flight controllers, propulsion systems, telemetry and payload interfaces
• Define software architecture, coding standards and development workflows suitable for defence robotics
• Act as a technical cornerstone as the team grows, supporting future hires and shaping engineering culture

The Person
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This role requires hands-on experience building and deploying software on real autonomous or robotic systems. Candidates without practical exposure to drones, robotics or embedded autonomy will unfortunately not be considered.
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The ideal candidate will have:

• Strong experience in robotics, autonomous systems or UAVs necessary
• High proficiency in C++ and Python, with experience in real-time or performance-critical systems
• Practical exposure to flight control, autonomy or robotics frameworks such as PX4, ArduPilot or custom stacks
• A solid foundation in areas such as controls, state estimation, sensor fusion or motion planning
• Experience taking software from prototype through to real hardware deployment
• Comfort operating in ambiguous, early-stage environments with high ownership
• A mindset focused on robustness, safety and real-world performance
• Experience with simulation environments, perception, embedded Linux or defence and aerospace standards would be advantageous.

Our client are looking to hire this role immediately, so if interested please submit your application with attached CV today for consideration!
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Airbotics Talent are committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunities. All candidates sourced and submitted to our clients are based solely on suitability to our clients requirements without prejudice of age, sexual orientation, gender, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, medical history, veteran or military status or marital status.

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