[Hiring] Principal Systems Engineer @Ignite

Role Description

A high-growth defense technology firm specializing in autonomous subsea interceptors is hiring a Lead Systems Engineer. The company engineers high-reliability maritime robotics tailored for extreme underwater environments like the North Sea. In this role, you will hold complete technical authority over platform design, harmonizing mechanical, hydrodynamic, and electrical sub-systems from CAD models to operational sea trials.

Core Responsibilities

• Architecture & Constraints: Establish the foundational subsea vehicle framework and enforce key design allocations (mass, power consumption, buoyancy, hydrodynamic drag, comms, and navigation).
• Design Trade-Offs: Perform comprehensive trade studies balancing payload capacities, mission endurance, and transit speeds.
• Cross-Disciplinary Integration: Drive the integration of high-voltage energy storage, flight control software loops, and payload sensors within compact internal hulls.
• AIT & Field Operations: Define HITL simulation frameworks, test protocols, and lead saltwater trials from initial prototype phases to final verification.
• Technical Guidance: Direct an agile engineering team, providing hands-on problem-solving across acoustic, electrical, and avionics domains.

Qualifications

• Experience: 10+ years in systems engineering with proven success guiding complex physical vehicles (marine, subsea, aerospace, or motorsport) through full delivery cycles.
• Education: Degree in Naval Architecture, Systems Engineering, Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Hands-on Expertise: Deep familiarity with Assembly, Integration, and Testing (AIT), along with practical solutions for sealing, dynamic thermal loads, shock, and vibration mitigation.
• Requirements: Professional working proficiency in English; NATO-member citizenship with clear eligibility for security clearance.

Nice-to-Have

• Direct background in Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) or ocean technology.
• Personal background building vehicles (motorsport, personal aviation, or custom robotics projects).
• Exposure to high-voltage power architectures, acoustic payloads, and hydrodynamic modeling.

Benefits

• Total design autonomy over platform architecture and performance budgets.
• €100,000 – €110,000 base compensation package, performance incentives, and equity stakes.
• 25 days paid vacation, flexible work arrangements during setup, relocation assistance to the Netherlands, and rapid access to advanced fabrication facilities.

Next Steps

To apply, send an up-to-date resume. Eligible candidates who meet security clearance criteria and technical background requirements will be invited to an initial screening call.