Working Student – Flight Software Engineering (PX4 / Autopilot) (all genders)

About Us

STARK is a European defence technology company building the next generation of unmanned systems. We
design, develop and manufacture software-defined, mass-scalable and cost-effective platforms that give
NATO operators a decisive edge in highly contested environments. We are focused on delivering
deployable, high-performance capability — not future promises. In a time of rising threats, our work
strengthens the technological edge of NATO Allies and their Partners.

Your mission

Your mission is to work hands-on with the software that flies our aircraft. You support the flight software
team on the PX4 / autopilot stack — writing and testing Python tooling, wrangling flight logs, and helping
turn what happens in the air into something the engineers can act on.
You aren't just running scripts on the side; you are contributing to the autopilot layer that every other
capability on the aircraft depends on — and learning how real flight software is built, tested, and flown

Responsibilities

• You support the development and testing of PX4 / autopilot software, from configuration to log analysis.
• You write and maintain Python tooling for test automation, data processing, and flight-log analysis.
• You help reproduce, isolate, and document software issues found in simulation and flight test.
• You process and visualise flight and telemetry data to make system behaviour observable to the engineering team.
• You support the loop between test results and software changes, so findings actually drive the next iteration.
• You keep tooling, scripts, and documentation clean and reusable.

Qualifications

• You are currently enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Aerospace, or a comparable technical field.
• You have hands-on experience with Python, ideally including data processing or automation.
• You are familiar with PX4, ArduPilot, or comparable autopilot / flight control systems.
• You must be a citizen of a NATO member state due to export control and security regulations.
• You are available 20 hours per week during the semester, with flexibility around your studies.
• You have good written and verbal communication skills in English; German is a plus.

Nice to have

• You have experience working with SITL / HITL simulation environments.
• You have worked with flight-log analysis, telemetry data, or automated testing frameworks.
• You have personal or university projects involving drones, robotics, embedded systems, or autonomous vehicles.

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