UAV / Robotics Integration Field Engineer - Hardware

🚀 Join SE3 Labs as (Senior) UAV / Robotics Integration Field Engineer - Hardware

Be the person who makes advanced autonomous systems work in the real world. Move across the full stack: drones, sensors, calibration, autonomy software, perception, networking, payloads, field operations, and partner environments. When the system is not mission-ready, you create clarity, find the root cause, and help make it robust.

About SE3

SE3 Labs is building Spatial AI by combining 3D computer vision with large language models. We believe the ability to reason about and act within physical space is foundational to unlocking the next generation of automation, from construction to smart infrastructure, and ultimately, defence.

Now, we’re bringing Spatial AI into the sky through high-performance UAVs that can perceive, localize, coordinate, and act in the real world. This requires more than strong algorithms and good hardware. It requires systems that can be configured, calibrated, tested, deployed, demonstrated, debugged, and improved under real field conditions.

We’re looking for a hands-on engineer who wants to work close to the product, close to the field, and close to the full autonomy stack. Someone who is not limited to one layer, but follows the problem wherever it leads.

About the Role

As (Senior) UAV / Robotics Integration Engineer, you will be the part of SE3’s engineering team to bring our technology into real-world use. You will bring together UAVs, payloads, sensors, onboard compute, autonomy software, operator tools, and partner environments into systems that are ready to fly, test, demonstrate, and deploy.

This is a highly hands-on, end-to-end prototyping and field engineering role. You will work directly with other startups, prime contractors, and military institutions, translating their requirements into practical mechanical and electrical designs building on our existing technology. When something is not working, you go where the evidence leads: recalibrate a sensor, debug a radio link, inspect a wiring harness, analyse a flight log, fix a configuration issue, improve a checklist, or bring the right evidence back to the software development team.

The problems you will work on are complex, dynamic, and multivariable. You will often have partial information, limited time, and a system where hardware, software, environment, and operator behavior interact in non-obvious ways. Your job is to create clarity, choose the right debugging path, and drive the system toward a robust long-term solution. You will not just operate systems. You will make them better.

What You’ll Work On

• Create Clarity in complex situations: Separate symptoms from root causes, know when to trust intuition and when not to, devise efficient debugging workflows, reproduce failures, analyse logs, and drive lasting solutions that make the system more robust long term.
• Cross-Stack Engineering: Move across hardware, software, sensors, calibration, perception, networking, autonomy, and operator workflows. When the root cause requires it, contribute directly to the layer that matters, from sensor calibration and deployment configuration to perception-stack behavior, autonomy logic, networking, or hardware integration.
• Autonomy & System Integration: Bring together UAVs, payloads, onboard compute, cameras, IMUs, radios, ground stations, autonomy software, operator interfaces, and deployment tooling into field-ready systems. Configure and validate perception-stack behavior, mission logic, autonomy behaviors, operator workflows, and system responses under real operating conditions.
• Tooling, Automation & AI Workflows: Build and use intelligent debugging, analysis, and agent-based workflows to understand complex system behavior faster. Improve scripts, checklists, dashboards, log pipelines, diagnostics, configuration tools, and deployment workflows.
• Testing & Acceptance: Define and run acceptance tests for platforms, payloads, software releases, and deployment configurations. Own readiness checks across calibration, software flashing, networking, sensors, and pre-mission setup. Make readiness measurable, repeatable, and hard to fake.
• Fieldability Ownership: Spot design flaws, integration gaps, recurring failure modes, and process bottlenecks. Turn field evidence into better hardware, software, procedures, and product decisions.
• Field Service & Deployment: Install, configure, maintain, and support SE3 systems at test ranges, customer sites, partner demonstrations, exercises, and real-world deployments. Make sure our autonomous platforms perform reliably where it matters.
• Partner & End-User Interface: Demonstrate systems to partners and end users, support training, translate field feedback into engineering requirements, and represent SE3 with technical credibility outside the lab.

Your Profile

• Most importantly, you’re structured, fast-moving, and mission-driven. You don’t wait for perfect information. You create clarity, iterate fast, and prefer finding and fixing root causes over applying patches.
• You hold a B.Sc., M.Sc. PhD, technical apprenticeship, military technical training, or equivalent practical background in Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Embedded Systems, Mechatronics, or a related field.
• You bring hands-on experience integrating, testing, operating, or troubleshooting complex robotic, UAV, embedded, automotive, industrial automation, or defence systems.
• You are comfortable moving between hardware and software: Linux systems, sensors, radios, flight controllers, payloads, power systems, mechanical interfaces, networking, and operator tools.
• You can read logs, inspect telemetry, use a command line, run scripts, flash devices, debug configurations, trace network issues, and communicate findings clearly.
• You are not afraid of real hardware and field constraints. You use the right tools, inspect connectors, diagnose wiring or power issues, work with lab equipment, and stay systematic when the problem is messy.
• You enjoy working directly with partners, operators, and end users. You can explain technical problems clearly, build trust in stressful situations, and represent SE3 professionally outside the lab.
• You are proactive, hands-on, and willing to travel for field tests, partner demonstrations, and deployments across Europe and other strategic markets.
• You speak fluent English; German is a strong plus. A driving license is required. Given the nature of SE3’s work in the defence sector, candidates must be eligible to work on defence-related projects and, where required, obtain the relevant security clearance.

Especially Valued Bonus Skills

• Experience with ROS2, Docker, Linux, edge compute devices, C++/Python, Bash, Git, or deployment automation.
• Experience with UAVs, PX4, ArduPilot, QGroundControl, Mission Planner, MAVLink, flight logs, mission planning, and airspace coordination.
• Experience with networking and radio systems, including WiFi networks, LTE/5G modems, VPNs, telemetry links, antenna placement, RF interference, tactical communication links, and debugging connectivity issues in the field.
• Experience soldering, crimping, repairing harnesses, using multimeters, oscilloscopes, spectrum analysers, serial consoles, or other lab and field equipment.
• Experience with perception or autonomy systems, especially localisation, camera/IMU calibration, sensor synchronization, object detection, mapping, navigation, or mission autonomy.
• Experience interpreting sensor data, robot logs, flight logs, frequency-domain data, vibration issues, EMI issues, thermal issues, or intermittent hardware failures.
• Experience with environmental testing such as vibration, thermal, ingress protection, EMI/EMC, or MIL-STD-style qualification workflows.
• Experience creating acceptance tests, runbooks, troubleshooting guides, fleet dashboards, release checklists, or field-support processes.

Perks & Benefits

• Real Ownership: Get equity early, real stock options to participate directly in SE3’s growth
• Work Environment to Excel at: Find a high-quality and modern toolset, flat hierarchy and a skilled, driven team which will push the limits together with you. We are an AI-first company empowering every employee with best-in-class AI tools and agents, giving you unlimited access to the latest advancements and a true productivity edge.
• 31 Paid Days Off: 30 vacation days plus your birthday off
• Well-being Access: Free membership to gyms, yoga, and wellness through EGYM Wellpass
• Team Offsites: We go on 2 company retreats per year, our last ones were in Italy and Greece
• Mentorship: Work closely with experienced engineers and get paired with a professional mentor to support your growth

Our Process

• Intro Call (20 min): Let’s get to know each other
• Technical Screen (30 min): First overview of your abilities in system integration, field testing and debugging
• Technical Interview (45 min): We dive deeper into your hardware design skills and ability to iterate based on first principle reasoning.
• Onsite Trial/Case (1.5-2 hrs): We’ll integrate, diagnose, debug, or test something together, just like on the job.
• Team Dinner/Lunch: See if it’s a culture fit on both sides