Flight Test Safety & Compliance Specialist (All Genders)

At Stark, we forge the future of European and national security through cutting-edge, AI-driven technology and unmatched engineering precision. As a premier defence technology company, our mission is clear: to equip NATO Allies and their partners  with next-generation autonomous defence platforms and advanced AI-driven software built to perform in the world’s most demanding environments.

We believe that true security stems from relentless innovation. By combining elite engineering talent with agile technology and an AI-native operational culture, Stark turns complex defence challenges into field-tested, multi-domain solutions.

WHY JOIN US

• The software and systems you work on directly protect personnel and defend European and national sovereignty.
• You will work alongside industry-leading minds on autonomous systems, advanced propulsion, and secure cyber platforms.
• We foster a fast-paced, collaborative environment where bold ideas are supported by serious R&D backing.

Your Mission

We are on a mission to push the boundaries of UAV technology. To take our operations to the next level, we are actively working to secure our Operating Certificate from the LBA. As a Flight Operations & Compliance Specialist you will support the Head of Flight Test to execute the day-to-day regulatory and compliance operations that keep our aircraft legally in the air. 

 

Responsibilities

• You will lead the preparation of SORA-based applications, including ConOps drafting, ground risk calculations, and OSO evidence compilation.

• Help build up, implement, and maintain our internal Flight Safety Procedures from the ground up as we march toward our LBA certification.

• Maintain the Operations Manual as a living document, ensuring it reflects current equipment, personnel, and procedures. 

• Monitor EASA (EU) 2019/947, JARUS outputs, and national regulations. 

• Own the central register for remote pilots and test crew (licenses, medicals, type ratings, and SQEP designations).

• Manage a 90/60/30-day expiry-tracking system to ensure zero lapses in operational currency.

• Coordinate recurrent training and prepare personnel records for NAA audits and insurance reviews.

• Administer the safety reporting system, ensuring mandatory logs are submitted to the NAA within legal timeframes.

• Track incident investigations and corrective actions to closure. Compile Safety Performance Indicator (SPI) data for trend analysis.

• Gather evidence and draft checklists to ensure alignment with the Operations Manual.

• Prepare documentation for Military Permits to Fly and Experimental Certificates, including flight test plans and hazard footprints. 

• Manage NOTAMs, exclusion zone maps, and communication plans for flight days. 

• On-Site Compliance: Act as the compliance representative during test campaigns, verifying briefings and adherence to approved authorisations.

 

Required Skills

• Degree in aerospace engineering, aviation management, aviation safety, or a related technical field. Military aviation training backgrounds are welcome.

• 3–5 years experience in aviation safety, flight operations, UAS operations, or regulatory compliance.

• Working knowledge of EASA Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and the SORA methodology. You may not have led a full SORA submission independently, but you understand the framework, the 10-step process, and the relationship between GRC, ARC, SAIL, and OSOs.

• Experience with aviation documentation systems: operations manuals, flight logs, safety reports, or qualification records.

• Familiarity with Safety Management System principles (ICAO Annex 19 or equivalent). Formal SMS training is a plus but not required if you have practical exposure.

• Business-fluent English required. German is a strong advantage.

• You will be exposed to regulatory complexity that most professionals encounter much later in their careers. You actively seek to understand, not just to execute. Ask “why” before you ask “how.”

 

Nice-To-Have

• Direct experience preparing or contributing to SORA-based operational authorisation applications for any European NAA. 

• Direct previous exposure or collaboration with the LBA or other National Aviation Authorities.  

• Internal auditor training or experience (ISO 9001, AS9100, or aviation-specific audit frameworks).

• Familiarity with EASA Part 21 concepts, Design Verification Reports, or type certification processes.

• Previous exposure to military aviation environments, test ranges, or defence procurement processes.

If you're interested in building the future of European Defence with us, and you see yourself reflected on the description above, please send us your CV in English. We're looking forward to meeting you!

 

SECURITY CLEARANCE

Due to the nature of our work in the defence sector, candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance required for this position. Details will be provided during the recruitment process.

 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

 

DATA PRIVACY STATEMENT

This data privacy statement, which refers exclusively to data collected as part of the online application process, is to inform you about how your personal data that is collected as part of the online application process is handled at our end.

The controller

The controller under data protection law is:

SKD SE

Französische Strasse 12, 10117 Berlin

Commercial register entry number: HRB 260878

Registration Court: Amtsgericht Charlottenburg

Data Protection officer: heyData GmbH, Schützenstraße 5, 10117 Berlin, www.heydata.eu, datenschutz@heydata.eu

Personal data collected as part of the application process

Personal data means any information concerning the personal or material circumstances of an identified or identifiable individual. This includes information such as, for example, your name, address, telephone number and date of birth, but also data relating to your specific career etc. by reference to which a specific individual can be identified with reasonable effort. However, information which cannot be (in)directly associated with your real-life identity is not personal data.

Fundamentals and purposes of processing personal data collected from application documents and during the application process

If you apply to us electronically, i.e. via e-mail or using our online form, we will collect and process your personal data for the purpose of executing the application process and preparing contracts.

By submitting an application via our recruitment website, you express your interest in taking up work with us. In this context, you transmit personal data, which we will use and store exclusively for the purpose of your job search / application process.

In particular, the following data is collected during this process:

• name (first and last names)
• e-mail address
• phone number
• LinkedIn profile (optional)
• channel through which you found us

Furthermore, you can choose to upload expressive documents such as a cover letter, your CV and reference letters. These may contain additional personal data such as date of birth, address etc.

Only authorized HR staff and/or staff involved in the application process have access to your data.

The personal data is stored, as a rule, exclusively for the purpose of filling the vacancy for which you have applied.

Your data will be stored for a period of 180 days after the application process has been concluded. This is usually done to fulfill legal requirements and/or defending ourselves against any claims arising from legal provisions. After this period, we are obligated to delete or anonymize your data. In case of anonymization, the data will only be available to us in the form of so-called metadata, without any direct personal reference, for statistical analysis (for example, share of male and/or female applicants, number of applications per specified period of time etc.).

Furthermore, we reserve the right to store your data for 180 days after the application process has been concluded for the purpose of adding it to our Talent Pool in order to identify any other vacancies that may be of interest to you. This includes, for example, applications for apprenticeships or internships. By accepting the data privacy statement, you consent to any further storage of your data as well as its inclusion in our Talent Pool.

Should you be offered and accept a position with us during the application process, we will store the personal data collected as part of the application process for at least the duration of your employment.

Disclosure of data to third parties

Data transmitted as part of your application will be transferred using TLS encryption and stored in a database. This database is operated by Greenhouse, which offers a human resource and applicant management software solution (https://www.greenhouse.com/data-processing-addendum). In this context, Greenhouse is our processor under article 28 of the GDPR. In this case, the processing is based on an agreement for the processing of orders between us as the controller and Greenhouse.

Rights of data subjects

If we as the controller process personal data, you as the data subject have certain rights under Chapter III of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), depending on the legal basis and the purpose of the processing, in particular the right of access (article 15 of the GDPR) and the rights to rectification (article 16 of the GDPR), erasure (article 17 of the GDPR), restriction of processing (article 18 of the GDPR), and data portability (article 20 of the GDPR), as well as the right to object (article 21 of the GDPR). If the personal data is processed with your consent, you have the right to withdraw this consent under article 7 III of the GDPR.

To assert your rights as a data subject in relation to the data processed during this online application process, please refer to our Data Protection Officer (see item 2).

Concluding provisions

We reserve the right to adjust this data privacy statement at any point in time to ensure that it is in line with the current legal requirements at all times, or in order to accommodate changes in the application process or other processes. In this case, the new data privacy statement applies to any later visit of this recruitment website or any later job application.

LEGAL NOTICE

1. Information according to § 5 DDG

SKD SE
Französische Str. 12
10117 Berlin

Internet: www.stark-defence.com
E-Mail: contact@stark-defence.com

SKD SE, Berlin (registered office of the company), is a Societas Europaea (legal form for joint stock companies), registered at the district court of Berlin (Charlottenburg) under the register number: HRB 260878 B, represented by the Executive Board: Uwe Horstmann, Dr. André Schneider, Johannes Schaback, Jan-Patrick Helmsen, Martin Rost.

Chairman of the Supervisory Board is Mr. Robert Maier.

VAT ID No.: DE369778559

2. Liability

We are responsible for the content of our website in accordance with the provisions of general law. All content is created with the necessary care and to the best of our knowledge and is for information purposes only. Insofar as we refer on our Internet pages to the Internet pages of third parties by means of hyperlinks, we cannot accept any liability for guarantee that the linked content is always up to date, correct and complete, as this content is outside our responsibility and we have no influence on its future design. If, in your opinion, content violates applicable law or is inappropriate, please let us know. The legal information on this page as well as all questions and disputes in connection with the design of this website are subject to the law of the Federal Republic of Germany.

3. Data Protection

You can find our data protection information here. There you will also find the contact details of our data protection officer.

4. Copyright Information

The texts, images, photos, videos and graphics on our website are generally protected by copyright. Any unauthorized use (in particular the reproduction, editing or distribution) of this copyright-protected content is therefore prohibited. If you intend to use this content or parts thereof, please contact us in advance using the details above. If we are not ourselves the owner of the required copyright usage rights, we will endeavor to arrange contact with the entitled party.