Systems Engineer – UAV Architecture, Integration & Product Development (m/f/d)
Summary
Systems Engineer shaping the overall UAV product at NEX Aero: establishing pragmatic systems engineering practices, driving requirements, architecture, cross-disciplinary integration and safety activities (FHA/FMEA) across avionics, software, mechanical, propulsion and operations teams.
Systems Engineering Practices & Methods
- Establish lightweight and scalable systems engineering practices that help teams make better engineering decisions.
- Continuously adapt methods, tools and processes to the maturity and needs of the product.
- Coach teams in applying systems thinking, requirements management and architecture practices where they create value.
- Promote pragmatic and efficient engineering approaches rather than process for process sake.
Requirements & Product Definition
- Facilitate the definition and alignment of product requirements together with business, engineering and operational stakeholders.
- Support development of ConOps, mission scenarios and operational concepts.
- Ensure clear traceability and shared understanding of key requirements and system constraints.
- Assess impacts and dependencies of requirement changes across the product.
System Architecture & Product Integration
- Lead cross-functional discussions to develop and evolve the product architecture.
- Collaborate with subsystem experts to identify integration challenges early and develop practical solutions.
- Support system-level trade-off decisions considering performance, usability, manufacturability, safety, cost and maintainability.
- Drive alignment between avionics, software, mechanical, propulsion, communication and operational concepts.
- Coordinate interface definition and management across teams.
Safety & Reliability
- Perform and facilitate FHA, FMEA and related safety activities as appropriate.
- Ensure safety insights are reflected in architecture and design decisions.
- Support compliance with relevant regulatory and certification requirements.
- Maintain pragmatic and traceable documentation of key safety decisions.
Technical Leadership & Collaboration
- Act as a system-level facilitator across engineering disciplines.
- Enable teams to resolve technical conflicts and competing priorities.
- Promote collaboration and transparency across software, hardware, mechanical, operations and flight test teams.
- Identify gaps, risks and integration challenges before they become project issues.
- Take ownership beyond traditional Systems Engineering boundaries when required to enable project success.
- Degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Experience leading complex cross-functional engineering activities in multidisciplinary product development environments.
- Strong experience in requirements engineering, architecture development or system integration.
- Strong collaboration, communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Demonstrated ability to align teams and drive decisions in ambiguous situations.
- Pragmatic mindset focused on delivering product outcomes rather than engineering artefacts.
- Strong ownership and willingness to step outside formal role boundaries when needed.
- Fluent English communication skills.
- Experience in aerospace, UAVs, robotics, automotive, industrial automation, defence, rail or other complex multidisciplinary systems.
- Experience with MBSE methods and tools such as SysML, Cameo or Capella.
- Experience with requirements management tools such as DOORS, Polarion or Jama.
- Experience with ground control station, HMI design or operational workflows.
- Exposure to flight testing, product validation or regulated environments.
- Understanding of production, industrialisation and scaling from prototype to series production.
- Opportunity to shape a growing UAV product in a highly collaborative environment.
- High degree of influence on technical decisions across all engineering domains.
- Systems Engineering as an enabling function closely connected to product development and execution.
- Broad exposure to architecture, integration, operations, safety, flight test and product strategy.
- Significant freedom to adapt methods and processes to what works best for the organisation and product.
